Latest / The Career Change Podcast with Fexingo: Switching Fields, Bootcamps, and Reskilling / How Bootcamp Grads Can Break Into HealthTech
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we get a lot of questions from bootcamp grads about which industries are actually hiring right now. And one that keeps coming up, but doesn't get nearly the attention it deserves, is HealthTech. Luna: Yeah, it's funny — everyone talks about fintech or SaaS, but healthcare IT is massive and it's growing fast. I saw a stat from CompTIA that HealthTech job postings are up 34% since 2024. Lucas: Right — and that's not just for doctors or nurses. A huge chunk of those roles are for software engineers, integration specialists, and technical project managers. And bootcamp grads are actually a really good fit, especially for the integration-heavy roles. Luna: Let's talk about a concrete example. Epic Systems — the electronic health record giant based in Wisconsin. They hire hundreds of bootcamp grads every year. What's the play there? Lucas: So, Epic has a specific role called an 'integration engineer' — sometimes they call it 'interoperability engineer.' The job is basically making sure different hospital systems talk to each other. You're dealing with HL7 FHIR standards, API work, a lot of JSON and XML. Lucas: And the key thing is, Epic doesn't expect you to have a healthcare background. They train you on their proprietary technology. What they care about is your ability to learn a complex, structured data format and problem-solve. That's exactly what a good bootcamp teaches. Luna: So if I'm a bootcamp grad looking at Epic, what should I have in my portfolio? Should I build a fhir based project? Lucas: Absolutely. There's a public FHIR server from HAPI — you can build a simple app that pulls patient data or schedules. Even a basic project that shows you understand the resource model and can handle authentication — that'll set you apart. Lucas: And then there's HIPAA. You don't need to be an expert, but if you can speak to the basics — like what protected health information is, the difference between a covered entity and a business associate — that shows you're serious. Luna: Yeah, and that's something a lot of bootcamp grads miss. They focus purely on coding and forget the regulatory layer. But in HealthTech, compliance is half the job. Lucas: Exactly. And here's a surprising stat: according to a 2025 survey by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, nearly 60% of CIOs at hospitals said they prefer hiring candidates with a 'healthcare IT mindset' over pure technical brilliance. That means you need to show you care about the domain. Luna: How do you show that without having worked in a hospital? I mean, you can't just fake experience. Lucas: You can volunteer. Seriously. Many hospitals have volunteer programs where you can help with patient check-in kiosks or even shadow their IT team. It's a few hours a week, and it gives you real-world context. I know a former teacher who did that for three months, then got a job at a telemedicine startup called Amwell. Luna: Wait — a former teacher? That's a great bootcamp to healthtech story. Did they have any clinical background? Lucas: None. She had taught middle school science, did a full-stack bootcamp, and then volunteered at a local hospital's IT help desk. She learned the EHR system — Cerner, in that case — and built a small FHIR app as a side project. She interviewed at Amwell and got a junior developer role. She told me the interviewer said her volunteering was the differentiator. Luna: That's exactly the kind of story we want to highlight. It's not about having a medical degree — it's about showing you're willing to learn the context. Lucas: Right. And that's why I think HealthTech is underrated for bootcamp grads. The barriers to entry aren't that high if you're strategic. You don't need a computer science degree, you don't need a nursing license. You need curiosity and a few specific skills. Luna: Let's talk about the other big players besides Epic. Cerner, Athenahealth, Meditech — are they similarly open to bootcamp hires? Lucas: From what I've seen, yes. Athenahealth has a specific 'Associate Software Engineer' pipeline that explicitly mentions bootcamp experience. Cerner has a 'SolutionsWorks' program that's basically a rotational training for new grads and career changers. Meditech is a bit more traditional, but they still hire for integration roles. Lucas: And then there's the startup side. Telemedicine companies like Teladoc, Amwell, and MDLive are always looking for full-stack developers. Smaller startups like Ro or Hims & Hers also hire bootcamp grads, but they tend to expect a bit more front-end or mobile experience. Luna: What about the salary? Is there a pay penalty for going into HealthTech versus, say, a fintech startup? Lucas: Not really. According to data from Levels.fyi, a mid-level integration engineer at Epic makes around $110,000 to $130,000 base, plus bonuses. That's pretty competitive with general SaaS. At startups, it can be lower — maybe $90,000 to $110,000 — but you often get equity. Lucas: And the job security is arguably better. Healthcare is recession-resistant. People get sick no matter what the economy does. Luna: Yeah, that's a great point. And the skills you learn are transferable. HL7 and FHIR aren't going away — they're becoming global standards. So it's not a dead-end niche. Lucas: Exactly. Now, one thing I want to emphasize: the regulatory complexity can actually be a moat. Once you understand HIPAA, once you know how to handle audit logs and data segmentation, you become harder to replace. That's job security. Luna: So for a bootcamp grad listening right now, what's the single most actionable step they can take this week? Lucas: Go to the HL7 FHIR website, download the 'Patient' resource specification, and build a tiny app that displays a fake patient's name, birth date, and medications. Use any language you want — JavaScript, Python, whatever. Put it on GitHub. That's your conversation starter. Luna: And while you're at it, listen to this show — if it's helped you think through your career path, consider supporting it at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That kind of support is what keeps this podcast ad-free and independent. Lucas: Yeah, we really appreciate that. And it helps us keep digging into these specific, actionable topics. So, back to the FHIR project — once you have that, the next step is to look up local healthcare hackathons. Many cities have them, and hospitals often sponsor them. It's a great way to meet hiring managers. Luna: I've also seen some online communities — like the FHIR Chat on Telegram — where people share job postings. It's a small world, so networking is powerful. Lucas: Absolutely. And one last thing: don't overlook contract roles. Many health systems use staffing agencies like TEKsystems or Randstad to hire short-term integration specialists. Those can be foot in the door. Luna: Great advice. So to recap: build a FHIR project, volunteer at a hospital, network at hackathons, and consider contract work. HealthTech is hiring, and bootcamp grads are a natural fit. Lucas: Exactly. It's a field where you can build a real career, not just a job. And the impact is tangible — you're helping make healthcare better. That's something to feel good about.