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The differences between scientific consultants 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 scientific consultant and a pharmaceutical sales specialist. Additionally, a scientific consultant has an average salary of $82,034, which is higher than the $73,003 average annual salary of a pharmaceutical sales specialist.
The top three skills for a scientific consultant include SQL, R and FDA. The most important skills for a pharmaceutical sales specialist are patients, sales territory, and diabetes.
| Scientific Consultant | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $82,034 | $73,003 |
| Hourly rate | $39.44 | $35.10 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 13,980 | 23,474 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
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.
Scientific consultants and pharmaceutical sales specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Scientific Consultant | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Average salary | $82,034 | $73,003 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $131,000 | Between $47,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Booz Allen Hamilton | AstraZeneca |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a scientific consultant and a pharmaceutical sales specialist in terms of educational background:
| Scientific Consultant | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| 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 |
Here are the differences between scientific consultants' and pharmaceutical sales specialists' demographics:
| Scientific Consultant | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% |
| 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, 14.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |