Pharmaceutical sales person vs medical sales representative

The differences between pharmaceutical sales people and medical 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 pharmaceutical sales person and a medical sales representative. Additionally, a pharmaceutical sales person has an average salary of $130,507, which is higher than the $74,079 average annual salary of a medical sales representative.

The top three skills for a pharmaceutical sales person include pharmaceutical products, sales territory and pharmaceutical sales. The most important skills for a medical sales representative are patients, medical sales, and customer service.

Pharmaceutical sales person vs medical sales representative overview

	Pharmaceutical Sales Person	Medical Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$130,507	$74,079
Hourly rate	$62.74	$35.61
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	117,428	206,149
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a pharmaceutical sales person do?

Pharmaceutical salespersons must have a wide range of skills, such as proven work in pharmaceutical or medical sales, familiarity with the latest medical issues, and knowledge of programs like MS Office. Paid at $92K per year, those who seek this career will be required to educate physicians on new pharmaceutical developments and connect providers with new knowledge, drugs, and treatments for cutting-edge patient care.

What does a medical sales representative do?

A medical sales representative, also known as a pharmaceutical sales representative, is an individual who is responsible for selling and promoting medications and medical equipment. Medical sales representatives set appointments with doctors, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals so that they can promote their company's medical supplies. They are required to build and maintain relationships with their customers so that they can encourage repeat purchases. Medical sales representatives should obtain a bachelor's degree in nursing, pharmacy, life sciences, or a related field.

Pharmaceutical sales person vs medical sales representative salary

Pharmaceutical sales people and medical sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pharmaceutical Sales Person	Medical Sales Representative
Average salary	$130,507	$74,079
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $249,000	Between $45,000 And $121,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry	-	Pharmaceutical

Differences between pharmaceutical sales person and medical sales representative education

There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical sales person and a medical sales representative in terms of educational background:

	Pharmaceutical Sales Person	Medical Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Pharmaceutical sales person vs medical sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between pharmaceutical sales people' and medical sales representatives' demographics:

	Pharmaceutical Sales Person	Medical Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8%	Male, 51.3% Female, 48.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between pharmaceutical sales person and medical sales representative duties and responsibilities

Pharmaceutical sales person example responsibilities.

Manage Santa Rosa/San Francisco territories, marketing and selling respiratory, urology, cardiology to pharmacies and primary care physicians.
Present, negotiate, and close hospital contracts for antibiotics.
Maintain inventory of samples on a monthly basis for reporting to FDA.
Collaborate with NP's and RN's in charge of Coumadin clinics to ensure proper patient use of Coumadin.
Collaborate with hospital formulary committees to introduce new products.
Integrate formulary knowledge and assistance program information for exceptional customer experience

Medical sales representative example responsibilities.

Lead the sales team in number of CPAP's sell monthly.
Work closely with manage care plans, Medicare and Medicaid to ensure full coverage of all products in portfolio
Follow policies and procedures to accomplish responsibilities including following HIPAA regulations.
Develop customer relationships and achieve sales objectives for product portfolio consisting of CNS products.
Present clinical information and lead discussions on various types of treatment for hypertension and acute coronary syndrome.
Utilize CRM database to manage and track prospect interaction to ensure accurate documentation of window requirements and ongoing communication.

Pharmaceutical sales person vs medical sales representative skills

Common pharmaceutical sales person skills

Pharmaceutical Products, 18%
Sales Territory, 15%
Pharmaceutical Sales, 9%
Sales Growth, 8%
Medical Sales, 8%
Healthcare Professionals, 6%

Common medical sales representative skills

Patients, 17%
Medical Sales, 16%
Customer Service, 9%
Sales Territory, 6%
Product Knowledge, 6%
Ventilation, 5%

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Pharmaceutical Sales Person
Pharmaceutical Sales Person vs Medical Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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