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Pharmaceutical Detailer |
Career OverviewThe role of the pharmaceutical detailer is similar to that of a salesman in many respects, but they have considerable expertise in the field. Pharmaceutical detailers promote the use and sale of drugs and other pharmaceutical products to physicians, dentists, hospitals, retail and wholesale drug stores.
They promote the ethical use of drugs and other pharmaceutical products and they utilize knowledge of medical practices, drugs, and medicine to facilitate the best possible level of patient care and treatment outcome.
For the most part, pharmaceutical detailers call customers and discuss their requirements: whether they need to restock certain supplies, such as pharmaceutical drugs or equipment. The pharmaceutical detailer will also inform customers about any new drugs that are on the market and that may be of interest to the customers.
As part of this sales process, the pharmaceutical detailer will discuss the characteristics and clinical applications of drugs, based on information obtained from studies conducted with the drugs by pharmacists in commercial laboratories and other biological scientists.
The pharmaceutical detailer will apply their training as pharmacists to discuss issues such as the recommended dosages, the recommended uses, and the typical effects of the new drugs. They will also discuss the medicinal preparations and they may offer to distribute samples of the drugs to interested clients.
Their principle function is generally to promote and sell drugs and medicines manufactured by a specific company; most pharmaceutical detailers work for a specific pharmaceutical company, selling and processing orders for them and maintaining industry contacts.
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Career RequirementsPharmaceutical detailers may be trained pharmacists. Pharmacists must graduate fro an accredited training program and be licensed to practice. The most basic prerequisite to enter into an accredited training program is a high school diploma or its equivalent.
At least two years of college study is required for admittance into many pharmacy programs and candidates are required to have some advanced knowledge of physiology, chemistry, biology, biochemistry, anatomy, physics, and mathematics. An additional phase of study takes place at a college of pharmacy, where students are taught to work with natural drugs and synthetic drugs, and to understand the effects of drug dosage.
A pharmaceutical detailer does not have to be a trained pharmacist, however. The most basic requirements for acceptance as a pharmaceutical detailer is a background and interest in sciences, including chemistry, biochemistry, and anatomy, and interest or experience in sales.
Pharmaceutical detailers must be able to interpret important technical product information about the drugs and pharmaceutical materials they are working to sell. For this reason, training as a pharmacist or considerable background in pharmaceuticals is particularly desirable.
Pharmaceutical detailers must be able to communicate specific product information about dosages and uses, but they must also be able to sell drugs and other pharmaceutical products to different industry participants and institutions.
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Job OutlookThe demand for pharmaceutical details is expected to remain steady over the next decade. The job outlook is positive because the elderly population of the United States, one of the fastest-growing population segments, is also one of the largest consumers of pharmaceuticals.
Pharmaceutical detailers have a particularly good job outlook if they have advanced training and experience.
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Career TrackPharmaceutical detailers tend to work in office environments and spend much of their time making telephone calls and sales pitches to local pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, clinics, doctors’ offices, and other commercial pharmaceutical companies.
Most pharmaceutical detailers are employed by commercial pharmaceutical manufacturing companies and work in the sales department. Promotions are generally to supervisor positions or to larger facilities.
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CompensationAlthough compensation for pharmaceutical detailers varies across the field, most earn between $25,000 and $50,000 per year. Many pharmaceutical detailers earn commissions on top of their base salaries because their primary function is to sell productions.
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