Scientific consultant vs pharmaceutical sales representative

The differences between scientific consultants 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 scientific consultant and a pharmaceutical sales representative. Additionally, a scientific consultant has an average salary of $82,034, which is higher than the $68,571 average annual salary of a pharmaceutical sales representative.

The top three skills for a scientific consultant include SQL, R and FDA. The most important skills for a pharmaceutical sales representative are patients, pharmaceutical products, and develop strong relationships.

Scientific consultant vs pharmaceutical sales representative overview

	Scientific Consultant	Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$82,034	$68,571
Hourly rate	$39.44	$32.97
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	13,980	102,935
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 85%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a scientific consultant do?

A scientific consultant provides consultation services for scientific projects and research for implementation and enabling scientific missions to the customers. They strategize solutions for business or organizational problems as well as providing a fresh perspective and knowledge based on their expertise. Their duties and responsibilities include compiling and presenting information to the organization through reports.

What does a pharmaceutical sales representative do?

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.

Scientific consultant vs pharmaceutical sales representative salary

Scientific consultants and pharmaceutical sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Scientific Consultant	Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Average salary	$82,034	$68,571
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $131,000	Between $42,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	California	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Booz Allen Hamilton	Eli Lilly and Company
Best paying industry	Technology	Pharmaceutical

Differences between scientific consultant and pharmaceutical sales representative education

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

	Scientific Consultant	Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 85%
Most common major	Biology	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Scientific consultant vs pharmaceutical sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between scientific consultants' and pharmaceutical sales representatives' demographics:

	Scientific Consultant	Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0%	Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% 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%

Differences between scientific consultant and pharmaceutical sales representative duties and responsibilities

Scientific consultant example responsibilities.

Provide SharePoint development and administration, budget and financial reporting; manage invoicing; and develop training manuals and user guides.
Define and document a new application architecture which load client databases with properly format data using in-house develop Java ETL applications.
Support regulatory submissions (ISSs, NDA), CDISC (SDTM, ADaM).

Pharmaceutical sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage and establish relationships within specialty urology and neurology markets to drive new and existing therapies.
Demonstrate strong teamwork skills by partnering with Novartis counterparts and other pharmaceutical consultants to achieve company and individual goals.
Manage Santa Rosa/San Francisco territories, marketing and selling respiratory, urology, cardiology to pharmacies and primary care physicians.
Retail sales division promoting drugs in gastroenterology, endocrinology, pain management and infectious disease.
Call on and maintain relationships with primary care physicians, cardiologists, nephrologists, internists, gastroenterologists, and endocrinologists.
Call on primary care physicians, cardiologists, neurologists, endocrinologists, and vascular surgeons.

Scientific consultant vs pharmaceutical sales representative skills

Common scientific consultant skills

SQL, 73%
R, 7%
FDA, 4%
Laboratory Procedures, 3%
Experimental Design, 2%
Scientific Journals, 2%

Common pharmaceutical sales representative skills

Patients, 21%
Pharmaceutical Products, 8%
Develop Strong Relationships, 6%
Territory Management, 5%
FDA, 4%
Business Plan, 4%

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Scientific Consultant
Scientific Consultant vs Pharmaceutical Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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