The Pretty Blond Sales Rep
Last week one of our vendors came to the facility to give us an in-service on the company's modality equipment. I'm not a fan of modalities. To say I was less than enthused at the prospect was an understatement. Nonetheless I tried to play along. Everything went fine through ultrasound and diathermy. Then she proved she didn't have a clue about what she was talking about.
When she hit e-stim, she proceeded to describe how the machine altered the functioning of nerves to get them in sync, resulting in motor learning, all while the patient sat passively by. That pretty much flies in the face of the current thinking and research on motor learning. Nothing is passive. I asked questions. Why the references she provided were 10 years old or more? Why she was contradicting motor-learning theory? Her response was to refuse to argue with me.
I don't expect every vendor who comes along to be an expert on topics in physical therapy. I do expect that person to be familiar with her product and able to answer questions. This requires some basic knowledge of both science and therapy. If someone is providing an in-service, particularly an OTR, I expect a little more knowledge.
Apparently this sale rep doesn't share that belief. Her idea of an in-service was to recite something she had memorized nearly verbatim from the manual she provided. She couldn't handle any question that required thought. Based on her dress and behavior, I would guess she has been getting by on the "I'm pretty, don't ask me questions" methodology. My male supervisor fell for it.
If I tried that in one of my lectures, I'd be laughed off the podium. Granted, sometimes we need the old literature to support the new theories so a few older references are acceptable. But all 12? That tells me the science didn't work. Sadly she didn't even realize how stupid she appeared after our discussion. She just went right along as though nothing had been said. Even our tech noticed that she didn't know what she was talking about.
I did get one laugh out of the situation. I left before she finished so I could treat patients, having decided I wasn't going to get much out of the in-service. After she concluded, she told me she couldn't give me CEU credits because I left before she was finished. Since I didn't really learn anything, I didn't think it was a problem.