When Joyce Sesilie Timberlid started her medical studies, the goal was not to become a practicing doctor, but to help develop the health field. The solution was to participate in the internship scheme of Norway Health Tech and the Student Association for Medical Innovation (SMI). Now, Joyce works as a medical advisor in the health technology company SensCom.
Today SMI runs the internship programme in collaboration with The Student Association for Pharmaceutical Innovation (SFI) with support the UiO Growth House which is the innovation unit at the University of Oslo.
Want to develop the health field
In a world that is developing and exploring new frontiers in medicine, it is crucial to cultivate talents who are not only dedicated to their field within hospitals, but also eager to develop the healthcare system. We have had the pleasure of having a chat with Joyce Sesilie Timberlid, a medical student with a unique approach to the field.
Through SMI’s internship scheme, Joyce Sesilie Timberlid has acquired highly relevant experiences as a medical student. But her journey in the health field started early, when she started working in the health care system as a 16 years old. She is now in her 10th semester of medical studies, and in practice as a GP at a doctor’s office and works as a medical adviser in SensCom. Alongside her medical studies, she has also completed a bachelor’s degree in health management and economics.
Timberlid explains that she did not choose medical studies to practice as a doctor, but to participate in the development of the health field. She sees medical expertise as an important foundation for contributing to sustainable development.
– At medical school you learn to be a practicing doctor. Through the internship, it has been useful to use the interdisciplinary expertise in the work, i.e. the duality of thinking about more than the patient, says Timberlid.
Internship shaping career path
Timberlid began her internship at SMI in the summer of 2021. This was a unique opportunity for her to get to know the business world and the sector that medical students rarely explore on a daily basis.
– From the beginning of the internship, I have gained both trust and responsibility, in addition to being able to be involved where it happens, says Timberlid.
Ellen Cathrine Andersen, CEO of SensCom, says that the students who participate in the internship scheme acquire new knowledge, work experience and knowledge of how private companies work. It also gives companies access to skilled resources for a limited period, but also the opportunity to assess whether these could be future employees.
– It is an opportunity to present yourself to future employers. I have experienced in several cases that students who have completed an internship start working in the companies they have been in, says Andersen.
After the internship, Timberlid was offered a permanent part-time position as a medical advisor in SensCom.
– Many people think they don’t fit into entrepreneurial companies because they don’t have the typical entrepreneurial skills themselves, but we need a complex group with different skills. It is also important to have people with strong implementation skills and specific professional expertise, says Timberlid.
SensCom has developed the incontinence sensor DignaCare, which alerts the need for care and change, and has also developed a management tool that can objectively measure the quality of care that the residents receive. Timberlid has been involved in exciting tasks in the company that require medical expertise related to incontinence problems. She has participated in project development and given lectures to increase knowledge about the topic. In addition, she has used her medical knowledge to develop procedures and routines internally, and for use externally where the nappy sensor is in operation.
– An internship is only 6 weeks, and you do not commit to a long lasting employment. Nevertheless, you get the opportunity to work interdisciplinary, both interactively and dynamically, with problem solving on a different level than in patient care or in a medical team. You get to know an alternative way of working as a doctor; because it’s different than working in a hospital. If you’re curious, it’s worth trying, says Timberlid.
Norway Health Tech and SMI help match companies with medical students who want to explore a career in health technology. Interested in knowing more? See an overview of internships at smistudent.no or contact communications manager Sindre Holme at sh@norwayhealthtech.com