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The differences between medical sales specialists and pharmaceutical sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a medical sales specialist and a pharmaceutical sales representative. Additionally, a medical sales specialist has an average salary of $69,959, which is higher than the $68,571 average annual salary of a pharmaceutical sales representative.
The top three skills for a medical sales specialist include patients, medical devices and medical sales. The most important skills for a pharmaceutical sales representative are patients, pharmaceutical products, and develop strong relationships.
| Medical Sales Specialist | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $69,959 | $68,571 |
| Hourly rate | $33.63 | $32.97 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 76,398 | 102,935 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A medical sales specialist is an individual who advertises, markets, and distributes a specific pharmaceutical product or medical equipment to medical establishments. Medical sales specialists must manage a network of independent representatives and maintain relationships with their clients to attain territory-specific sales goals. They develop marketing strategies and business sales plans to identify key growth areas and deliver short and long-term corporate objectives. Medical sales specialists should also conduct analyses on product and market trends to achieve and exceed sales goals.
The job of pharmaceutical sales representatives is to inform and educate doctors about a company's medical and pharmaceutical products. They serve as the link between a company and healthcare professionals to hit sales targets. They have varied responsibilities, including assessing clients' needs and presenting suitable products, delivering product samples, and working sales teams to develop and implement brand strategies. This role's qualifications include relevant work experience, excellent communication, sales, negotiation skills, and a bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
Medical sales specialists and pharmaceutical sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Sales Specialist | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $69,959 | $68,571 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $102,000 | Between $42,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Medline | Eli Lilly and Company |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a medical sales specialist and a pharmaceutical sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Medical Sales Specialist | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between medical sales specialists' and pharmaceutical sales representatives' demographics:
| Medical Sales Specialist | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2% | Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |