PrepMD Blog

Braintree, Mass. (February 1, 2012) – PrepMD, a leading post graduate training and placement service in the medical device field, in honor of the American Heart Association’s Heart  Month announced “The iPrepMD:  Learn and Earn for Heart Health” Campaign.

Throughout the months of February and March, PrepMD will donate 10% of the sign up fees from people who initiate a new subscription to iPrepMD, its exciting new web based learning tool, for the cardiology and electrophysiology device professional.  Located on the web at www.iprepmd.com, iPrepMD’s online curriculum is currently organized into 12 separate courses comprised of over 60 classes and greater than 50 hours of learning content geared towards the cardiology and electrophysiology professional.

The current course listing includes:

1. The IBHRE Examinees Overview of Core Concepts & Fundamentals
2. Test your Practical Understanding of Device Therapy
3. Cardiovascular Foundations for Understanding Device Therapy
4. Fundamentals of ECGs and Rhythm Analysis
5. Fundamentals of Cardiac Pacing 101 – Terms and Concepts
6. Fundamentals of Cardiac Pacing 102 – Device Operations
7. Clinical Foundations for ICD Therapies
8. Intermediate Level Cardiac Pacing Technologies
9. Understanding the Pacemaker Implant
10. ICD Technology – Sensing and Detection
11. Cardiac Rhythm Management for the Heart Failure Patient
12. Non Rhythm Related Cardiovascular Disease

“Giving back is part of PrepMD‘s young legacy,” says PrepMD cofounder, Bob Mattioli.  “It started with our first class who donated a much needed automatic external defibrillator to the Massachusetts Special Olympics and has since continued in the form of service projects with subsequent classes.  We see “The iPrepMD:  Learn and Earn for Heart Health” Campaign as a natural extension of that spirit. “

The iPrepMD tool uses a unique blend of side by side display of presenter and content combined with online knowledge checks and testing to reinforce the learning experience of the iPrepMD student.

“One of our most popular offerings is the online program to help individuals who are preparing for the International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiner’s (IBHRE®) annual certification exam,” said Tom Kenny, Director of Education at PrepMD and author of the Nuts and Bolts series of Books on Cardiac Pacing.  “We have taken our onsite prep course and made it available to our online audience as well as added specific material in the form of quizzes and tests to help individuals in their studying efforts.”

“While there is no formally endorsed unaffiliated review program for the IBHRE ® Exam, we can think of no one better to help direct cardiology professionals in their efforts than Tom Kenny,”  says Matt O’Neal co-founder of PrepMD LLC.   “Tom probably has more device training experience than almost anyone else in the industry.  As former Vice President of Academic Affairs with St. Jude Medical, Tom has extensive experience in designing review programs and training curriculum.”

The iPrep web application allows individuals who are interested in expanding their training and knowledge around cardiac rhythm management and EP devices to take control of their own learning experience wherever and whenever they want.   It uses PrepMD’s proprietary web-based platform to deliver content to any desktop or mobile device, including the iPhone and iPad.

Individuals who are interested in participating in the “The iPrepMD:  Learn and Earn for Heart Health” Campaign can do so by signing up for their iPrepMD subscription at www.iprepmd.com.

About PrepMD

PrepMD LLC (www.prepmd.org) is a post graduate training and placement service focused on delivering curriculum and educational support, specifically designed to prepare students for furthering careers in the medical device and healthcare industries. Founded by former professionals in the medical device field with more than 60 years total experience, PrepMD enrolls qualified applicants into a six month program that gives them the training and skills required for high paying jobs with medical device manufacturers. PrepMD also serves as a career counseling and placement program for its students and graduates. Currently, PrepMD dedicates its educational resources to a course of study addressing the Cardiac Rhythm Management and Cardiac Electrophysiology sectors of the healthcare industry.  This course of study is conducted within a state-of-the-art training facility in Braintree, Mass. and within observational sessions conducted among major medical centers throughout the Boston area.

Contact information

Greg Lisi

Director of Business Development

O: 888 633 7737

C: 313 268 0709

greg.lisi@prepmd.org

Innovative Company is Revolutionizing Medical Device Training One Session at a Time

Braintree, Mass. (February 1, 2011) – PrepMD, a leading post graduate training and placement service in the medical device field, announced today the induction of its 3rd session of trainees.  There are 18 new participants in the program who will complete a six-month course of study designed to prepare them for careers as Cardiac Rhythm Management device specialists.  Graduates will exit the program job-ready and prior to graduation all students will begin interviewing with major medical device companies and potentially earn an average of $100,000.

