Medical sales representative
Career outlook for medical sales representative
UK Salary Ranges
Entry-level
£21,000
£21,000
Experienced
£50,000
£50,000
Currently employed in Scotland
7,300
Salary information is provided by the "National Careers Service". "Oxford Economics" supplies job forecasts and employment figures. Due to COVID-19 the jobs market is constantly changing. Some of the information may not reflect the current situation.
What's it like?
You would visit healthcare professionals to sell them the drugs, medicines and medical equipment your company make.
You would speak to GPs, hospital doctors, pharmacists and practice nurses to persuade them to buy your products. You’d travel around a particular area of the UK - sometimes known as a sales territory or 'patch' - to see your clients.
You would:
- Make appointments to see existing clients and potential new customers
- Present products to clients
- Persuade clients to buy your company’s products
- Provide an after-sales service
- Organise or attend medical conferences
- Keep records of sales and customers
- Report information to head office about customer needs
You’d have sales targets to meet so you’d need confidence, drive and self-motivation.
You’d need to keep up to date with the latest clinical data and research, so that you could discuss medical matters with health professionals in a knowledgeable way.
There will also be frequent changes in products and healthcare systems which you’d have to adapt.
You would specialise in a particular type of product or therapy area, for example oncology, diabetes or respiratory health.
Working conditions
Hours
Travel
UK employment status
Full-time
81%
Part-time
10%
Self employed
9%
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Find a jobTop skills
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- Positive attitude
- Cooperating
- Networking
- Verbal communication
- Working with numbers
- Respecting
- Attention to detail
- Managing resources
- Negotiating
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Qualifications
Most medical sales representatives have degrees (SCQF level 9/10) in areas such as life sciences, medicine and nursing, or extensive sales experience.
To enter a degree (SCQF level 9/10) usually requires National 5 qualifications and a minimum of three Highers or a relevant Higher National Certificate/Higher National Diploma. Entry requirements for some degrees, such as medicine, are much higher.
Useful subjects
- English (required by most courses)
- Maths (required by most courses)
- Science subjects (required by most courses)
- Care
- ICT
- Business subjects
- Social studies subjects such as media
Helpful to have
Some people come into this career without a degree but have extensive sales experience; relevant work-based qualifications such as a Diploma in Multi-Channel Retailing (QCF level 3) may be of value.