I spent four years as a doctor in the NHS, a career that was rewarding, challenging and inspiring in equal measure. But the more time I spend on the hospital floor, the more passionate I become about finding solutions to the problems that waste time and resources from the health care system.
Eventually, I decided to use my experience and insights from working full-time building technology to solve these problems and entered the world of health technology in 2016 when I founded Credentially.
Today, I often approach other doctors asking for my health tech advice—here are six things I tell them.
1. You are not ‘failing’ your patient by stepping back from the front line
First of all, it is important to know that as a trained doctor, there are many ways you can take to help patients. Just because you’re not spending every hour of your professional life in a clinical environment doesn’t mean you’re ‘wasting’ your skills.
In fact, many doctors have portfolio careers that involve performing clinical hours concurrently or sequentially with research, consulting, teaching, or other roles. Promoting and promoting global health requires input from people across a range of professions and sectors.
2. This may not be easier or less stressful than working on the hospital floor!
If you’re struggling with fatigue and thinking of going to a health technician as a low-stress solution, you should think again. The reality is that working in a startup is a time-consuming and high-pressure environment. Unless you’re truly motivated and passionate about the solution you’re working on, a career in health tech can take the same toll on your mental health as a full-time medical career.
3. Your skills are more transferable than you think
When medical professionals consider swapping their bulk cleaners for startup life, they often worry that they face a significant skills gap to bridge. In reality, however, a person who has trained and worked as a doctor is already equipped to thrive in the health technology sector. From creative problem-solving to task management, leadership, empathy and calmness in times of crisis, medicine skills are diverse and transferable.
4. Your lifestyle will be incredibly beneficial…
Whether starting your own project in health technology or joining an established company, you will focus on using technology to solve serious problems in the health sector. These are problems that you and your colleagues can experience from multiple touch points, giving you unique insight into how they should be approached and resolved.
You will also have an understanding of how to make solutions accessible and useful to clinicians and patients, and can play an important role in communicating the benefits of your product to non-specialist audiences.
5. …But you need to learn how to collaborate with different stakeholders
Despite the valuable skills and experience you already have as a doctor, transitioning into health technology puts you at the bottom of a steep learning curve. Accept that the first few months will be difficult as you adjust to new ways of working, and embrace this opportunity to collaborate with people from all backgrounds. From coders and developers to investors and interest groups, everyone has their own experiences and expertise that can add value to your business.
6. You will have the opportunity to make a big impact on the lives of patients and clinicians
One of the things I enjoy most about working in health technology is the amount of impact my work can have. When you are in the early stages of research and construction, it can be difficult not to see the results right away. But once your solution is in the hands of your target users, it’s very rewarding to see the product you’ve created make a measurable impact on life and system outcomes. The most exciting thing about technology solutions is that they have the ability to scale globally – this means that your work has the power to help hundreds or thousands of people at the same time.
Finally, good luck! As our national and global health systems face many challenges, we need more experienced medical professionals to participate in building the future of health care. If you want to make a difference, exploring the options that await you in health tech could be the best career decision you ever make.
Dr. Keith Latham is the co-founder and CEO of CreditList.
