How to become a Medical Representative
Medical Representatives are also known as Medical Sales Representatives or Pharmaceutical Sales Representative professionals. He/She is responsible for communicating between the drug manufacturing companies or organizations and medical professionals. They are responsible for selling the companies' products such as drugs or medical equipment. In this article, you will learn everything about who is a Medical Representative, how to become a Medical Representative, the required qualifications, skills, Medical Representative job roles, and salary.

If you are someone interested in becoming a Medical Representative then you must have a relevant degree and skills to get a Medical Representative job. Before we can discuss all that let us first know in detail who is a Medical Representative.
What Does a Medical Representative Do?
A Medical Representative is a Healthcare Professional and is also known as Pharmaceutical Sales Representative. He/She promotes and sells the company's medications, prescription drugs, and medical equipment. They apply various strategies to bring awareness about the drugs to the medical line personnel. Their target clients are pharmacists, nurses, and doctors. They build the company's relationships with clients and stakeholders. They provide information about drugs and influence doctors and pharmacists to prescribe their company's medicines.
Qualifications for Medical Representative
Candidates must have passed their 10+2 examination in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, or Biology
Candidates must be passed Graduation with at least a 50% score
A Bachelor of Pharmacy, B.Pharma degree from a recognized university
A Master of Pharmacy, M.Pharma degree is from a recognized university
The candidates must pursue Undergraduate or Postgraduate Pharmacy Courses or Medical Courses from the top Pharmacy colleges
Bachelor’s
B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science) Pharmacy
B.Pharm. (Bachelor of Pharmacy) Clinical Pharmacy
B.Pharm. (Bachelor of Pharmacy) Industrial Pharmacy
B.Pharm. (Bachelor of Pharmacy) Pharmacognosy
B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science) in Pharmacology and Toxicology
Post-Bachelor’s
MBA in Pharma Biotechnology
MBA in Pharmaceutical Management
Masters in Pharmacy-Pharmaceutical Chemistry
M. Pharm. (Master of Pharmacy) Biopharmaceutics
M. Pharm. (Master of Pharmacy) Pharmacognosy
M. Pharm. (Master of Pharmacy) Clinical Pharmacy
M.Sc. (Master of Science) Pharmacy
M. Pharm. (Master of Pharmacy) Industrial Pharmacy
Entrance Exam
Before taking up any course or degree, candidates will have to write any of these entrance exams such as GPAT, AIPSSCET, BITS HD Pharmacy, APPGECET Pharmacy, UPSEE, GPAT, NEET, BITSAT, MHT-CET, TS EAMCET, AP EAMCET, BCECE, WBJEE. GPAT, BITS HD, NIPER JEE, HPCET, OJEE, AP PGECET, TS PGECET, and TANCET among others.
Top Colleges for Pharmaceutical Science
Parul University, NIPER, ICT, BITS Pilani, NIRMA University, Amity University, DIPSAR, Lovely Professional University, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Panjab University, ICT Mumbai, Jamia Hamdard University and many more.
Medical Representative Roles and Responsibilities
Provides prescribed medicines
Meets with doctors and health experts
They take feedback from the customers
Maintains reports and sets sales targets
Schedules appointments with medical personnel
Presents products samples and statistics to clients
Assists projects, develops and maintains a reports
Using sales capabilities to liaise with centered doctors
Looks for the client's needs and gives appropriate products
Promotes or makes awareness to sell the company's products
Represents and attends company’s meetings, convention calls, and training sessions
Medical Representative Skills
Bilingual and interpersonal skills
Must have business and sales skills
Prepares sales to track records
Must have presentation and resilience skills
Must have proven medical sales experience
Time Management, negotiation, and sales skills
Ability to create prescriptions and record making
Communication, organizational and negotiation skills
Must have commercial awareness and research skills
Must be determined, work hard, and dedicated to work
Experience in Medical sales and knowledge of MS Office
Willing to adapt the changes and takes up new challenges
Must have Customer service, and product knowledge
Ability to maintain relationships with clients and team members
Must have knowledge about Microbiology and the human body
Must have knowledge about databases, statics, product lines, medical issues
Must have scientific knowledge and MS office, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint
Salary of Medical Representative
The Pharmaceutical Sales Representative or Medical Representative's salary in India ranges between Rs 6.3 lakhs and Rs 24.0 lakhs with an average annual salary of Rs 3.8 lakhs per annum.
Medical Representative Salary | Estimated at Rs 6.3 lakhs and Rs 24.0 lakhs per annum Average annual Salary Rs 3.8 lakhs |
Companies hiring Medical Representatives are
Sun Pharmaceuticals | Novartis |
Mankind Pharma | Cipla |
Abbott | Cadila Pharmaceuticals |
Reddy's Laboratories | Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd |
Ajanta Pharma | Fourrts India Laboratories |
Medical Representative Career Paths
A Medical Representative with working experience can build their careers in following areas such as
Emergency Medical Technician | Team Leader |
Operation Supervisor | Regional Sales Manager |
Medical Sales Manager | Account Manager |
District Manager | |
Product Specialist | Specialist |
Pharmacist Technician | Specialty Representative |
Professional Representative |
Why you should choose Medical Representative?
It provides rapid career growth
Higher pay salaries
Job satisfaction
Travel opportunities
Work Flexibility
Building Connections
Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) - How to become a Medical Representative
Question: Which are the highest-paying jobs in the pharmaceutical industry?
Answer:
Pharmaceutical Financial Analyst, Medical science liaison, Regulatory Specialist, Drug Manufacturer, Research Scientist, Pharmacy Manager, Biotechnology Consultant, Research & Development, Quality Assurance, Teaching, SAP/SAS, Medical writing, and Biostatistician.
Question: What are the 5 main qualities of a Medical Representative?
Answer:
Subject knowledge
Discipline and polite
Dedicated and hardworking
Determined and knowledgeable of products
Adapts the changes and updates according to trends
Self-confident and influencer
Question: What is the minimum qualification for Medical Representative?
Answer:
Bachelor's degree in Science, B Pharma, or Bachelor's in Pharmacy is the minimum qualification for a Medical Representative in India. M. Pharm. Pharmacognosy B.Pharm. Clinical Pharmacy, B.Sc. in Pharmacology, and Toxicology are some of the others.
Question: What is a medical MR job?
Answer:
MR stands for Medical Representative, job role includes communicating with medical professionals and drug manufacturing organizations. They promote the products of the company. Bachelor's degree in Science, B.Pharma, or Bachelor in Pharmacy.