The First 90 Days: A Blueprint for New Hire Success in the medtech Sector

Settling into any new role takes time. Even someone with years of experience in the MedTech sector still needs to learn new products, processes, customers, systems and ways of working.

That's why onboarding shouldn't simply consist of an induction on day one followed by an expectation that the new employee gets on with the job.

A well-planned first 90 days can help a new hire understand what's expected of them, build the knowledge and relationships they need and gradually become more confident and independent in their role.

The exact plan will depend on the position and the person's previous experience. Someone moving between similar Territory Manager roles may require a very different onboarding programme from somebody entering MedTech for the first time or joining a clinically complex product area.

However, a simple 30-60-90-day framework can provide a useful starting point.

Before Day One: Start Onboarding Early

Onboarding should begin once your new employee has accepted the offer, not when they arrive on their first day.

In MedTech, a new hire may have a notice period of several months. You don't need to overwhelm them with information during that time, but don't disappear either.

Keep appropriate contact and make sure they know what will happen next.

Before they join:

• Confirm practical details about their start date and first day
• Introduce them to their manager if they haven't already met
• Prepare their laptop, phone, systems access and any other equipment
• Arrange access to the CRM and relevant internal systems
• Plan their initial product, clinical and compliance training
• Schedule introductions to important colleagues and support functions
• Prepare a clear plan for their first few weeks
• Assign a buddy or mentor where appropriate

If there are relevant developments within the company, team or product portfolio before they start, consider keeping them informed.

The aim isn't to start training them while they're still working for somebody else. It's simply to make sure they remain connected and arrive knowing that you're ready for them.

Days 1-7: Welcome Them and Set Expectations

The first week should give your new hire clarity about the company, their role and the people around them.

Make sure they understand:

• The company's products, customers and market
• The purpose and responsibilities of their role
• Who they will work with internally
• How their manager will support them
• What training they will receive
• How performance will eventually be measured
• What you realistically expect from them during the first few weeks

For MedTech employees, the initial learning programme may also need to cover product knowledge, clinical applications, regulatory and compliance requirements, CRM processes, pricing, reporting and the boundaries of what they are authorised to communicate or do with customers.

Don't try to fit everything into the first few days.

A new starter who has sat through 30 presentations by Friday afternoon hasn't necessarily learned more than somebody who attended ten.

Build in opportunities to ask questions, revisit important information and understand how the different parts of the business fit together.

Days 8-30: Learn the Role, Market and Customers

During the remainder of the first month, the focus can move towards understanding the role in greater depth.

For a field-based sales employee, this could include:

• Territory history and previous performance
• Current accounts and opportunities
• Key customer and stakeholder relationships
• Existing pipeline and CRM information
• Competitor activity
• Products and pricing
• Targets and KPIs
• How commission or bonus is calculated
• Internal clinical, marketing and customer support

Where appropriate, arrange time in the field with their manager or experienced colleagues. Seeing products, customers and conversations in context can make formal training much more meaningful.

For clinical roles, the emphasis may be different. The employee may need supervised exposure to clinical environments, structured product competency training and time with experienced clinical colleagues before taking on greater responsibility independently.

The pace should reflect the complexity of the job and the experience the person brings with them.

By the end of the first month, hold a proper two-way review.

Don't only ask whether they've completed the required training. Ask what they understand well, where they still feel uncertain, whether anything has differed from what they expected and what additional support they need.

Days 31-60: Start Applying What They've Learned

During the second month, your new hire should begin applying their knowledge with increasing independence.

For a salesperson, that might mean taking greater ownership of customer relationships, developing account plans, identifying opportunities and beginning to shape their territory strategy.

For a Clinical Specialist, it could mean taking a more active role in training or customer support while continuing to work alongside experienced colleagues where appropriate.

This is also a useful point to agree some short-term objectives.

Make sure those objectives reflect what somebody could realistically achieve at this stage.

