Sarah Stalke, Product Manager eRef

Pre-drawn paths and always the same routines are not so much her thing. Sarah Stalke loves discovering new things and constantly inspiring herself and others with exciting ideas and projects. After studying medicine and gaining her first practical experience in the clinic, she saw receiving her license to practice medicine as an opportunity to reorient herself professionally once again - and came across the career day for physicians at Thieme via Facebook. Since February 2019, she has been working as a volunteer in the Medicine publishing division on the further development of digital offerings for medical professionals. We talked to Ms. Stalke about what it's like to work as a young physician at Thieme.

Ms. Stalke, why did you decide to study medicine after graduating from high school?

Sarah Stalke: Initially, studying medicine was still one option among many for me, and I thought about various courses of study after graduating from high school. On the one hand, medicine seemed incredibly diverse to me, if only because of the many scientific subjects in preclinical studies. On the other hand, I experienced the study of medicine as particularly clear and unambiguous - both my five-year-old nephew and my 90-year-old grandmother could imagine something about it. I liked that.

In the end, my sister, who is also a physician, convinced me. She was very enthusiastic and infected me with this enthusiasm. At the beginning, it would have been out of the question for me to change my course of study. But over the years I was always satisfied with my choice and that hasn't changed until today.

How did you come to think about career alternatives to working in a hospital?

Stalke: I was always open to different options. My thought was that once I had completed my studies and had my license to practice medicine in my pocket, I would have a chance to get to know myself all over again and to develop further. For me, for example, a specialist training that not only involved patient work, such as clinical pharmacology, was also conceivable. Health research also appealed to me as a field of activity. During my studies, I found it fascinating to take a step back from direct patient care and look at the demands of society on medicine and health care in general.

What was the next step?

Stalke: During this time of reorientation, I became aware of the career day for physicians at Thieme via a Facebook ad in October 2018. I found the idea of working in a company that provides information and services related to medicine and healthcare interesting, and I was already familiar with Thieme from my studies. I also liked the fact that I was addressed directly as a physician in the ad, because I really wanted to continue using my experience and expertise from my medical studies. So I applied for a place.

How did you experience the career day at Thieme?

Stalke: I had expected something like an assessment center and was ready for technical tasks and an interview. Instead, it was simply a relaxed day with interesting people and exciting insights into various fields of activity at the company, for which the expertise of medical professionals is indispensable. I felt welcomed with open arms and was surprised at how pleasant and appreciative the atmosphere was. At the end of the day, I thought: This could be something for me.

What was the next step for you?

Stalke: At first, I thought about a job shadowing. But because of the really wide-ranging program at the Career Day, I felt I had already gained a very good insight into the company and gotten to know a lot. So I applied directly for an advertised trainee position. The application then went internally to my current boss, who called me and asked if I would come to Stuttgart again. A short time later, I was back here for an interview. And in February 2019, I started at Thieme. It just fell into place very well, and after my studies, joining Thieme via a traineeship felt right. 

What are you involved with at Thieme today?

Stalke: I started as a trainee in product development for digital offerings for medical professionals. Here, I mainly work on the conception and further development of the medical knowledge platform eRef. The content, which is fed from Thieme books, journals, databases, and other sources, is prepared in an enormously elaborate and interactive way. This opens up completely new possibilities for physicians to make decisions in everyday and emergency situations. In addition, the eRef is also a great e-learning tool: For example, to prepare for the specialist exam, there is an interactive self-query with comments and answers.

My tasks are divided into two parts: On the one hand, I do editorial work. The Thieme content we have is a great treasure. For the individual functions of the eRef, however, it is important to prepare it in such a way that the decisive information is available in the various situations in everyday treatment. This is where my expertise as a physician and my knowledge of how things work in the clinic are of great benefit to me.

I am also involved in the conceptual and technical development of eRef, where we are in close contact with our technical development team. My tasks include, for example, product presentations to potential cooperation partners or testing new interactive offers for everyday clinical use. The integration of the quality-assured, interactive drug information and functionalities of the Medication Information Analysis Service (MIA Service) from our partner Dosing was a great success last year.

What particularly excites you about your daily work?

Stalke: Further development is very important to us; a lot is based on agile project work. That also means that sometimes something doesn't work. Then you have to reorient yourself and think in a new way. That suits me well. I like the flexibility. That's why I feel I'm absolutely right here in the field of digital product development. We work on innovative offerings for physicians in clinics and practices, and my work makes a very concrete contribution to ensuring that the specialist information relevant to them is available to them at all times.

When I imagine that I'm supporting my environment, my friends, and maybe even my sister in their studies and in their daily work where they really need it, and that they have a little bit less stress, it feels great.

Where does your medical degree benefit you?

Stalke: In my studies, I acquired in-depth specialist knowledge and also have a practical understanding of how work in the clinic works. My medical expertise and experience help us to maintain a focus on everyday clinical practice when developing our offerings and products.

On the other hand, I have contacts with young physicians who are just starting their careers in the hospital or have just completed their first year. I often just ask them: What's in your phone's search history? What problems did you have on the last night shift? What do you wish you had done? Where do you wish you had looked? This network is enormously helpful. 

What have been your personal highlights so far?

Stalke: A highlight is always when one of my ideas or a concept is implemented. We work in projects and simply try out many things. If we are convinced of a new project idea, we build it up on a small scale in collaboration with our developers. It's a great feeling when a new feature in eRef works successfully and on time, and is well received by our partners, the publisher, and ultimately the users. One example of this is the new continuing education curricula in eRef, which bundle the relevant information for continuing education in the various specialties. This provides physicians with the best possible support in their everyday clinical work and in preparing for the specialist examination. I really enjoyed working with the great and dedicated editorial team of the curricula.

Overall, it is wonderful for me that I enjoy going to work every day. Even if there are times with many appointments and stress, I like to come back the next morning. That's a basic feeling that I really appreciate.

Do you sometimes feel drawn back to the clinic or the lab?

Stalke: I'm asked that very often. Of course, there are moments when I think: being a physician in a clinic is a very special profession that is difficult to compare with anything else. But for me, Thieme is the right place to invest my time and energy.

The interview was conducted by Jan Dehmelt