The Medical Sales Role

Medical Sales
Medical Sales representatives are employed by pharmaceutical companies to promote medicines to doctors and pharmacists. You are largely your own boss. Your company car is your office but need room at home to store company gifts and samples. Constant people contact but can be lonely. Can spend a lot of time sitting in doctors waiting rooms. A useful route into areas such as marketing and sales management. Can progress in sales to sales management, or move to marketing or training. Promotion depends on mobility, experience and ability.

PROFILE: Medical Sales Representative
INVOLVES: Visiting doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists etc to make presentations on medicines developed by the pharmaceutical company you work for. Tasks include:

Arranging appointments with doctors, hospital consultants, nurses, midwives, pharmacists etc.
Making presentations on medicines developed by the pharmaceutical company you work for to them.
Organising symposia for doctors.
Managing budgets (for catering, outside speakers etc.).
Learning about new products.
Keeping chemists informed e.g. which drugs GPs are likely to prescribe.
Attending company's regional meetings.
There is an initial training course lasting 6 to 8 weeks covering sales and product training and background physiology and anatomy. Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry exam must be passed within first two years.
EMPLOYERS: Pharmaceutical Companies
RELATED JOBS: media sales, other sales jobs, marketing, clinical research associate (this involves arranging clinical trials of new medicines on volunteer patients with doctors.
SATISFACTIONS: Lots of independence. Largely your own boss. Company car
NEGATIVES: 'Lots of driving & waiting in doctors waiting rooms.' Can be lonely.
SKILLS: spoken communication persuading, negotiating, listening, being able to work independently, driving.
ADVANCEMENT: Can move into sales management, sales training or marketing.
DEGREE: Any degree subject is acceptable. Life sciences or medically-related degrees are useful.
VACANCY SOURCES: Careers Service Vacancy Lists, Daily Telegraph (Thursday), New Scientist, Recruitment Agencies.
TIPS: Work shadow a medical representative - this can sometimes be arranged via your medical centre: ask the receptionist for the business cards of visiting reps. Your local pharmacist will also have good contacts. Contact the major pharmaceutical firms. Try to get some experience of a sales type job. Learn to drive.