Medical sales representative
Visit healthcare professionals to sell them the drugs, medicines and medical equipment made by your company.
Also known as: pharmaceutical sales executive, medical sales rep, medical sales executive
About the job
What it's 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.
Hours
You could work from home or an office base, but would travel to meet clients. Your working day would often be long with a lot of travelling time involved. You may also be expected to socialise with clients in the evenings and attend conferences.
Travel
Your working day would include a lot of travelling time. You would spend most of your time out on the road meeting clients. Your sales territory may cover a large area and you might have to spend some nights away from home.
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Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
Life sciences
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- medical sales
- secondary care
- wound care
- key opinion leader development
- podiatry
- key account management
- revenue stream
- glucose testing
- compression therapy
- exercise science
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- negotiating
- managing resources
- attention to detail
- respecting
- working with numbers
- verbal communication
- networking
- cooperating
- positive attitude
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Biology
Chemistry
Human Biology
Skills for Work: Retailing
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.
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.
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