It’s up to physicians like us to shape development of useful tech tools

After you’ve done that (thank you!) I have a couple of questions for you and perhaps a hard truth.

First, the hard truth: No one is asking you because no one in tech knows you. Talking about what you want to influence is probably the biggest mental hurdle many of us have. It’s definitely true for me. I’m never one to advocate for AI-generated posts on LinkedIn because they all have a specific lilt. But I will always advocate for sharing your interests, questions and what lights you up. Without turning on the light, you won’t attract the right … moths? (I’m still working on the analogy.)

Where are you looking to influence? Whatever it is you want to do, it exists in theory. That much I can promise.

Are you a new physician wanting to consult for a health tech company?

It’s possible to find these roles on LinkedIn, Indeed and on company job boards. A word of warning: Be prepared for a mess. There are no preceptors with teaching philosophies on educating non-clinicians, and you may have to take on the role of educator. You may also be asked to “prove yourself” because the non-clinical leadership has no idea what residency training entails (which is annoying because, after all, you’ve already proven yourself). You may come up against people who have no idea what the basics of health care delivery are. (They’re trying to start a primary care company, and they don’t know what empanelment means?) Be open, be kind and be prepared to teach, as long as the team is willing to listen and learn. You might be disappointed at the lack of traction. You might be dismissed as “idealistic” or “inexperienced” with your community-oriented focus and young face. That’s OK. Keep going and keep building your clinical skills in the meantime because that’s your secret sauce.

Are you an employed physician looking to change tech policy at your organization?

This is also completely doable, and Dr. Nieves and I advocate for it. Get to know your informatics and operations leaders. Be kind (there’s that word again!), but be persistent. If they’re not able to implement your idea, it’s not personal. (And if it is, go to HR because, girl, that’s a whole different problem.)

Most of the time, there are workflows and implementation processes that are already in the works. Straight out of residency, I got the attention of my CMIO because I relentlessly put in thoughtful workflow help-desk tickets that our federally qualified health center simply didn’t have the bandwidth to implement. But I got mentorship, grants and training because of my efforts.

Be like Jhaimy Fernandez, MD, from AltaMed Health Services in Southern California, who also co-founded Alma First, an organization where pre-medical students support patients in navigating digital health platforms. Dedicate yourself to closing a gap you’ve identified (like patient comfort with digital health) to get the attention of leadership.

If it feels insurmountable or infuriating, reach out. I’m always happy to coach you through it. (Career coaching is always something I advocate for).

Are you a retired physician looking to share your wisdom?

My (potentially upstart) advice is to network. Network, network, network. Dust off your resume. List out all the cross-disciplinary things you did in your time practicing. Cold email companies that you are interested in learning more about. Get curious and get coffees.

Unless you already have the connections, the goal is to become known in the space for your clinical experience, operational mastery and unique insights. Again, I’m the last person to recommend posting cliches on LinkedIn, but the truth is no one outside of clinical medicine, or family medicine for that matter, really understands how multifaceted we are. Be kind (there it is again!), and share who you are so that people know you are open to connection.

For a while, you might be disappointed with the caliber of opportunities that come to you. That’s OK. You’re building a new muscle. Keep up the reps.

Are you an independent physician focused on streamlining your practice?

What a gift you are to the fabric of primary care. (Sorry if that’s annoying to hear.) Just like my advice to the retired physician, I would say to start sharing your clinical challenges. Explain the situation to companies and designers like you would to a pre-med student. They have enough knowledge to participate in the conversation, but not enough knowledge to inherently know where in the referral process things get furry.

Many products may feel out of your financial reach, and that’s OK. Talk about how you’re using 26 different products for 26 different workflows. Share how you are using AI to help with coding visits. The more you put it out there, the bigger the coalition you build, the more power you have.

If you’re a direct primary care (DPC) physician, or if you have a DPC component, check out podcasts like My DPC Story by Maryal Concepcion, MD, FAAFP.

We’re all rooting for you because you give us hope that something beyond the current grind of a system is possible. If you’re entrepreneurial enough, you might just be the one who changes it all.