“Knowledge is king”: how best-in-class Commercial Learning & Development Programs support healthcare professionals and patients

For Bartek Bednarz, the healthcare industry is increasingly time-poor. “Medical technology evolves rapidly, pushing healthcare professionals (HCPs) to constantly adapt. Aging populations means HCPs are facing an influx of patients requiring complex, long-term care, while innovative healthcare delivery models, such as telehealth, put HCPs on call at all times.”

For pharmaceutical field teams, this creates a challenge. “Every minute a healthcare professional spends with a medical field representative is time not spent with patients,” notes Bartek Bednarz. “So every interaction must add value.”

This is the driving force behind Ipsen’s innovative Commercial Learning & Development programs. By investing in our people and giving them a detailed understanding of our treatments, we can efficiently provide information to HCPs to help them get the right medicines to their patients.

A foundational core of knowledge

When field force members meet with HCPs, they have several goals. First, to educate HCPs by providing in-depth knowledge about a product, including clinical efficacy, safety and unique discussion points. Second, to contribute to patient care, recommending the right products for the right patients and advocating for treatments with better patient outcomes. Third, to understand HCPs’ pain points and gain insight into treatment gaps, while collecting feedback about product performance and real-world usability.

“Members of Ipsen’s field force need to master our products to succinctly communicate their value,” says Mahdi Hedjal, Transformation, BEX and Digital Director, North Africa. This is crucial because field teams do not typically have the products they’re presenting on hand. “When our reps present, they must be precise,” notes Bartek Bednarz, “because the HCPs will associate that person – their expertise and clarity – with the eventual product.”

This means that field teams must be well-prepared, ensuring their messages resonate effectively and their products add value. The best way to do that? Know the product, inside out. “Knowledge is king,” says Bartek Bednarz. “HCPs don’t have time for anything less than a thorough understanding of medical treatments and innovations.”

Sabine Rupeika, Commercial Excellence Lead for the Nordic/Baltics, agrees. “For our field force, keeping up to date on products and adapting to changing healthcare needs is essential. In my region, we create a cross-functional Learning & Development roadmap each year, focusing on strategic needs and responding to evolutions in healthcare.”

Effective support for launches

Ipsen’s Commercial Learning & Development programs help field force members gain the knowledge and skills to be effective, offer relevant solutions and get the right treatments to patients. Programs provide product knowledge certification, functional skills training and mindset development to help build expertise and ownership.

These programs are especially valuable for supporting new medicines or indications launches. For a launch, field force members must understand how the product fits into the patient journey, from treating a disease to improving quality of life. Launches should fit into the larger context of healthcare, addressing real needs for HCPs and patients and be handled with confidence.

“Medical field representatives are a critical channel to deliver information about new products to HCPs to explain the benefits to patients and society,” says Bartek Bednarz. “At Ipsen, we have several launches planned over the next four years, as we build out our Rare Disease franchise and strengthen Oncology. So, there is a great deal for our field teams to learn.”

“Preparing for a new product or indication launch involves complex, detailed planning from multiple teams,” adds Sabine Rupeika. “We develop a value proposition, perform market research, ensure regulatory compliance, engage with key opinion leaders and create an access strategy – all things our field force needs to understand.”

“In Algeria,” says Mahdi Hedjal, “there are extensive onboarding and training courses and interventions for those who present products and all medical field representatives must be certified before the launch. That’s how we bring the best image of Ipsen to the market, increase our chances of meeting HCPs and make a positive impact.”

Best-in-class Commercial Learning & Development programs

Ipsen’s Commercial Learning & Development programs are being implemented worldwide, providing core training opportunities for all field force members. “It makes our field force great advocates for our solutions,” says Sabine Rupeika. “It gives them ownership, structure, and responsibilities and helps them work cross-functionally with other teams.”

Above all, these programs are a source of pride. “Our teams have made tremendous progress, rapidly implementing these transformative programs,” says Bartek Bednarz. “By equipping our field teams with the knowledge they need, we can support both HCPs and their patients in the right way.”