One of the most common questions we inevitably receive is - How should a clinician find their start in the HealthTech industry?
If you ask 100 different people this, you will likely get 100 different answers.
This is because the pathway into HealthTech is often a very squiggly one.
(More squiggly than a Doctor’s handwriting XD)
Having said that, we hope to be able to offer you some insights as to what HealthTech founders/companies are looking for - having worked with so many of them over the past few years.
It could range from digital apps, telemedicine platforms, wearables/medical devices to complex AI systems.
Having a clear idea what your areas of interest are and which parts of the industry you are hoping to work in helps you narrow down your search.
Do what you are passionate about.
Look for companies working in areas you are passionate about, rather than job titles you think you want. In HealthTech people often have diverse roles that require them to wear many hats, so open your mind to opportunities that may be outside your comfort zone if they are in an area you care about.
When considering which parts of HealthTech may interest you, it is worth noting that there are many companies offering hybrid solutions combining digital therapeutics, e-pharmacies and telemedicine platform in a more integrated fashion to deliver treatment. (We call them Vertically Integrated Micro-Providers or VIMPros for short).
There are a few business critical functions specific to HealthTech businesses akin to major organ systems in the body that need to be met which clinicians are able to fulfil well. Amongst them are:
This could mean serving as a clinical safety officer to ensure that the product meets DCB0129 requirements and has been critically evaluated to ensure safety.
It could also mean building clinical protocols and what-to-do-when-things-go-wrong for a healthcare company with a service delivery component.
Do not underestimate just how complex this process can be.
The majority of founders often do not have an academic background - if you have experience setting up QI projects or clinical studies, this is highly valuable.
For some regulatory submission, there is a need for a clinical evaluation plan which ties into the above. Some standards such as the mandatory DCB0129 require a clinician to serve as the clinical safety officer to sign off the documentation, and even for HealthTech businesses outside of these restrictions, a clinician’s analytical skills can be very useful in the overall maintenance of high product standards.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that it is much easier for a clinician to sell to other clinicians or those within the health system. Familiarity and speaking the same language helps break down barriers and lower their defences.
We note that founders often like to bring their clinicians into major sales calls, or even fundraising, as it really helps them with their credibility (and gives them a confidence boost!)
We live in an attention economy. The majority of HealthTech companies will want some form of health content creation to:
A. Build up brand credibility and visibility
B. To serve as lead generation for their products
Probably the most time consuming one of all.
This is when you are required to work closely with their developing team to ensure that their product fits with the user experience of clinicians or patients + is clinically accurate and safe.
This usually comes with a more substantial role and you can expect many hours of work with this.
Don’t underestimate the value of NHS managerial, research and innovation project experience. Knowledge of how the NHS works at a deeper level can be invaluable to your learning, and can be extremely attractive to private sector organisations in the future.
And once you have nailed down the area and the role within HealthTech you are looking for -
What this means is to increase your visibility amongst those in the industry.
It means fostering relationships and networking.
A common theme you find when speaking to those with substantial roles in HealthTech is that they often found those roles from the relationships they form through connections or events.
There are many ways to go about this:
Speak to as many people in the industry as you can who have held a variety of roles. Clinician roles in HealthTech can be extremely variable, and understanding what different roles do can ensure you apply and find opportunities that you will enjoy and grow in for the long term.
From experience, most early stage HealthTech start-ups often rely on word of mouth referral or direct outreach to find their first few clinical hires.
Whereas more established companies (often Series A and beyond) will have a more formal route of application to open roles.
But Ultimately,
People hire people, not just CV’s.
HealthTech is still a small industry, and clinician roles are often very general when they are advertised as the experiences and career journeys of candidates are often very varied. This often leads to companies hiring people they want to work with, so reach out to people directly and try to build genuine human connections where possible.
Be persistent.
Most people start reaching out to a few people or go to the odd conference, then give up. That is the exact time when you need to keep going!
Try to pick a time in your career where you know you have time for a sustained push. A big push of doing lots of outreach for a short, sustained period is more likely to be effective than similar amounts of effort dispersed in small bursts. Your network connections multiply when they interact, and that only happens when you make a sustained effort.