“We are thrilled to welcome our third group of trainees to PrepMD. Our value proposition is based upon reducing training costs while increasing productivity for device manufacturers,” said Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Matt O’Neal.  “PrepMD gives trainees the added benefit of career counseling and placement and we have placed over 85 percent of our graduates in the top companies in the medical device and healthcare industries.”

PrepMD, following its inaugural program, has already placed over 20 trainees in careers in the CRM field at the largest medical device manufacturers in the industry such as SorinGroup, Biotronik, Boston Scientific, Medtronic and St. Jude Medical. This revolutionary business model is beneficial to both employers as well as graduates providing a more efficient and cost effective way of training medical device specialists.  PrepMD graduates can be employed in positions within the industry or within hospital-based settings and private healthcare practices.

The training students receive includes approximately 1,000 hours of classroom instruction at PrepMD’s Braintree, Mass. campus on a range of topics including: cardiac anatomy and physiology, conduction system, EKG interpretation, programming, and troubleshooting of implantable pacemakers and defibrillators.  The classroom instruction is complemented with hands on work at PrepMD’s simulation labs designed to replicate actual procedure and clinic rooms.  After completing classroom instruction, students complete PrepMD’s 13-week clinical rotation program in major medical centers around the greater Boston area.

At PrepMD’s most recent graduation, Bob Schriever, President of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Association, told students that they were preparing for “the best job in the world.” After recounting his own personal survival from Sudden Cardiac Arrest, he told PrepMD students, “You save lives… more fathers, mothers, sisters, aunts and uncles are alive today because of the job you have been preparing to do.”

The newest class of PrepMD trainees includes students from Texas, Florida, the Carolinas and the MidWest with experience in life sciences, EMT, Business to Business sales as well as finance. The students are drawn from professional backgrounds that hiring managers in the medical device industry consider as high value attributes when they select candidates for their open positions.

About PrepMD

PrepMD LLC (www.prepmd.org) is a post graduate training and placement service focused on delivering curriculum and educational support, specifically designed to prepare students for furthering careers in the medical device and healthcare industries. Founded by former professionals in the medical device field with more than 60 years total experience, PrepMD enrolls qualified applicants into a six month program that gives them the training and skills required for high paying jobs with medical device manufacturers. PrepMD also serves as a career counseling and placement program where graduates move on to positions earning on average $100,000and more. Currently, PrepMD dedicates its educational resources to a course of study addressing the Cardiac Rhythm Management and Cardiac Electrophysiology sectors of the healthcare industry.  This course of study is conducted within a state-of-the-art training facility in Braintree, Mass. and within observational sessions conducted among major medical centers throughout the Boston area.

Media Contact:
Ann Murphy

617-646-1031

amurphy@oneillandassoc.com

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According to the Bureau of Labor Employment Statistics and Division of Occupational Outlook 6 of the 10  fastest growing occupations are related to technology or health care.   To break into these jobs candidates often need specific training and experience.   At PrepMD our students are becoming pre-qualified for hire by the medical device industry by receiving this specialized training.

We began interview sessions last week with hiring managers from major industry employers who have positions they need to fill.   Having committed themselves to the PrepMD training process, our students are now pursuing opportunities that many job seekers and career changers struggle to get exposure to.

• Have you wondered what it takes to get into the medical device industry?
• Have you submitted resumes to company websites but are not getting called for an interview?
• Have you had an interview only to be told you lacked relevant training and experience?

Many career counselors tout the value of resume rewrites and learning how to  ”prep for the interview”.  While these can be valuable activities, they may only get your so far.   While we at PrepMD  do encourage you to take an inventory of your qualifications and seek counsel to help you with your career transition goals, WE know what medical device companies need in their new hires and have designed our program with those needs in mind.

At PreMD our trained, pre-qualified students are receiving the opportunity to interview with multiple hiring managers for opportunities across the country.  If you want to get the training and experience  needed to open the doors to these great opportunities, we are taking applications for our September program.  Check out what it takes to become a PrepMD student.

Here is just a snapshot of feedback from our recent round of corporate recruiting events.

