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The differences between surgical sales 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 surgical sales representative and a pharmaceutical sales specialist. Additionally, a surgical sales representative has an average salary of $73,379, which is higher than the $73,003 average annual salary of a pharmaceutical sales specialist.
The top three skills for a surgical sales representative include medical sales, product knowledge and GYN. The most important skills for a pharmaceutical sales specialist are patients, sales territory, and diabetes.
| Surgical Sales Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $73,379 | $73,003 |
| Hourly rate | $35.28 | $35.10 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 124,729 | 23,474 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 85% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A surgical sales representative is responsible for selling surgical devices for health care facilities with cost-efficient offers but high-quality standards. Surgical sales representatives negotiate contracts with existing and potential clients by discussing the features and benefits of their products that would attract the clients' purchasing decisions. They also manage their business proposals by sending out e-mail campaigns or personally visiting the clients' area. A surgical sales representative must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in identifying the recent medical technology trends that would generate more revenue resources for the business.
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.
Surgical sales representatives and pharmaceutical sales specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Surgical Sales Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Average salary | $73,379 | $73,003 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $113,000 | Between $47,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Nevada |
| Best paying company | - | AstraZeneca |
| Best paying industry | - | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a surgical sales representative and a pharmaceutical sales specialist in terms of educational background:
| Surgical Sales Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 85% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between surgical sales representatives' and pharmaceutical sales specialists' demographics:
| Surgical Sales Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4% | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |