Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between professional healthcare representatives and pharmaceutical sales specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a professional healthcare representative and a pharmaceutical sales specialist. Additionally, a pharmaceutical sales specialist has an average salary of $73,003, which is higher than the $37,042 average annual salary of a professional healthcare representative.
The top three skills for a professional healthcare representative include government agencies, patients and product portfolio. The most important skills for a pharmaceutical sales specialist are patients, sales territory, and diabetes.
| Professional Healthcare Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $37,042 | $73,003 |
| Hourly rate | $17.81 | $35.10 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 127,891 | 23,474 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Professional Healthcare representatives are sales employees who manage the company's healthcare products and healthcare client accounts. They are in charge of achieving the sales targets of the company. They form good relationships with clients and distributors to ensure continued business with them. They may visit their clients' office from time to time to check in on them and to provide samples of new products. Professional Healthcare Representatives should be updated on the latest trends in the healthcare industry, as well as new product releases related to their company's main business. They should also know all the pertinent details on the products they sell so they can answer their clients' questions.
A pharmaceutical sales specialist's primary duty is to reach out to pharmacies, medical facilities, and physicians to discuss the latest medical drugs in an effort to secure sales. Their responsibilities typically revolve around learning and understanding everything about the products that they are offering, traveling to different areas to deliver samples, and maintaining records of all transactions. Furthermore, as a pharmaceutical sales specialist, it is essential to create marketing materials and build positive relationships with clients to accomplish sales targets, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Professional healthcare representatives and pharmaceutical sales specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Healthcare Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Average salary | $37,042 | $73,003 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $59,000 | Between $47,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | Torrance, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Cognizant | AstraZeneca |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a professional healthcare representative and a pharmaceutical sales specialist in terms of educational background:
| Professional Healthcare Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between professional healthcare representatives' and pharmaceutical sales specialists' demographics:
| Professional Healthcare Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3% | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |