Making the Transition from the EP Lab to EP Industry: The PrepMD Experience

In this article, the author shares her experience as a recent student and graduate of the PrepMD training program.

PrepMD is a training program in Braintree, Massachusetts that prepares individuals for a career in the medical device industry. The focus of the program is Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) technology, with additional instruction in EP therapies, as well as business and sales training. 

The program is six months long, with classes starting in February, May, and September. I began my journey May 16th, 2011 and graduated November 4th, 2011.

As a cardiovascular professional with 12 years of clinical experience (including cath lab, EP lab, and echocardiography), I decided it was time for a change. While I enjoyed working in direct patient care, I felt I was ready for more challenges while still remaining in the cardiology field. Over the years, I’ve had the good fortune of interacting with many industry professionals from different companies and various backgrounds. Many of them graciously took time out of their busy schedules to speak with me about their experiences working in industry, which was invaluable in making an informed decision to pursue a career with a medical device company. It wasn’t until I started studying electrophysiology and implantable devices in preparation to take the RCES (Registered Cardiovascular Electrophysiology Specialist) exam that I began to think about a career in CRM and EP. Every company representative I spoke with in the EP lab had such great enthusiasm for the field — working with patients, partnering with physicians, and being a technical resource for their products — and while every job has its ups and downs, these dedicated professionals all loved their work. I knew this was the field for me. I could picture myself walking down a hospital hallway with my bag of supplies to cover an implant and visiting physician offices to check the devices of patients I knew by heart.

As an introduction to the business side of industry, I took classes on general business and value-based selling. I also wanted to obtain some formal education about CRM technologies in preparation for my transition to an industry position. I felt the need to separate myself from the clinical side, and dedicate time to focus on the industry representative’s role in device implants and follow-ups. PrepMD stood out for me because 20% of their curriculum is business oriented; as a person with no previous industry experience, that was a great incentive for me to enroll in the program. Plus, having the opportunity to learn from Tom Kenny, a device guru who has published numerous books on pacing and ICDs, was too good for me to pass up!

Finding a place to live was a bit of a challenge. The metro Boston area presented some sticker shock on rental prices compared to Raleigh. Luckily, I found a local realtor who arranged a six-month lease on a small condo, which still costs more than my mortgage but less than the local apartment complexes. Other than the cost of housing, prices for food and other necessities were similar. Gas prices were a bit higher, but not extreme. I started to settle into a routine, despite missing my husband who was still in North Carolina. We had deliberated moving together, but it seemed to be better in the short term for him to stay with his current job while I went to school. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I hadn’t anticipated just how difficult the situation would be. However, I made it through thanks to his great support and the friendships I’ve made with my fantastic classmates! Going through such an intense program with a small class size (there were nine of us) was a great experience. Everyone contributed their unique backgrounds to the learning process (there was even had a lawyer in the class!). It was an atmosphere in which each person wanted to see success for the others — a very collaborative group.

The first ten weeks of the program are not for the faint of heart: it’s a rigorous academic course with daily exams. The schedule was five days a week, eight hours per day — class lengths within that time frame varied by subject. The topics covered included: cardiovascular system and disease process, terminology, ECG interpretation, basic EP, cardiac medications, basic electricity and pacing, fluoroscopy, implant techniques, single and dual chamber pacemaker timing cycles, device follow-up, clinical trials, tachycardia and ICD function, heart failure, and CRT device function. It felt like two years of college squeezed into 2.5 months, requiring me to quickly adopt a daily study schedule to keep pace with the course. With my previous education and experience, I had the advantage of knowing quite a bit about the core curriculum (anatomy and physiology, ECGs, basic electrophysiology, etc.). However, once we started into specifics of device programming and troubleshooting, it was a challenge to absorb and understand the enormous amount of information being presented every day (PVARP, anyone?!). 

Besides my busy class schedule, I did manage to find a little time for sightseeing. New England has a lot to offer for tourists, and I had a great time buzzing around! My husband and I went to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, walked the Freedom Trail, and ate burgers at Mr. Bartley’s in Harvard Square. One of my favorite excursions was a trip to Cape Cod, where we rented bicycles and rode the Shining Seas Bikeway. In October, we took a great scenic drive to New Hampshire to see the spectacular fall foliage. It was also an adventure riding the “T” on a regular basis — I was not used to using the subway!

Upon completion of the strictly academic portion of the program in July (and a midterm exam), it was time to begin my clinical rotations in and around Boston for the final 14 weeks of the program. Boston is one of the top EP regions in the world, home to many of the field’s top opinion leaders and birthplace of the group that is now known as the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS). Each week, we spent three to four days in our rotations, and one to two days at PrepMD. In conjunction with the rotations each week, everyone in the class presented case studies or other related topics to enhance the learning experience; this would take place each Monday, as the entire class would convene at the school to review the previous week. I found this to be a great exercise, and over the course of the program I gave 15 presentations covering devices, EP studies and ablations, and echocardiography.

In addition to the academic and clinical portions of the program, PrepMD has a simulation lab and a programmer lab. The simulation lab is outfitted as a replica of an EP/OR procedure room, allowing me to take on the role of device representative or physician during computer-simulated device implants. In the programmer lab, I was able to practice routine (and not so routine) device follow-ups with each of the five CRM company’s programmers. Learning how to navigate through the programmer screens was a valuable experience that also integrated what I had learned in the first ten weeks, and programming specific pacemaker and defibrillator features (such as mode switching, tachy therapy zone configurations, and pacing vectors for CRT) perfectly complemented the classroom curriculum. It was very helpful to start developing my own step-by-step guide for device patient management.

Interspersed with the clinical rotations is the business curriculum. The faculty at PrepMD has over 100 years of combined experience in the medical device industry, and they review several different topics: history of CRM industry, lifestyle management, legal aspects of the medical device industry, sales and interview process, and value-based selling. It was an excellent introduction to the business operation in the industry, especially for someone like me who had only clinical experience. I feel well equipped now to take on a challenging and rewarding industry career with a solid foundation in business concepts.

In the final few weeks, some company interviews were scheduled and held at the PrepMD facility. Human resources, sales, and management representatives from the various companies came to speak to our class and conduct individual interviews. It was a nerve-racking experience at times, but I felt confident in my ability to demonstrate the knowledge I had gained as well as my current and past clinical experience. The job search and interview process is still ongoing, and when the right opportunity presents itself, I will be ready. It helps that I do have some geographic flexibility, and that I have interest in not only devices but also ablations.

During our final week in the program, there were three final exams to take: a simulation lab practical, a programmer lab practical, and a written exam. Talk about stress! But I was ready, and passed them all with flying colors. Our graduation ceremony was a fun look back at our time in the program, and I had a real sense of pride in what I had accomplished. I received the Academic Achievement Award, given to the student who has achieved the highest academic scores throughout the session. In a program first, I was also presented with a second award, the Clinical Excellence Award (voted on by the class). It is given to the student who has demonstrated superb clinical support skills both in the PrepMD classroom and laboratory (as well as in the clinical rotations). A key component is that the winner’s skills have contributed to the entire session and all classmates have benefited from the recipient’s understanding of CRM technologies and their clinical application. It was also a tremendous compliment when the faculty expressed an interest to record a few of my presentations to use for future classes. I’m excited to work with the program in the future to expand its academic offerings.

PrepMD was a great experience for me, and I look forward to beginning my career in the medical device industry!