Which Medtech Field Is the Most Satisfying?

Chris Newmarker

October 12, 2016

2 Min Read
Which Medtech Field Is the Most Satisfying?

The answer appears to reflect the state of flux the medical device industry is presently in. 

Chris Newmarker

Abbott Absorb

Abbott spent roughly 15 years developing Absorb. (Image courtesy of Abbott Labs)

The field where medical device workers are the most satisfied also happens to be the one that is not entirely a medical device field, according to a Qmed analysis of data from MD+DI's Medtech Salary Survey 2016. (Download a copy of the full report here.)

Nearly 39% of engineers, designers, and other medical device professionals working on combination device-drug products reported being "very satisfied"--the highest percentage among the device fields with a high response rate in the survey. When the "very satisfied" and "somewhat satisfied" answers were added together, professionals in the combo devices field did not rank as high. But it's the "very satisfied" answer that shows where the excitement is at. 

In a nutshell, the most excitement in the medical device field appears to be the area where the industry is blending with the pharmaceutical industry. 

This area basically involves any kind of drug-delivery device: inhalers, patches, insulin injectors, and more. New devices in the area include drug-eluting stents such as Abbott's Absorb GT1 bioresorbable vascular scaffold system, which won FDA approval over the summer, or Boston Scientific's Synergy bioresorbable stent. Medtronic's MiniMed 670G insulin pump--which marks the latest step toward creation of a fully automated, closed loop system--also fits the bill. 

Here's the full breakdown. 

Device Type

Very Satisfied

Somewhat Satisfied 

Neutral

Somewhat Unsatisfied

Not at All Satisfied

Combo Devices

38.67%

33.33%

10.67%

16.00%

1.33%

Respiratory

36.73%

36.73%

12.24%

12.24%

2.04%

Orthopedic Devices

36.36%

42.86%

7.79%

10.39%

2.60%

Cardio Devices

35.09%

35.09%

14.04%

10.53%

5.26%

Gastroent/Urology

32.76%

39.66%

10.34%

13.79%

3.45%

All

30.98%

42.86%

13.23%

10.53%

2.41%

Surgical devices

30.83%

41.35%

14.29%

11.28%

2.26%

Imaging Systems

29.09%

41.82%

16.36%

9.09%

3.64%

Drug Delivery

28.57%

46.43%

10.71%

12.50%

1.79%

Neurology

28.00%

42.00%

10.00%

18.00%

2.00%

IVD

25.35%

49.30%

8.45%

12.68%

4.23%

Chris Newmarker is senior editor of Qmed. Follow him on Twitter at @newmarker.

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to our daily e-newsletter.

Sign up for the QMED & MD+DI Daily newsletter.

You May Also Like