As a recently new professional in the medical device industry, I try to find any tips or tools I can use to gain more knowledge about the industry as a whole. Increasing my general knowledge of the field can only help me when I interact with other professionals. When thinking of what to blog about this week, I was curious how others (young professionals or not) gain more knowledge about their job roles and the industry that they are working in.

One thing that I have been doing since graduate school is keeping up with current medical device news. I get several emails a day from different newsletter sources. These emails include information about different merges and acquisitions, new approved products, recalls and warning letters as well as new leadership in some of the most well-known medical device companies. Keeping up with this information is great for general knowledge and conversation starters and it can also be useful for seeing trends in the industry.

Another source that I find helpful is the FDA website. I have used the FDA website to find important information about cleared products. The FDA website has a special designation just for comprehensive regulatory assistance which covers areas such as human factors, import/export, international, guidance documents, and compliance/postmarket requirements. Taking the time to search through this resource could be extremely beneficial for a number of reasons. First of all this website can act as a one-stop shop for regulatory help, having information on regulatory advice throughout the life of a product collected all in one place. Having information from one source creates more consistency, but keep in mind finding other sources can also be useful for checks and balances. I think one other important thing about using the FDA website is the fact that this is information straight from the source that regulates the industry. This website has to be publishing information that is consistent with how they enforce their regulations.

I think one very important place to find information is on various blogs or forums. There are a number of great groups on Linkedin that focus on the medical device industry. It is interesting and helpful to hear what real people in the industry have to say. Learning from what other people have experienced can only be helpful.

I'm interested in hearing how other people find out information about the medical device industry. What are some tools you use?

--Jillian F. Walker

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