What is Medical Sales?
What Is Medical Sales?
What Do Medical Sales Reps Sell?
The Best Medical Sales App
Medical sales is a career path focused on selling healthcare-related products, devices, services, or pharmaceuticals to hospitals, doctors, clinics, and healthcare providers. Medical sales reps are responsible for helping providers find the right tools and solutions to improve patient outcomes—and they often earn high incomes doing it. If you've ever seen a rep walk into a hospital with a branded backpack and leave with a handshake and a PO, that’s medical sales in action.
Reps often work in:
- Hospitals and surgical centers
- Private practices and specialty clinics
- Dental and orthopedic offices
- Nursing homes and rehab centers
- Laboratories and diagnostic facilities
- Operating rooms (for surgical device reps)
Where Medical Sales Happens
Medical Sales: The Definition
Medical sales refers to the business of selling medical products, equipment, pharmaceuticals, or services directly to healthcare professionals or facilities. It’s part sales, part clinical education, and part territory management. Some reps spend their day in operating rooms supporting surgeons. Others spend it building relationships with purchasing managers or private practices.
Is medical sales a good career?
Yes—medical sales offers high income, strong job growth, and flexible territory-based roles. It’s competitive, but rewarding.
Is it hard to get into medical sales?
It can be. Entry-level roles are limited, and hiring managers want reps with grit, discipline, and strong interpersonal skills.
Do reps need to go into surgeries?
Only in device sales. Pharmaceutical and software reps rarely enter clinical spaces.
How much travel is involved?
Territory sizes vary. Expect local or regional travel daily, and some overnight trips depending on the region.
Frequently Asked Questions in Medical Sales
Who Hires Medical Sales Reps?
Summary of Medical Sales
Medical sales is a high-performance, high-reward career for those that have technical knowledge and interpersonal skills. Whether you're in the OR with a surgeon or explaining the latest drug launch to a physician’s office manager, you're helping deliver tools that impact real lives. If you’re competitive, curious, and driven—medical sales might be your next move.
Medical sales reps are employed by:
- Large pharmaceutical companies (e.g., Pfizer, Merck)
- Medical device manufacturers (e.g., Medtronic, Stryker)
- Healthcare software providers
- Startup med-tech companies
- Distributors & specialty wholesalers
Pharmaceutical Sales
medications prescribed by physicians
Medical Device Sales
physical products used in surgeries or treatments (e.g., implants, surgical tools)
Capital Equipment Sales
large diagnostic machines like MRI, ultrasound, or robotic surgery devices
Durable Medical Equipment (DME)
wheelchairs, beds, braces, oxygen machines
Medical Software & IT
EHR platforms, diagnostic software, patient monitoring solutions
Laboratory Sales
diagnostic tools, lab testing supplies, consumables
What Does a Medical Sales Rep Do?
Day-to-day responsibilities include:
- Educating providers about new products and features
- Attending surgeries or clinical procedures to support device use
- Managing a sales pipeline and hitting monthly quotas
- Coordinating with supply chain or procurement teams
- Planning and optimizing territory visits
- Logging activity in a CRM
- Staying compliant with healthcare regulations
Top earners in medical device, industrial sales, and technology regularly exceed six figures.
Do You Need a Degree?
Medical sales is a broad field with several key categories:
Medical Sales Salary and Earnings
Medical sales is known for its high earning potential—especially in devices and capital equipment.
Most medical sales jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree—commonly in business, biology, life sciences, or communications. Medical experience isn’t a strict requirement, but industry knowledge certainly helps. If you're an entry-level reps, these are some common employment backgrounds:
- B2B sales, such as copier, insurance, or SaaS products
- Athletic experience
- Nursing or clinical support roles
- Military backgrounds
How to Get Into Medical Sales
Build foundational sales experience (preferably B2B)
- Network with current reps and learn from them
- Apply to associate or entry-level roles with growth potential
- Study product types and terminology in your target segment
- Highlight competitive drive and territory management skills in interviews