MAY 10 — MedTechVets, formerly MVPvets, held a virtual graduation ceremony and networking event on February 16th with current and former Academy Fellows, corporate sponsors, and community partners. This event marked the conclusion of the MedTechVets Academy, a 6-week long virtual mentorship program for Military Veterans interested in pursuing careers in medical technology. MedTechVets Board of Directors include many Medtech Leaders, including Capt. Derek Herrera (President and Chairman of MedTechVets), founder of UroDev Medical and Habit Camera, along with Michael Minogue (founder of MedTechVets), CEO of AbioMed.
Why Our Mission is Critical For Veteran Employment
Many Academy Fellows find themselves drawn to MedTech companies because of the ability to truly impact lives. An issue that transitioning Veterans often face is storytelling – marrying their extensive Military experience with the transferrable skills to connect with a hiring manager. This is a knowledge gap that contributes to the large-scale issue of veteran underemployment.
“We developed the curriculum of the Academy to build foundational skills for every aspect of the job search so that they can pursue any role within MedTech with confidence and industry connections”
Derek Herrera, USMC, President & Chairman
Underemployment is employment that does not match a person’s skill level or doesn’t make full use of it. According to a LinkedIn Employment report, 33% of veterans are “underemployed” and 15.6% more likely than non-veterans, to become underemployed. Because of the lack of awareness among hiring managers of what veterans go through, military background can prove to be a hindrance when transitioning to the civilian workforce.
MedTechVets Academy serves as a bridge between service and the civilian workforce. The time between active-duty and civilian career is nebulous; many things may get lost in translation, such as how your military work experience is applicable in a sales or engineering role in MedTech.
“Most civilian hiring managers…they don’t know what we went through and the ins and outs of what we did in the military. Because of that, they often pass on us. But we (Teleflex) won’t pass on you — we’ll pass it on and tee it up!”
John Birkle, MedTechVets Mentor, Veteran, & Pacific Regional Manager at Teleflex
He references Veterans as “unicorn” hires, because they are hidden gems in the workplace, coming not only with valuable experience but also loyalty, humility, and a strong work ethic.
Mike Minogue Assumes A New Role
Recently, MedTechVets Founder, Michael Minogue assumed the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors at AdvaMed. Michael has had numerous leadership roles in Medical Technology and hopes to strengthen the industry’s focus on patients.
They also revealed the rebrand to “MedTechVets” formerly named MVPvets. Their mission hasn’t changed, they are the premier organization for Veterans and Active-Duty service members transitioning into MedTech and Life Science careers. They are the first stop, and the fortified, supportive bridge to a veteran’s next connection and career. Each Academy aims to get better at helping veterans foster genuine relationships and make the transition period as smooth as possible.
MedTechvets recently commenced their third Academy program, and will graduate another cohort of Fellows at the next Virtual Networking Event on May 18th! Read more to learn about their mission, and how you can get involved.
Our Mission
MedTechVets (formerly MVPvets) Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization connecting medtech and life science companies with talented veterans ready to serve a purpose, with a broad bandwidth of skills, and an extraordinary focus on achieving goals. MedTechVets’ network has grown to nearly 100 life science and medical device companies, hundreds of mentors, and thousands of veterans. For more information, visit https://medtechvets.org/
MedTechVets is endorsed by the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed).
If you are a transitioning service member or military veteran interested in being matched with a mentor, apply today on our website.
If you are in the biotechnology, medical technology, or life sciences industries and would like to give back to our veteran community by becoming a mentor, apply today on our website.
AdvaMed is the world’s largest medical technology trade association, representing more than 400 companies that produce the medical devices, diagnostic products and health information systems that are transforming health care through earlier disease detection, less invasive procedures and more effective treatments. AdvaMed members range from the largest to the smallest medical technology innovators and companies. For more information, visit www.advamed.org.
If you would like to learn more information about MedTechVets, please go to our page https://medtechvets.org/contact-us/.
