The Medical Device Industry is continuously growing worldwide and offers excellent employment opportunities for engineers looking to work in this area. There are several benefits to working in medtech, such as good salary, great benefits and a strong sense of job satisfaction from working in an industry developing better treatments and health outcomes for people.
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3. What is GDP
4. What is GMP
A standard path into working in medical devices would be to complete an undergraduate degree in Science or Engineering and then start an entry level position at a medical device company. This isn't always possible for everyone, so sometimes people find themselves wanting to work in medtech but not having any direct previous experience. This post will provide some high-level information about working in the Medical Device Industry and give some ideas for moving into the industry.
1. Different Departments and Skillsets
Deciding you want to work with devices is one thing but deciding what element you want to work with is another. Take time to research different roles and try to get an idea of the type of work you will enjoy as it can differ significantly depending on the department as well as on the type of device itself (see here for a more thorough description of department functions).
Different departments require different over arching skills. If you are somebody who worked in R&D previously in another industry it is likely you have a lot of useful experience required for an R&D role in medtech, such as 3D modelling, problem solving, rapid prototyping, assessing required functionality of a product and determining acceptance criteria and specifications.
Somebody who has worked in manufacturing in a different industry would likely have experience in working under time constraints, troubleshooting things quickly, dealing with rejects, ensuring schedules are adhered to and working with technicians and operators.
A quality engineer (QE) role could be more difficult to find common experience in, but familiarity with risk assessments and control methods (e.g., FMEA), strong attention to detail and experience with documentation would all be transferrable to working as a QE.
A common part of these roles is soft skills, and thankfully that doesn’t change hugely from industry to industry. Experience leading teams, creating buy in, working with upper management or customer facing interaction is all great experience that would be of huge benefit in a medical device company also.
2. Address the Main Knowledge Gaps
It is rare that someone will tick every box for a role they are applying for so do not be discouraged by this. When applying for medical devices from another industry you will struggle with the industry jargon used in the job spec and it may seem daunting. My advice on this would be to up skill yourself on the basics here. Medical devices are highly regulated so you will need some of the same common skills for nearly all roles which cover basics of good documentation practises (GDP) and Good Manufacturing Practises (GMP).
Good GDP practises ensure that there is a record of when things were completed and that they were completed correctly. The common phrase you will hear is “if it isn’t written down, it didn’t happen”. On the simplest level GDP skills teach you how to record things correctly (name, date, equipment used, how to correct an error properly etc.). This basic knowledge of GDP is required by everyone working within the Medical Device Industry but will be covered in company training as often there are slight differences from company to company in the format things are recorded.
GMP ensures that what is produced in a medical device company is to a high standard. There are a lot of contributing factors to GMP, some of the key ones would be having well trained staff, good standard operating procedures (SOPs) are in place, having validations completed on equipment, processes, and test methods (provides evidence your equipment is fit for purpose and correctly installed, your process is capable of producing your output and that your test method is capable of detecting defects). GMP is a broad area that has different functions looking after different aspects of it. You might have a Quality Control (QC) team to inspect parts before lot release, a Process Development (PD) team completing validations before commercial transfer and members of the QE team might perform regular audits to ensure standards are being adhered to.
Though some of this information above might seem daunting, don't underestimate the experience you would have gained in your prior role. Engineering is still engineering. Once you move past the documentation side of medical devices you will still have a lot to offer in terms of soft skills gained from work, data analysis skills and problem solving and teamwork/leadership.
3. Use Enthusiasm as a Selling Point
People can learn very quickly on the job, particularly when moving into an already strong team and having a lot of enthusiasm for the role. Prior experience in a specific area of the Medical Device Industry or Pharma is critical for certain roles, but for a lot of mid-level roles this isn’t a necessity. If I was reviewing applicants and saw someone without direct medical device experience but who had demonstrated a willingness to learn the required skills, had experience working in a team and a track record of delivering for their company I wouldn’t discount them at all. The key thing here is managing to convey the enthusiasm and desire to change field to a potential employer. How? By writing a convincing cover letter.
Cover letters allow you to be more personable and convey some character to your employer. All you are trying to do here is provide a good enough account of yourself to progress to an interview. The structure I would recommend here is simple, using 3 paragraphs describe the following:
Why you are applying for the role.
Hopefully you are applying to a specific role because something stands out to you about it such as the company’s other products on the market, the culture of the company, that you want to work in an industry addressing patient needs. Etc.
Acknowledge your skill gaps and address them.
Acknowledge that you have not previously worked in the industry, but describe how you have been pre-emptively addressing this. Have you completed online courses, researched areas of the role you are unfamiliar with, reached out to friends who work in the industry for advice etc.
Discuss your strengths.
Finish with what you have done well in the past by describing a major achievement. Look to highlight teamwork, leadership, ability to work under pressure, problem solving etc. Exactly what you will want to highlight will differ by the role you are applying for but try to keep it someway aligned.
If you can address these points in your cover letter and have a tailored resume to go along with this you should be on your way to an interview.
4. Reach Out for an Industry Perspective
Medtech Career Development can help you on this process for preparing to apply for medical device roles through our extensive industry experience. We have worked with clients previously and went through their experience meticulously to create the best possible application for the Medtech Industry and optimise there application process.
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