How to become a Medical Representative
A Medical Representative (MR) fulfils an integral role in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector. They act as a key link between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals by providing medicines and medical products to doctors, pharmacies and hospitals. These professionals are also responsible for providing detailed and accurate information about the product. Becoming a medical representative in India is now a decent career option that offers stability and good earning potential. In this article, we will discuss how to become a medical representative in depth, along with the required qualifications, skills and career scope.
What Does a Medical Representative Do?
A Medical Representative is a Healthcare Professional and is also known as a 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
To become a medical representative, certain educational qualifications are needed. A background in science and pharmacy is beneficial for those who are seeking a career as a medical representative in India. Candidates must have passed their 10+2 examination in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, or Biology and must have passed their graduation with at least a 50% score.
Some of the relevant educational qualifications are given below.
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
Master's 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
The candidates must pursue Undergraduate or Postgraduate Pharmacy Courses or relevant Medical Courses from the top Pharmacy colleges to build a strong career in this field.
Entrance Exams:
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
Some of the top colleges for pharmaceutical science in India include Parul University, NIPER, ICT, BITS Hyderabad, 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 reputed institutions.
Medical Representative Roles and Responsibilities
The roles and responsibilities of a medical representative include promoting pharmaceutical products and building strong professional relationships with healthcare professionals. Some of the important responsibilities of a medical representative are given below.
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 product samples and statistics to clients
Assists projects, develops and maintains reports
Using sales capabilities to liaise with centred doctors
Looks for the client's needs and gives appropriate products
Promotes or raises awareness to sell the company's products
Represents and attends the company’s meetings, convention calls, and training sessions
Medical Representative Skills
As a medical representative, you need to possess certain skills to maintain professional relationships with doctors and other healthcare professionals. Some of these crucial skills include:
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, organisational and negotiation skills
Must have commercial awareness and research skills
Experience in Medical sales and knowledge of MS Office
Willing to adapt to the changes and take up new challenges
Ability to maintain relationships with clients and team members
Must know Microbiology and the human body
Must know about databases, statistics, product lines, and medical issues
Salary of Medical Representative
The annual average salary of a Medical Representative in India ranges between Rs 3.6 Lakhs and Rs 4 Lakhs. Below, we have given some of the top recruiters who offer highly competitive salaries and lucrative career growth opportunities.
Sun Pharmaceuticals
Novartis
Abbott
Cipla
Cadila Pharmaceuticals
Ajanta Pharma
Medical Representative Career Paths
A Medical Representative with working experience can build their career in the following areas:
Emergency Medical Technician
Team Leader
Account Manager
District Manager
Pharmacist Technician
Medical Sales Manager
Why Should You Choose A Career As A Medical Representative?
Choosing a career as a medical representative leads to great professional growth opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry. This role provides:
Rapid career growth
Higher pay salaries
Job satisfaction
Travel opportunities
Work Flexibility
Building Connections
Conclusion
To conclude, this article provides you with information on who is a Medical Representative is, how to become a Medical Representative, the required qualifications, skills, Medical Representative job roles, and salary. By covering all the important aspects of this profession, we aim to help aspirants make better and wiser career decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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.
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.
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
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.