“I wanted to let you know all the positive feedback that PrepMD received; all who attended felt that you have a tremendous program.   The candidates were seasoned, professional and extremely viable.” US Field Sales Recruiter, Major Medical Device Company

“Top notch facilities. The access your group has to academic centers, and key opinion leaders due to your relationships and experience is unparalleled in the industry and evident through the enthusiasm in your students.” Regional Sales Manager, Major Medical Device Company

“From it’s welcoming and energizing facilities, to its experienced, industry savvy faculty, and bright engaged student body, PrepMD’s recent corporate recruiting event exceeded my expectations. ”  Area Vice President,  Major Medical Device Company

If you really want to gain an edge by receiving the training that employers are looking for, don’t delay your career goals any longer.  Learn more information about how you can apply.  http://bit.ly/8XBZfO

Times have changed haven’t they? The economy has certainly changed. The world of continuing education has also changed. Most post-graduate students have one thing in mind: making themselves more competitive in an uncertain job marketplace. As people vie for jobs, or struggle to hold on to the ones they have, there is nothing more important than gaining an edge over the competition and securing an enduring career.

Before we started PrepMD, there was PlaceMD, a recruitment service specifically dedicated to career placement in the Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) industry, one of the most competitive sectors of the medical device industry. Out of placement emerged the reality that in many instances even well educated and talented people could not be placed in the Cardiac Rhythm Management industry without specific training.

A large number of placement candidates were newly RIFed pharmaceutical representatives.  PlaceMD learned that a life science background in commercial pharmaceuticals isn’t sufficient to secure a more robust career in medical devices.  It also learned that the longer time a candidate spends in a commercial pharma career, the less likely the candidate will be able to transition to a medical device commercial career.

The reason for this condition is that commercial hiring practices for medical device companies have radically changed, often restricting new career opportunities to those with specific training or prior experience in medical device sales or clinical support. Within the CRM sector, this requirement has become even more rigorous. In order to succeed in securing a CRM medical device career, personal likeability isn’t enough. Soliciting a recruiter isn’t enough.  And job boards are so overwhelmed with unqualified applicants that joining the herd of job board applicants necessarily delays any consideration.

The durability and rewarding nature of a commercial career in the CRM sector of the medical device industry reflects the selectivity of the CRM recruitment process. PrepMD training is on the forefront of addressing the new climate in hiring practices now being reflected within the CRM medical device industry. Specificity of training and experience are highly regarded attributes that are actively being sought by CRM hiring managers in those candidates under consideration for a CRM commercial career.

Economic downturns often accompany surges in enrollment in continuing education programs. Today there is an unprecedented interest in ensuring that such education does not simply result in an additional academic degree, and prepares the individual for an enduring career. PrepMD provides deliberate training to become a member of the elite commercial environment of the CRM industry. We believe that commitment to our training is the best way to secure a CRM medical job.

We at PrepMD are excited about the April issue of EP Lab Digest.  Please take some time to read the article and share your impressions with us.

VOLUME: 10 PUBLICATION DATE: Apr 01 2010
Issue Number: 1 April 10
Start Page: 36
End page: 37
author(s):
Interview by Jodie Elrod
Are you considering a career switch to the medical device industry? PrepMD offers training to become a medical device clinical specialist or sales representative in cardiac rhythm management or electrophysiology. Read more about their services here.

Tell us about the PrepMD program. What career opportunities are available to train for?

Matt O’Neal (Managing Partner):
At PrepMD our goal is to teach, inspire, and connect talented individuals with the medical device community. Through a comprehensive and demanding training program, we prequalify our graduates for hire by industry or hospital-based employers. PrepMD delivers its on-site curriculum in a newly constructed 8,000 square foot facility, filled with innovative and high technology educational features. The core of our curriculum currently focuses on the Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) and Electrophysiology (EP) account manager or clinical representative career opportunities. While those are our primary targeted opportunities, we believe the experience our students gain through completing our core curriculum, simulated lab environment, business training, and clinical field rotations makes them extremely attractive for not only the CRM and EP positions, but also interventional cardiology and hospital/office-based positions.

In addition to training individuals for new careers, PrepMD also offers:

•PrepStart™ to bridge corporate training support
•Hospital and Allied Health Professional (AHP) training
•Continuing Education Programs
•Market Development Training
•Corporate Scholar Programs
All of these can be tailored to the needs of our individual clients.

Explain the curriculum format of the program. What time commitment is needed?

Matt O’Neal (Managing Partner):
Currently, the PrepMD training consists of 26 weeks of curriculum delivery, embedded with approximately 1,020 hours of course work conducted within classroom and on-site laboratory sessions, including clinical rotations in academic and private practice medical centers.
Didactic classroom and laboratory sessions are 80 minutes in length, with 4 classes and/or lab sessions provided each day, 5 days each week. Clinical rotations are observational, beginning at approximately 10 weeks into the cycle, and are conducted within a variety of medical center environments where CRM/EP therapies are practiced.

Who are the ideal candidates for this program? Who should contact PrepMD?

Bob Mattioli (Managing Partner):
As Matt said, our goal is to teach, inspire, and connect talented individuals with the medical device space. Our ideal candidate has three main qualities. One, they are passionate about getting into the industry and committed to the training process. Two, they have a track record of success, represented by professional, academic and extracurricular excellence. Third, they should be geographically flexible. Candidates who have a bachelors degree from an accredited college or university, have been responsibly employed for a minimum of 2-5 years, and have a strong interest in pursuing a career in the CRM/EP segment of the medical device industry should contact PrepMD.

What is the first step to begin training with PrepMD? How is one chosen for enrollment?

Bob Mattioli (Managing Partner):
Selection for PrepMD training begins with the submission of a candidate’s application and resume, which can be conveniently uploaded to our website. The candidate will be contacted by a member of the PrepMD faculty to schedule an initial telephone interview to gauge the applicant’s level of interest. Once the application is compete, including transcripts, letters of recommendation and application fee, a formal interview is scheduled. This interview can be conducted either in person at our Braintree facility, by phone or by video conference. Admissions officers will review all applications, and candidates will be notified in a timely manner.

Where is the training located? Are there options available for those outside Massachusetts?

Greg Lisi (Director of Business Development):
Classroom and simulation training takes place at the PrepMD facilities in Braintree, Massachusetts, just 7 miles from downtown Boston, with clinical rotations based out of a variety of medical centers and facilities in and around the area. Fortunately, as word is getting out about the PrepMD training experience, we have been receiving applications and inquiries from all regions of the country. Applicants have come from as far away as the Carolinas, Georgia, Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, as well as the New England states. Out-of-state students can select local temporary residence options covering the duration of the 26-week program, examples of which are detailed on our website.
Many candidates want to come here for 6 months to take advantage of the training experience plus everything the area has to offer. As you know, the Boston area is home to the Boston AF Symposium as well as a frequent host of the Heart Rhythm Society’s Annual Symposium. We are excited to have PrepMD serve as a new training and educational link between the region and the larger medical device community.

What are the components of the full-time training curriculum?

Cathy Sistrunk (Director of Education):
Currently there are 5 major areas of focus for the PrepMD curriculum:
• Core Curriculum (250 hours), which includes anatomy and physiology, conduction system and EKG interpretation.
• Perioperative Technique (200 hours), encompassing sterile techniques, intra-operative device testing, implantation techniques, and EP study protocols, utilizing our state-of-the-art PrepLab™.
• Programming/Timing Cycles/ Troubleshooting (200 hours), which deepens students’ understanding of implantable CRM devices in a unique environment in which comparative device algorithm study can be conducted in PrepMD’s “first in class” Programmer Bar™.
• CRM/EP Business Lecture Series (150 hours), educating PrepMD students on the details of business planning, market development, communication skills for sales and clinical support, as well as the commercial roles and expectations of successful field personnel supporting CRM/EP device use.
• Clinical Rotations (220 hours), located at major medical centers in the greater Boston area, provide opportunities to observe academic and private practice EP labs, offices, and clinics in today’s busy healthcare environment.

What are the costs associated with the program?

Bob Mattioli (Managing Partner):
Based on our rolling admissions schedule, the candidate will be required to submit a $1,000 deposit within 30 days of acceptance to secure a position in the upcoming class. Tuition fees for the 6-month full-time course are currently set at $25,000 and are payable in full prior to the start of classes. Tuition fees include all curriculum materials, laboratory materials, workbooks, and initial texts. Also included are fees for insurance umbrellas servicing student participation in observational clinical rotations within local medical centers.

Describe your background in the field. What prompted PrepMD?

