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The differences between professional healthcare representatives and specialty 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 professional healthcare representative and a specialty representative. Additionally, a specialty representative has an average salary of $49,201, 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 specialty representative are patients, oncology, and dermatology.
| Professional Healthcare Representative | Specialty Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $37,042 | $49,201 |
| Hourly rate | $17.81 | $23.65 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 127,891 | 50,435 |
| 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 specialty representative is responsible for selling specific goods and services to target customers through remote communication or site visits, depending on business requirements and client needs. Specialty representatives assist the marketing and sales team in delivering high-quality sales strategies and promotional techniques to attract customers, identifying their needs by researching industry trends to drive more revenue resources and achieve sales goals and objectives. A specialty representative should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns, resolving complaints, and updating their accounts within the database.
Professional healthcare representatives and specialty representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Healthcare Representative | Specialty Representative | |
| Average salary | $37,042 | $49,201 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $59,000 | Between $26,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Torrance, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | California | - |
| Best paying company | Cognizant | - |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | - |
There are a few differences between a professional healthcare representative and a specialty representative in terms of educational background:
| Professional Healthcare Representative | Specialty Representative | |
| 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 specialty representatives' demographics:
| Professional Healthcare Representative | Specialty Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3% | Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3% |
| 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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |