A Clear, Practical Overview of Digital Health Careers Beyond the Bedside
Digital health roles for clinicians are careers where clinical expertise is applied to the design, implementation, optimisation, and governance of healthcare technology. These roles exist across EPR/EHR programmes, clinical informatics, digital transformation, implementation, AI-enabled workflow, and advisory work. Most do not require coding and many allow remote or hybrid working.
This page outlines the main digital health roles clinicians move into, what those roles actually involve, and how to decide which pathway fits you.
How to Read This Page (and Use It Well)
If you are early in your exploration, skim the role summaries to see what resonates.
If you are further along, focus on:
- the “good fit / poor fit” notes,
- how each role uses clinical skills differently,
- where each role typically sits (provider, vendor, consulting).
There is no single “best” digital health role — only the right fit for your strengths, temperament, and goals.
The Main Digital Health Role Categories for Clinicians
1. EPR / EHR Roles
Examples: EPR Analyst, Clinical Build Lead, Optimisation Consultant, Training Lead
What these roles do
Clinicians support the configuration, testing, optimisation, training, and improvement of electronic patient record systems. This includes workflow design, safety review, adoption support, and post-go-live optimisation.
Why clinicians succeed here
- Deep understanding of real clinical workflows
- Ability to spot safety risks and inefficiencies
- Credibility with frontline staff
Good fit if you:
- Enjoy improving systems and processes
- Like practical, applied problem-solving
- Are comfortable working with detail
Poor fit if you:
- Want highly creative or research-focused work
- Dislike structured systems and governance
2. Clinical Informatics
Examples: Clinical Informaticist, CMIO/CNIO track, Clinical Safety Officer
What these roles do
Clinical informatics focuses on the safe, effective use of digital systems. Work includes decision support, data quality, clinical governance, usability, and bridging clinical and technical teams.
Why clinicians succeed here
- Strong safety and risk awareness
- Systems-level thinking
- Comfort working at the intersection of care, data, and governance
Good fit if you:
- Like strategy, standards, and improvement
- Are interested in data and decision-making
- Want influence at organisational level
Poor fit if you:
- Want fast-moving, delivery-heavy roles
- Prefer short projects over ongoing responsibility
3. Implementation & Digital Transformation
Examples: Implementation Lead, Clinical Transformation Lead, Change Manager
What these roles do
These roles ensure technology is successfully adopted in real care settings. The focus is not the software itself, but people, workflow, and outcomes.
Why clinicians succeed here
- Credibility with staff during change
- Understanding of pressure points and resistance
- Ability to translate strategy into practice
Good fit if you:
- Enjoy leading people through change
- Are comfortable with ambiguity
- Like working across disciplines
Poor fit if you:
- Prefer quiet, individual contributor roles
- Dislike stakeholder management
4. AI & Workflow Innovation
Examples: Clinical AI Lead, AI Safety Advisor, Workflow Design Consultant
What these roles do
Clinicians help shape how AI is introduced into documentation, decision support, triage, and operational workflows — ensuring tools are safe, ethical, and usable.
Why clinicians succeed here
- Clinical judgment about risk and context
- Understanding of cognitive load and workflow
- Ability to challenge hype with reality
Good fit if you:
- Are curious about the future of care
- Like shaping new ways of working
- Can balance innovation with safety
Poor fit if you:
- Want well-defined, static roles
- Prefer established playbooks over emerging work
5. Product, Vendor, and Advisory Roles
Examples: Clinical Product Specialist, Pre-Sales Consultant, Digital Health Advisor
What these roles do
Clinicians work with health technology companies or consultancies, advising on product design, implementation, sales support, or strategy.
Why clinicians succeed here
- Ability to articulate clinical value
- Credibility with healthcare customers
- Big-picture understanding of care delivery
Good fit if you:
- Enjoy variety and external engagement
- Like influencing multiple organisations
- Are comfortable outside traditional hierarchies
Poor fit if you:
- Prefer stable, internally focused roles
- Dislike commercial conversations
Provider, Vendor, or Consulting — Where These Roles Sit
Digital health roles exist in different settings:
- Healthcare providers (e.g. NHS trusts): Stability, internal influence, longer time horizons
- Vendors: Faster pace, product exposure, broader perspective
- Consulting / advisory: Variety, autonomy, higher rates, steeper learning curve
The same role title can feel very different depending on context.
Do Digital Health Roles Require Coding?
No — in the vast majority of clinician-led digital health roles:
- Coding is not required
- Systems knowledge is learned on the job
- Communication and judgment matter more than technical depth
Technical specialists and clinicians play complementary roles, not interchangeable ones.
How to Choose the Right Digital Health Role for You
The best role aligns with:
- Your clinical background
- Your energy and temperament
- Your tolerance for ambiguity and change
- Your desired level of influence
- Your lifestyle and flexibility goals
Choosing well early saves years of frustration.
How This Site Helps You Navigate Digital Health Roles
Across this site, you’ll find:
- Detailed breakdowns of each role
- Guidance on how clinicians enter these pathways
- Skills translation frameworks
- Realistic expectations — not hype
- Coaching and advisory support for clinicians ready to move
This is domain-specific guidance, written by someone who understands both sides of the transition.
Where to Go Next
- Start with the big picture: Clinician to Digital Health: A Practical Career Transition Guide
- Dive deeper: Explore individual role pages (EPR, Informatics, AI, Implementation)
- Get tools: Digital Health Resources for Clinicians
- Work with Rod: Coaching & Advisory for Clinicians in Transition
A Closing Perspective
Digital health is not a single job title.
It is a landscape — and clinicians belong in it.
The question is not whether you fit,
but where you fit best.