These are two very popular terms for pharma professionals: MTP & STP. For the last 10 years, every single month, I have been submitting this MTP.
Every month, professionals like me, and even a newly joined Medical Representative, often get irritated during MTP submission. However, despite the frustration, we all know that it has its own massive importance in our field.
In this post, we will know the full forms, the exact meaning of MTP & STP, and how this entire system works. Also, we will understand what practical challenges a Medical Representative faces during the submission of these crucial plans.
Full Forms of MTP & STP
Before we dive deep into the process, let’s clear up the basic abbreviations:
- STP – Standard Tour Plan
- MTP – Monthly Tour Plan
Detailed Meaning and Working Process of MTP & STP
To understand the system perfectly, we need to break down both plans step-by-step.
1. Understanding STP (Standard Tour Plan)
First, we will understand about STP. A Standard Tour Plan is something that you generally have to submit only one time. But, before submitting this STP, you must have complete knowledge about your patches and your MSL.
Please don’t be confused. I am explaining this very simply. Remember, I told you about MSL in my last blog post. MSL simply means your core Doctor list (Master Station List).
Suppose you have a total of 100 Doctors in your MSL, and your territory is divided into different patches like A, B, C, D, E, and F. Think of patches as the specific areas or routes of your MSL.
Let’s assume Patches A, B, and C are in your Headquarter (HQ). Patch D is an out-station, and Patches E and F are your ex-stations.
Now, let’s distribute your 100 Doctors among these patches:
- HQ Patches: In patch A, there are 20 Doctors. In patch B, there are 20 Doctors. In patch C, there are 10 Doctors.
- Out-station Patch: At out-station patch D, you have 20 Doctors.
- Ex-station Patches: At each ex-station patch like E and F, you have 15 Doctors each.
When you are submitting this Standard Tour Plan for the first time, you have to submit a weekly-wise plan for these 100 Doctors from your MSL. During this STP submission, you must strictly take care of the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) of your divisional compliance.
What is Divisional Compliance?
Again, I am saying, don’t be confused with these corporate terms like SOP, compliance, and divisional norms. In my previous blog post, I have already explained about compliance and divisional compliance in detail.
In simple terms, ‘Compliance’ means the norms of visit frequency, and ‘Divisional Compliance’ means the specific criteria of visit frequency set by your particular division. Basically, at an HQ, a company operates with a few divisions. Suppose your company operates 3 divisions at your Headquarter; every division will have its own SOP or norms.
If your divisional criteria for Doctor compliance is “twice”, it means you must visit these 100 Doctors twice in a single month. That’s exactly why, when you are submitting your STP, you must take care that you are strictly maintaining this divisional compliance criteria.
The 15-Day Cycle Strategy
As you have 100 Doctors in your MSL, you should plan to visit all 100 Doctors within the first half of the month (that means within the 1st to 15th). Then, you will give a repeat visit in the next half of the month (from the 16th to the 30th). It is very simple logic.
During STP submission, we usually submit a Doctor-wise visit plan for the entire MSL. You will find a few Doctors who only take meetings on specific days of the week. You have to take care of this specific scheduling during your STP submission.
For example, suppose at your out-station, good field work is only possible on Mondays. So, you should plan that out-station on a Monday between the 1st to the 15th, and again on a Monday between the 16th to the 30th of the month. Always remember to maintain a minimum gap of at least 7 to 10 days between your 1st and 2nd visit to make your call effective.
During STP submission, you have to plan weekly-wise—meaning, you map out exactly which Doctors you are planning to visit from Monday to Saturday of the first, second, third, and fourth week.
I hope now the concept of STP is very much clear to you. It is basically a standard master plan that acts as a base and helps you during your MTP submission.
2. Understanding MTP (Monthly Tour Plan)
Now let’s talk about MTP, which stands for Monthly Tour Plan.
You have your approved STP with you now. That exact STP will now guide you to submit your MTP accurately and without any errors. Because of your STP, you already have a clear idea about who those Doctors are whom you need to meet in Week 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Now, you exactly know which Doctors you can plan from Monday to Saturday for each week. You just have to submit your MTP following this established route. Again, always remember that during this monthly planning, you must maintain the ‘twice’ visit frequency norm.
If you plan your STP well strategically, then your monthly MTP submission becomes a very easy and quick task.
Process of STP & MTP Submission
Every division has its own specific cut-off date to submit the MTP. However, you only have to submit the STP once when you are joining a new territory, unless you are making a massive change or restructuring in your MSL later on.
For context, in our division, we generally submit our next month’s MTP within the 24th of the current month. This timeline helps managers review and approve the plans before the new month begins.
Challenges Faced During Submission
While the process sounds straightforward on paper, it is quite challenging in reality. The most significant challenge that a Medical Representative faces is maintaining the exact visit frequency while juggling holidays, Doctor non-availability, and company meetings during MTP & STP submission. Balancing the route map with the Doctor’s specific meeting days requires sharp analytical skills.
Understanding the core mechanics of MTP & STP is absolutely essential for long-term success in pharmaceutical sales. I hope this detailed guide makes the STP and MTP submission process very easy and clear for you.
This topic is highly important, especially for freshers, because during your initial job interviews, you will most likely have to face questions regarding this planning process. Master your patch management, understand your compliance norms, and your MTP submissions will no longer be a headache!