Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 32
PRODUCTTRAINING
Demystifying MSL Training
I By Karin Hawkinson
Y
our company is launching a new product next year and you've been tasked with managing the development of medical science liaison (MSL) training materials. You've got a budget, the MSLs are hired and you're ready to send out the request for proposal to training vendors. But you realize you aren't sure what you are looking for from your training vendors — what does good MSL training look like? e rst thing to consider when developing any training materials is your audience. Pharma company MSLs are individuals who have advanced medical, science or pharmacy degrees who provide scienti c and educational support to healthcare professionals on a peer-to-peer basis. eir discussions
with healthcare professionals o en start before a product reaches the market, are usually in-depth and have a scienti c and clinical focus. Translating this understanding of your audience into appropriate training materials can still be challenging. Here are a few tips to consider when developing MSL training.
Find out the background
Although you can assume that MSLs have a solid foundation in basic anatomy and physiology and overall disease areas, you can't assume that they already know the details or nuances of every disease area. A good rst step is a quick poll on what therapeutic areas your MSLs have worked in previous to this project. And remember, if this is a new product, the data will be new to everyone.
rials you can dive right into the intricacies of an abnormal ECG in a patient experiencing a heart attack. • Second, because MSLs are comfortable with medical vocabulary— it's their everyday language—their materials need to match the clinical literature in tone and vocabulary. • ird, MSLs need to learn about additional topics. Most importantly, MSLs need to understand the issues, controversies and unanswered questions regarding a disease, its treatment and your product. MSLs also need to understand the preclinical development of a drug, as well as more detailed information on how a clinical trial was conducted.
MSLs are not sales reps
You'll need to take your understanding of what constitutes good representative training materials and reevaluate these concepts from an MSL perspective. • First, MSL materials need to be written at the appropriate level. Although you may need to explain to representatives what a normal ECG shows, in MSL mate-
Print is not the only option
Just because MSL training materials are written at a more medical and scienti c level doesn't mean that these materials should be restricted to print. As with all adult learning, it's important to vary the media that you use, which helps engage the interest of the learner. Let the content drive the
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Focus Magazine - Fall 2011
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Fall 2011
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011
Leap of Faith
Contents
Field-Based Training: Developing Future Leaders
Gender Inequities in Training
Social Learning in Action: Beyond the Hype
Time Management: Training the Clock-Watcher
Cover Story: Pfizer: Managing Manager Development
The Well-Rounded Rep: 4 Ways to Make Soft-Skills Training More Effective
Mobile Learning: The Power to Perform
Demystifying MSL Training
Leadership Lessons from the Military
Coaching the Amiable Rep
Investing in Sales Training 2.0
Infographic
Clip & Go Activity
Heard it on the Tweet
People News
Company News
Ad Index
Focus Contacts
5 Questions With…John Baldoni
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Focus Magazine - Fall 2011
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Cover2
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 3
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 4
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 5
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 6
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Leap of Faith
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 8
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Contents
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 10
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 11
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 12
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Field-Based Training: Developing Future Leaders
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 14
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Gender Inequities in Training
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 16
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Social Learning in Action: Beyond the Hype
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 18
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Time Management: Training the Clock-Watcher
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 20
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Cover Story: Pfizer: Managing Manager Development
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 22
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 23
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 24
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - The Well-Rounded Rep: 4 Ways to Make Soft-Skills Training More Effective
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 26
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 27
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 28
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Mobile Learning: The Power to Perform
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 30
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 31
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Demystifying MSL Training
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 33
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 34
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Leadership Lessons from the Military
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Coaching the Amiable Rep
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 37
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Investing in Sales Training 2.0
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 39
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Infographic
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 41
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 42
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Clip & Go Activity
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Heard it on the Tweet
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 45
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - People News
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Company News
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Ad Index
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Focus Contacts
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - 5 Questions With…John Baldoni
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Cover3
Focus Magazine - Fall 2011 - Cover4
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