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clinicians in tech

VPL Featured in LinkedIn’s Path to Recovery Newsletter on Clinicians in Tech

Clinicians in Tech: Part Two

At VPL, we’re proud to hire clinicians who want to stay in healthcare but repurpose their expertise in exciting new ways.

Clinicians are great problem solvers, communicators, and leaders, and they understand the patient journey better than anyone. It’s no wonder healthcare job transitions spiked in recent years, with pharmacists leading the way and tech companies welcoming a large share of all former clinicians.

Amanda Awe, a former pharmacist and now VPL’s Director of Pharmacy Products and Solutions, shared her story about being a clinician in tech for LinkedIn News’ Path to Recovery, a popular newsletter with more than 69,000 subscribers.

clinicians in tech

You can read the full feature here. Below is a segment of the conversation between Amanda and LinkedIn reporter Beth Kutscher:

LinkedIn News: How well did your clinical skills translate to all those different areas?

Awe: Initially, I definitely had imposter syndrome. But it only took a few weeks for me to realize that modern software development is based on the scientific method. And that’s how I was trained as a clinician. You have a hypothesis; you try something. It’s an educated guess a lot of times, but you learn something whether you do it right or wrong. You have to use those data points and make a judgment call.

Clinicians are inherent problem solvers, which is what you’re trying to do with technology. And clinicians are inherent triagers; it’s so ingrained in our mind to do the most important thing first, and then the next, and constantly reevaluating whether that needs to be re-prioritized.

LinkedIn News: What advice would you give to clinicians looking to break into tech?

Awe: The best thing that I ever did was to work as a traditional pharmacist for a while. I had to walk a mile in those shoes, so to speak. Even if you have an inkling that you want to go and do something nontraditional, take some time to know what the traditional sides of your industry are because it gives you a deeper level of understanding when you’re talking to people. I can draw upon anecdotes that actually happened to me, and no one else can do that.

This is sort of a cliche, but your first job doesn’t have to be your last, and it’s probably not going to be. Stay curious and keep an open mind. The industry is always changing, too. Specialty pharmacy, [for example], wasn’t nearly as big of a thing when I graduated.

And keep active on LinkedIn. It changed my whole career.

Join the movement

Employers everywhere are recognizing the value clinicians can bring to an organization, with patients being the ultimate beneficiaries.

For more on the topic of clinicians in tech, check out our recent blog: Why Healthcare Technology Companies Should Hire Clinicians.

Interested in joining the VPL team? Visit our careers page to learn more.