Career Fields
Within our career cluster, STEM, our occupational fields consist of medical device sales representative, pharmaceutical sales, and wildlife conservation. While all of these fields fall under the STEM cluster there are similarities and differences that distinguish each field in its on way.
Similarities
As far as medical device sales goes, there is a sense of science, technology, and engineering that takes place in order to produce products to sell. Although the sales representatives job is to sell the products, there is behind the scenes work that relates to STEM. As for pharmaceutical sales, it has a direct correlation to medical sales primarily because of the sales piece, as well as the research and development teams that use science, technology, and engineering to produce medicine and various products to help cure patients. In terms of wildlife conservation, the biggest similarity towards the other two career fields is the consistent dedication to help people, although there is a transition to helping the environment and the animals within it. All of these occupational fields fall under the STEM career cluster in their own ways. Similarities such as research and development programs within the fields, a striving approach to helping others and the environment, and a dedicated workforce all bring medical sales, pharmaceutical sales, and wildlife preservation together under one umbrella, known as STEM.
Differences
Although the career fields within our cluster share similarities that are close to one another, there are differences that separate each field in a unique way. In terms of medical device and pharmaceutical sales, a key difference between the two is the products being sold in each industry. Medical device sales sells physical equipment such as screws, plates, tools, and pins to help complete surgeries for patients. Although pharmaceutical sales is related to device sales, there is a focus on medicine, drugs, and prescription items to help fit the patients needs. These differences allow for two pieces of the same puzzle to come together, although working in different fields. Whereas sales is a piece to both pharmaceutical and devices, wildlife preservation takes on another role towards STEM. The biggest difference between device sales, and wildlife preservation is the activities within the field. As a medical device representative, you will be involved in product demonstrations, and going into the field to have meetings, while wildlife preservation takes on habitat restoration, research, and educational practices around ecological issues to expand the field. As for pharmaceutical sales and wildlife preservation, the biggest difference would be the work environment as pharm sales is typically more office or clinic based, while wildlife preservation is predominantly outdoors doing research, and hands on activities.