The DETAILS BLOG
Capturing Stories from the Field: Reflections, Challenges, & Best Practices
 This series features tried-and-true practices from our AD experts. This week’s guest blogger is Zack Dumont, BSP, ACPR, MSPharm a NaRCAD Facilitator and Academic Detailer at RxFiles Academic Detailing Service. Curated by Anna Morgan-Barsamian, MPH, RN, PMP, Senior Manager, Training & Education, NaRCAD Tags: Detailing Visits, Stigma, Training  Model the compassion you expect from others. In recent years, the academic detailing community has been trying to recognize the harmful role of stigma in many clinical settings and to include stigma reduction in our detailing messages. In applying this framework, we encourage an empathetic view of people who experience stigma. They don’t choose to have addictions, exhibit certain behaviors, or to be ‘villainous’. We can all agree they don’t deserve harsh judgment and criticism. I invite you to bring forth your most charitable mindset for a moment and apply that same framework when you encounter stigma during a detailing visit. Imagine that the clinicians or people you detail hold stigma not because they want to stigmatize others, but for some more relatable reasons: they’re impressionable, they’re naïve, they’re vulnerable. In the same way that a clinician wouldn’t expect someone with a substance use disorder to suddenly recover if harshly confronted, we can’t expect the person who stigmatizes to respond to similar tactics. Be patient, be persistent (after all, you care and want them to be their best selves), and be persuasive with those that you’re detailing. You have a lot of natural talent, training, and experience to efficiently help people make informed decisions through detailing visits. Don’t limit it to therapeutic decision-making; extend it to the mental and emotional aspects of care, as well.  Balance and refine your self-reflections. Alone or with a colleague, find a quick and easy way to debrief after each visit – save the more intense feedback for quarterly or annual reviews. Maybe it’s asking two simple questions like, “What went well?” and “What could have gone better?” and taking a moment to reflect on each. And, just like AD visits which are 90% prep and 10% execution, the more the better when it comes to ‘prepping’ your self-reflection questions. So, “What went well?” could be more specific to one of your strengths:
Your “What could have gone better?” question could focus on an area of improvement unique to you:
This isn’t easy, but it’s low risk with the potential for big reward… so I encourage you to jump in! Want more tips? Stay tuned for the next installment in our Words of AD Wisdom series, and reach out to the NaRCAD team, subscribe to our network, or check out our discussion forum to hear more tips and ways to train your brain!  Biography. Zack is a clinical pharmacist with the RxFiles Academic Detailing Service in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada and an expert facilitator for NaRCAD's training courses. He has been involved with the RxFiles since 2008, with experience in both academic detailing and content development of RxFiles’ evidence-based drug therapy comparison tools. Zack also serves as the Clinical Manager for the Saskatchewan Health Authority Pharmacy Department. His practice has largely been hospital-based, with more specialized experience in anticoagulation and heart failure. His professional interests include evidence-based medicine, information technology, and leadership.
Zack graduated as a Pharmacist from the University of Saskatchewan in 2008. Following graduation, he completed a hospital pharmacy residency with the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region. He also completed a Master’s degree in Pharmacy, with a focus on leadership, from the University of Cincinnati. Comments are closed.
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