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The differences between medical specialists and medical representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a medical specialist, becoming a medical representative takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a medical specialist has an average salary of $40,277, which is higher than the $36,309 average annual salary of a medical representative.
The top three skills for a medical specialist include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a medical representative are patients, customer service, and first aid kits.
| Medical Specialist | Medical Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $40,277 | $36,309 |
| Hourly rate | $19.36 | $17.46 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 68,607 | 176,481 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 37 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
Medical specialists are responsible for diagnosing patients and performing medical procedures according to their areas of expertise. They coordinate with the clinical team on administering medications, conducting laboratory examinations, and monitoring admitted patients, ensuring that they receive high-quality care services from the medical staff. A medical specialist also communicates with the patients' families to respond to their medical inquiries and concerns, as well as providing them with updates on the patients' progress. A medical specialist observes the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities at all times, including the inspection of medical tools and equipment for operations.
A medical representative is responsible for selling medical equipment, medications, and other medical supplies by demonstrating benefits and features to patients and healthcare professionals. Medical representatives work closely with their company's marketing department to develop strategic procedures and promotional techniques to attract customers and generate revenues for the business. They respond to the customers' inquiries and concerns, take their orders, and process their payments. A medical representative also analyzes the current trends in the medical industry to identify business opportunities that would establish a market presence.
Medical specialists and medical representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Specialist | Medical Representative | |
| Average salary | $40,277 | $36,309 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $75,000 | Between $27,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Lansing, MI |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Michigan |
| Best paying company | Adobe | Capgemini |
| Best paying industry | - | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a medical specialist and a medical representative in terms of educational background:
| Medical Specialist | Medical Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Business |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between medical specialists' and medical representatives' demographics:
| Medical Specialist | Medical Representative | |
| Average age | 37 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% | Male, 45.2% Female, 54.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 9.0% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |