Mobile Training

Tools for Sales

Representatives-
A Study

Daniel Stevens
Colorado State University
EDUC 600
Background
 Sales representatives in the medical device
industry are continuously on-the-go due to the
nature of their work.
 One of the primary challenges for sales
representatives is that surgical procedures of
varying complexity may be seen only
intermittently.
 With new knowledge and skills, it is estimated
that up to 40% of new knowledge can be lost
after the first 30 days of learning, and 50% after
a 3-6-month lag (Globerson & Korman, 2001).
Research questions
 With the technical complexity of medical devices
increasing each year, a constant review and
reinforcement of the relevant anatomy, pathology,
and sequence of the medical devices steps for
use, is needed in a Just-In-Time Training format.

 The purpose of this study was to determine if a

mobile method of adjunct training, via a mobile
device, would be perceived as useful, and have
utility in a sales rep’s day-to-day work.
Method
 An anonymous online survey was sent to the sales
representatives of Cook Medical via an email weblink.
 The participant group was a convenience sample that was
not randomized consisting of sales representatives in North
America.

 The survey questions were designed around the respondent’s

perception of their own preferred learning style, the types of
learning resources that they use, and perceived utility if they
had an immediate resource available.

 The questions were designed for the participants to reflect on

the previous six months and identify any needs that they
identified in anatomy, physiology, or surgical procedures that
required a knowledge review.
Participants demographics
 Results
Table 1 Table 3
Sales reps’ preferred method of learning Materials used for self-study, Surgery review

Table 2
Materials used for self-study, Anatomy & Physiology Table 4
review Duration of time needed
Research question #1
Do you have a preferred method of learning?
 84% identified visual sources of information, such as
videos and animations.
 The next highest response category at 32% was paper-
based materials, such as previous classroom based
trainings.
 Although it could be argued that these are both visual
sources materials, the author elected to delineate
technology-based resources from paper-based print
resources.
 This is an important data point as it indicates the
preference of the majority of those surveyed, but then
conflicts with the resources actually used.
Research question #2 & 3
In the last six months, have you needed a review
of anatomy and physiology for routine work?
 77% responded “yes”.
 YouTube and Google were identified in 51% of
the responses for what resources they used.
 Taking those responses, combined with the 13%
using internet-accessed company videos, and
64% of the total responses relating using an
internet accessible, mobile platform.
Research question #3 & 4
Have you had a need for a review/ refresh on
surgical technique in the last 6 months?
 Survey response: 86% “yes”
 The follow-on question to identify what was
used for surgical review
◦ 55% response for internet based resources.
 Google, YouTube, Internal company videos
◦ 32% Old paper-based training materials
Implications for practice
 A Just-in-Time Training (JiT-T) model has been adapted by some companies
as a way of providing for training needs of their employees, while trying to
mitigate the high opportunity cost of time away from work (Beckett,
Agashae, & Oliver, 2002).
 The desire for a mobile friendly method of reviewing A&P was expressed by
77% of the survey group. The benefits of using of a real-time tool for
referencing and review are similar to those discussed by Raman (2015) with
nursing students.
 The current resources that the sales reps surveyed used for surgical
technique review are variable, but the largest group (19%) of them are using
paper-based resources from previous (company produced) classroom
trainings.
 This could be described as a self-imposed form of Just-in-Time-Training, as
described by Globerson & Korman, (2001). The sales reps desire materials
that are relevant to their immediate needs, when and where they want
them.
 This does raise a point of concern with the veracity of the resources used for
review. McNally et al. (2017) discussed this concern with nursing students and
the quality of the information that they accessed via mobile devices.
Implications for practice
 Just short of half of those surveyed spent over 30 minutes
reviewing materials, with the other half between 30 to
less than 10 minutes.
 These are useful data points for future consideration for
the length of video resources that may be produced for
this purpose.
 The desire for review material, and preference for a
video/ visual/ animation, taken together show that there
is a demand for anatomy and physiology review
material, but the preferred method of review has limited
resources.
 Although a total of 84% of respondents prefer video/
visual/ animation sources for review, paper-based old
training materials are used out of necessity.
Future research
 This study has uncovered a resource need in two areas
of training and education, anatomy and physiology,
and the individual surgical procedures.
 It also uncovered the fact that old training materials are
still being used, but only by a minority of those surveyed.
 Each of these serve as launching points for future tools
to be developed and provided to the sales reps, which
could then be further studied for their perceived value
and impact.
 Follow-on research could center on how frequently the
materials are accessed, their perceived utility and
quality, and any perceived resource shortcomings.
References
 Beckett, D., Agashae, Z., & Oliver, V. (2002). Just-in-Time
Training: Techne Meets Phronesis. Journal of Workplace
Learning, 14(8), 332-339.
 Globerson, S. & Korman, A. (2001). The use of just-in-time
training in a project environment. International Journal of
Project Management, 19(5), 279-285.
 Goel, L., Johnson, N., Junglas, I., & Ives, B. (2010).
Situated Learning: Conceptualization and
Measurement. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative
Education, 8(1), 215-240.
 Hotho, J. J., Saka-Helmhout, A., & Becker-Ritterspach, F.
(2014). Bringing context and structure back into situated
learning. Management Learning, 45(1), 57-80.
References
 Jones, M. (2001). Just-in-time Training. Advances in
Developing Human Resources, 3(4), 480-487.
 Little, B. (2013). Issues in mobile learning technology. Human
Resource Management International Digest, 21(3), 26-29.
 McNally, G., Frey, R. & Crossan. M. (2017). Nurse manager
and student nurse perceptions of the use of personal
smartphones or tablets and the adjunct applications, as an
educational tool in clinical settings. Nurse Education in
Practice, 23, 1-7.
 Raman, J. (2015). Mobile technology in nursing education:
Where do we go from here? A review of the literature. Nurse
Education Today, 35(5), 663-672.
 Sousa, D. (2017). How the brain learns. United States: Corwin
Press.