| Summary: | <p> This qualitative action research study investigated how to apply andragogical principles to corporate medical sales training. The study stemmed from a practitioner’s concern that instructional methodologies may be insufficient for the learning needs of medical sales representatives in the post-2008 recession climate, which was requiring greater return on investment and performance accountability. The phenomenon of sales representatives being in the field one day and the next day being deemed ‘trainers’ exposed several gaps in sales training programs primarily originating from instructor deficiencies in curriculum development, instructional design, and weakness in application of adult learning methodologies. Andragogy, a learning theory on how to help adults learn, was explored due to its perceived application synergies within a business setting. Several vice presidents, directors, and managers of leading multi-billion dollar international sales training departments were interviewed to add comprehensive and relevant thought to the research data to promote answers to the research questions: (a) How do corporate medical sales training models current at the time of this writing align with the principles of andragogy? (b) Can a corporate medical sales training program be designed that applies andragogical principles? and (c) How does andragogy inform medical sales training? </p><p> From the interview answers several themes emerged to strengthen design of a new medical sales training program equipped with program and learner objectives that identify the needs of medical sales trainers who historically were experiencing trial by fire. This prototype sales training model demonstrated an alignment with the six assumptions and eight process elements contained within the andragogy theoretical framework, research data, interview answers, and personal experiences. This model helped inform my leadership decisions at a regional sales meeting of a multi-billion dollar biotechnology medical sales organization, specializing in rare disease and orphan drug infusion therapies. Feedback from the sales training workshop was formally collected and well received; which spearheaded a paradigm shift and re-vamp in instructional platforms and methodologies for the organization. Promising results from beta testing of applied andragogy to medical sales training may lead to broader testing within corporate medical sales training environments.</p>
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