Matt O’Neal (Managing Partner):

I was primarily motivated by three main factors that we feel represent our value proposition to industry and potential employers of PrepMD students:

1. A shortened training cycle length
2. Decreased training cycle costs
3. Increased time to productivity

After many years of interviewing talented individuals who did not have the specific technical training requirements, we felt we could proactively address these three needs by constructing a unique educational experience.
Collectively, PrepMD faculty has over 100 years of medical device experience. We have “carried the bag,” worked as hiring managers, and served as senior leaders of prominent CRM/EP companies.

Bob brings extensive experience in the CRM and EP sector, having recently built the commercial EP business for CryoCath (now Medtronic CryoCath). While working at Guidant and Boston Scientific, I developed various training programs and curriculum designed to simulate CRM implant and follow-up scenarios in order to speed the time to productivity of new hires. After building 3 versions of these programs from 1998 to 2006, PrepMD represents the most comprehensive and innovative training program to date.

What are the benefits of switching to a career in the medical device industry?

Tom Kenny (Director of Corporate Training):
There are numerous tangible and intangible rewards that come from being part of the medical device family. Working with skilled physicians, helping patients, and learning cutting-edge technology are just a few. I think that the time to make a move is now. When I look at the population dynamics of the country, the recent advances of clinical trials, companies’ continuing R&D investment, and the ever-increasing demands on physicians’ time and energy, it is obvious to me that the need for well-trained device reps will be here for a long time to come. All that, coupled with the reality that companies continue to struggle to find talented individuals with the skill sets on which we are training our students, only reinforces the benefits of getting the training necessary to experience all the intrinsic rewards of helping deliver lifesaving and life-improving technology while earning a good living.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Greg Lisi (Director of Business Development):
First off I would like to thank you for the chance to talk about PrepMD and the opportunity it represents for people who want to get into the medical device industry.
Most importantly, and on behalf of our faculty, I want to express our appreciation for the support that the CRM/EP device companies have given to PrepMD. Their participation in our corporate sponsored events, and their continued product support affirms their willingness to partner with our innovative training and placement service.
As the companies experience firsthand the power of our value proposition, we remain committed to providing quality training and placement assistance, allowing them to reduce their cost of sale and focus on providing quality products and service to their patients and physicians.
As the industry continues to evolve, so will PrepMD. Our core principle of helping companies place trained individuals will guide us in applying new and innovative training technologies moving forward.

For more information, please visit: www.prepmd.org

Why should talented individuals, more aggressively than ever, consider a specific career in the medical industry today?

1. National Health Care Insurance will be a multiplier of access to products and services in the medical industry sector.
2. A burgeoning baby-boomer population will soon be requiring health services and more of them will have accessibility to healthcare through National Health Care Insurance.
3. The most successful medical industry career seeker will benefit from a deliberate strategy to become trained in the support of specific medical therapies whose use will increment in accessibility and need in the years ahead.

Specific sectors of the medical device industry still require extensive support from highly trained commercial and clinical representatives. The enduring paradigm for such medical device companies is to secure the highest proportion of market share by deploying the best commercial and clinical support.

The Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) sector (cardiac pacemakers, implantable defibrillators, electrophysiology devices) in particular requires, actually demands, that well-hired and well-trained talent be made readily available to support clinicians, nurses, and patients in the acute and chronic use of CRM medical devices.

My friend and colleague of many years, Matt O’Neal and I, recently started PrepMD, a specialized CRM training and career placement service. Our primary objective is to train and then place talent within the CRM industry.  We understand the value that such well-hired commercial support brings to a CRM company in order to strengthen its ranks, expand its market share, and accommodate necessary attrition. We appreciate that the ability to become well-hired by a CRM company cannot result from a random encounter with a recruiter or a job board. We believe that today, in order to secure this unique career opportunity, an individual must actively seek such a position by taking deliberate control over their career and its future direction.

At PrepMD each of our pre-qualified student talent has taken the deliberate step to absorb CRM curriculum and training over a six month training cycle. Their objective is to secure an opportunity to be hired by a CRM device company. Simply put, PrepMD is founded on a shared critical wisdom; that CRM device jobs are retained and CRM careers advanced because someone has taken the initiative to become prepared well in order to become hired well.

Over the weeks and months to follow, we and our faculty will share our experiences and perspectives from within the CRM industry and from within PrepMD as we develop the next generation of CRM device commercial representatives.  If you are now considering a career change, either by choice or by circumstance, we invite you to determine if PrepMD can provide the support for you to deliberately alter the course of your professional life.