Post job

Therapeutic specialist vs medical sales representative

The differences between therapeutic specialists and medical 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 therapeutic specialist and a medical sales representative. Additionally, a medical sales representative has an average salary of $74,079, which is higher than the $35,912 average annual salary of a therapeutic specialist.

The top three skills for a therapeutic specialist include patients, disease state and healthcare professionals. The most important skills for a medical sales representative are patients, medical sales, and customer service.

Therapeutic specialist vs medical sales representative overview

Therapeutic SpecialistMedical Sales Representative
Yearly salary$35,912$74,079
Hourly rate$17.27$35.61
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs2,151206,149
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age4747
Years of experience22

What does a therapeutic specialist do?

A therapeutic specialist supports the Intensive Therapeutic Care teams to provide quality care for children and young people who have experienced abuse, neglect, or trauma, helping them to meet their goals. They work closely with case managers to ensure decisions are made by guiding. It is part of their varied tasks to do an assessment, transition and planning for children and young people entering short-term placement. In addition, they develop transition plans for children or young people to exit into permanent pathways in collaboration with stakeholders.

What does a medical sales representative do?

A medical sales representative, also known as a pharmaceutical sales representative, is an individual who is responsible for selling and promoting medications and medical equipment. Medical sales representatives set appointments with doctors, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals so that they can promote their company's medical supplies. They are required to build and maintain relationships with their customers so that they can encourage repeat purchases. Medical sales representatives should obtain a bachelor's degree in nursing, pharmacy, life sciences, or a related field.

Therapeutic specialist vs medical sales representative salary

Therapeutic specialists and medical sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

Therapeutic SpecialistMedical Sales Representative
Average salary$35,912$74,079
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $52,000Between $45,000 And $121,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry-Pharmaceutical

Differences between therapeutic specialist and medical sales representative education

There are a few differences between a therapeutic specialist and a medical sales representative in terms of educational background:

Therapeutic SpecialistMedical Sales Representative
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Therapeutic specialist vs medical sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between therapeutic specialists' and medical sales representatives' demographics:

Therapeutic SpecialistMedical Sales Representative
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 45.4% Female, 54.6%Male, 51.3% Female, 48.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%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%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between therapeutic specialist and medical sales representative duties and responsibilities

Therapeutic specialist example responsibilities.

  • Lead product launch of dermatology sales for Nucort and Halog
  • Manage educational speaker programs for physicians, nurses and pharmacists, introducing new oncology products.
  • Develop and maintain repeat clientele in a competitive cardiology sales market.
  • Value add programs for psychiatry departments within each assign hospital and clinic.
  • Diversify customer base by launching a variety of new products in allergy, otolaryngology, psychiatry, and pulmonary arenas.
  • Specialize in cardiology and endocrinology prescription products.
  • Show more

Medical sales representative example responsibilities.

  • Lead the sales team in number of CPAP's sell monthly.
  • Work closely with manage care plans, Medicare and Medicaid to ensure full coverage of all products in portfolio
  • Follow policies and procedures to accomplish responsibilities including following HIPAA regulations.
  • Develop customer relationships and achieve sales objectives for product portfolio consisting of CNS products.
  • Present clinical information and lead discussions on various types of treatment for hypertension and acute coronary syndrome.
  • Utilize CRM database to manage and track prospect interaction to ensure accurate documentation of window requirements and ongoing communication.
  • Show more

Therapeutic specialist vs medical sales representative skills

Common therapeutic specialist skills
  • Patients, 23%
  • Disease State, 14%
  • Healthcare Professionals, 11%
  • Business Plan, 9%
  • Account Management, 8%
  • Medicaid, 7%
Common medical sales representative skills
  • Patients, 17%
  • Medical Sales, 16%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Sales Territory, 6%
  • Product Knowledge, 6%
  • Ventilation, 5%