TrainSmart: The Medical Device Educators’ Podcast

You know that folded little piece of paper in your product packaging? The one with the itty-bitty font that no one reads? In Today's episode, Liz & Rachel walk you through how to take the often-ignored, but vital instructions for use, and turn it into a training gem! Developing an assessment rubric from your product's IFU is a process, but will be well worth it in the end. Catch our Course Eva...

When evaluating our training, it's easy to get stuck in a rut using a quick survey and a smile sheet. We gain feedback on the food, the room temperature and even speaker quality, but it doesn't really tell us if anyone learned anything. In this week's episode, Liz sits down with Mara Velez, who has an extensive background in behavior change and instructional design. Mara shares her experiences wit...

There's many cautionary tales when it comes to working in silos. Training can develop an amazing program, but if Sales Leadership doesn't agree or re-enforce, all of that training is wasted. What if Marketing has been working independently and does not provide tools that align with either Training or Sales? These are real-life scenarios that can derail a company's ability to hit their goals. In to...

After pouring through the Needs Assessment, you're ready to deliver your impressive recommendations to the leadership team. This week's episode walks you through how best to communicate to the executives and get their buy-in. Go even further by doing an empathy map - putting yourself in their shoes is a great reminder to frame your recommendations with what they care most about. Continue the conve...

Let's get into the nitty-gritty! What really is a needs assessment? How long does it take and where do I start? Liz & Rachel are answering these questions and more, walking you through the 7 steps you'll take to reach 1 impressive recommendation. What about you? Have you ever conducted a thorough Needs Assessment? Share your experiences with us on LinkedIn @CumbyConsulting . Catch the full epi...

Aligning your training strategy with the business strategy and goals is critical to not only the success of your training programs, but to the organization as a whole. So how do you get aligned? A Needs Assessment. This week, Liz sits down with Amie Borgstrom, a med device executive for over 25 years, to discuss the needs assessment process and the value training brings. From the importance of rep...

Learning objectives can seem like a table of contents that you just want to skip over to get to the "good stuff." Today, Liz & Rachel dig in on why learning objectives are so important, how many to include and how to write objectives that will measure your training success. Catch the full episode with Rachel, " 14 | Instructional Design is More than PowerPoint " Related Resources:   Our b...

"It's just a 1 hour course. You can get it to me tomorrow morning, right?" How long does it REALLY take to develop a great training course. This week, Rachel and Liz walk through the variables that all add up to the time it actually takes to develop a stellar course. What are your thoughts? Let us know @CumbyConsulting on LinkedIn. Catch the full episode with Rachel, " 14 | Instructional Design is...

Calling all feedback! Managing the feedback loop can be such a challenge. From busy reviewers and conflicting opinions to ineffective and unspecific feedback, instructional designers can be caught in the middle of a feedback tornado: swirling around, but never arriving at actionable feedback. Today, Liz & Rachel continue their conversation on how to give and get effective feedback on instructi...

Instructional design can often be overlooked by focusing on a PowerPoint deck. This week kicks off our spotlight on instructional design. Rachel Medeiros is bringing her K-12 education background and her love of the ADDIE model to life in this week's episode. Tune in for advice to novice and experienced instructional designers and best practices for managing the feedback cycle. Engage with us on L...

We need to know... Are you "Team Before" or "Team After"? There are pros and cons of using your field trainers both before your in-house training and after your in-house training. Listen to today's episode as Liz & Rachel share their takes on the best time to use field trainers to enhance the overall learning of your new hires. Make sure to listen to our full episode with Dallas, "09 | The Do'...

Let's be honest. If you're in training, chances are you've heard "That's what they teach you in the classroom, but it's not how we really do it" during one of your training courses. Today on the podcast, Liz & Rachel explore strategies for keeping your training real & relevant, so that you never have to hear that again! Make sure to listen to our full episode with Dallas, "09 | The Do's &a...

An important part of a successful Field Training program is adequately preparing your field trainers. Taking them from unconsciously competent to consciously competent is key. Today, Liz & Rachel discuss using a beginner's mindset to develop your field educators. Make sure to listen to our full episode with Dallas, "09 | The Do's & Don'ts of Field Training" Related Resources: Take the OnDe...

Using your field trainers to their maximum potential starts with understanding the purpose they serve within your overall training program. Liz & Rachel highlight the ways field trainers can enhance the learning experience for new hires. Make sure to listen to our full episode with Dallas, "09 | The Do's & Don'ts of Field Training" Related Resources: Take the OnDemand Course: Developing a...

To kick-off this months topic of field training, Liz interviews Dallas Shults to get his take on the qualities of a great field trainer and some of the lessons he's learned along the way. Share your thoughts with us on LinkedIn @lizcumby ! Related Resources: Take the OnDemand Course: Developing a Field Training Playbook Join our TrainSmart Toolkit to access handouts such as: Developing a Field Tra...

It's easy to overload physicians with all of the clinical data you have, but what - and when - is the best way to deliver that information? Liz & Rachel discuss some tips & tricks for using your clinical pearls in physician training.   Make sure to listen to our full episode with Dr. JJ Desai, "05 | Humility, Transparency, & Intelligence: the Core of Physician Training" Related Re...

In this episode, Liz & Rachel dive into what it takes to facilitate peer-to-peer physician discussions, build rapport before training starts and keep engagement high throughout training.   Make sure to listen to our full episode with Dr. JJ Desai, "05 | Humility, Transparency, & Intelligence: the Core of Physician Training" Related Resources: Sign up for the Virtual Facilitation Bootc...

What does it take to keep a busy physician's attention in order to conduct a worthwhile training? Liz & Rachel talk about reading the room, how to keep physicians engaged and some of the pearls and pitfalls they've seen.   Make sure to listen to our full episode with Dr. JJ Desai, "05 | Humility, Transparency, & Intelligence: the Core of Physician Training" Related Resources: Sign up...

In this episode, Liz interviews Dr. Arjun "JJ" Desai, anesthesiologist, Chief Strategy Officer, Stanford faculty and physician trainer, about best practices for training and engaging physicians. Dr. Desai shares his stories of physician training to demonstrate how humility, transparency, and intelligence impact the physician training process. Related Resources: Sign up for the Virtual Facilitation...

This episode features Liz and Rachel sharing their thoughts on the differences between virtual and in-person facilitation, including what modalities they prefer and how they modify their facilitation styles based on modality. Show Notes: Join our TrainSmart Toolkit to access the Virtual Facilitation Checklist.

This week Liz and Rachel discuss how truly knowing your audience is the key to great facilitation. Join them as they work through an empathy map to develop a deeper understanding of their audience. Show Notes: Join our TrainSmart Toolkit to access the empathy map tool.

Liz and Rachel debrief their conversation with Emily & Chad by discussing their top 5 qualities of a great med device facilitator. Show Notes: Join our TrainSmart Toolkit to access the Virtual Engagement Tools document.

In this episode, Liz interviews Emily Mirro and Chad Hamilton from NeuroPace on the qualities of a great med device facilitator. Chad brings his expertise with sales field rep training, while Emily brings her experience in clinical education.

The TrainSmart: Medical Device Educators’ Podcast is for anyone who trains medical device reps, physicians and healthcare professionals. Discover how you can level up your training strategy creation, content development, facilitation, and assessments. We are focused on raising the training game away from a one-time meeting planning event to a career-long journey of learning. Join us for authentic...