A new Territory Manager may inherit a mature territory with established customers and an active pipeline. Another may be building almost from scratch. Their first 60 days shouldn't necessarily be judged in the same way.

Continue regular manager check-ins and give specific feedback.

If something isn't progressing as expected, don't wait until the 90-day review to mention it. Equally, recognise where the employee is making good progress so they know what they should continue doing.

Days 61-90: Build Independence and Establish the Next Priorities

By the third month, many new hires will be ready to take greater ownership of their role.

That doesn't mean every employee should be fully productive or completely independent by day 90.

Some MedTech roles have lengthy learning curves, particularly where products are technically or clinically complex. A person's previous experience will also affect how quickly they progress.

Instead, look for appropriate signs of progress.

Depending on the role, these could include:

• Growing confidence in product and clinical knowledge
• Understanding the territory and key accounts
• Building effective customer relationships
• Using internal systems and processes correctly
• Developing relationships with internal colleagues
• Taking greater ownership of day-to-day responsibilities
• Identifying commercial opportunities or priorities
• Knowing when to act independently and when to ask for support

This is also a good time to begin looking beyond onboarding towards longer-term development.

What has the employee demonstrated so far? Where do they need more experience? What would they like to develop? What should the next three to six months look like?

Hold a Meaningful 90-Day Review

The 90-day review shouldn't simply be a probationary tick-box exercise.

Use it to bring together what both sides have learned during the first three months.

Discuss:

• Progress against the original onboarding plan
• What the employee feels confident about
• Where they still need support or training
• Early achievements
• Any expectations that need clarifying
• Feedback from the manager
• Feedback from the employee
• Priorities for the next 90 days
• Longer-term development

It's particularly useful to ask the new employee about their experience of joining the company.

What helped them settle in? What was missing? Was anything unclear? Which training was most useful? What would they change for the next person joining the team?

That feedback can help improve the onboarding process for future hires.

The Manager's Role Throughout the First 90 Days

A structured onboarding programme is useful, but it doesn't replace an engaged manager.

This is particularly important for field-based MedTech employees who may spend significant amounts of time working independently.

Managers should maintain regular contact throughout the first 90 days to:

• Clarify expectations
• Answer questions
• Provide useful feedback
• Identify gaps in knowledge or training
• Remove unnecessary obstacles
• Recognise progress
• Check that the reality of the role matches what was discussed during recruitment

A buddy or mentor can provide valuable additional support, but they shouldn't become a substitute for the manager.

Personalise the Plan to the Person and the Role

A 30-60-90-day plan should provide structure, not become a rigid timetable that every employee has to follow at exactly the same pace.

Consider what the individual already knows and what they genuinely need to learn.

An experienced salesperson moving between similar therapy areas may need less support with fundamental sales skills but considerably more product and clinical training.

Someone entering medical sales for the first time may need more help understanding NHS stakeholders, territory management and the realities of a field-based commercial role.

A new manager may need time to understand the existing team before being expected to make significant changes.

Personalising onboarding in this way helps you concentrate time and training where it will be most useful.

Don't Confuse Speed With Successful Onboarding

The objective of onboarding isn't to get somebody through the training programme as quickly as possible.

It's to give them the knowledge, relationships, expectations and support they need to perform successfully in the role.

Some people will progress faster than others. Some roles will naturally have much longer learning curves.

What matters is that both the manager and employee understand what good progress looks like and that concerns are identified early rather than being saved for the end of probation.

Use the First 90 Days to Build the Foundations for Success

Recruitment doesn't finish when your preferred candidate accepts the offer.

The experience they have between accepting and becoming established in the role can influence how successfully that appointment works out.

Start before day one. Give the new hire clear expectations. Help them understand the products, customers, territory and business. Provide regular access to their manager. Increase responsibility as their knowledge and confidence develop.

Then use the 90-day point not as the end of onboarding, but as an opportunity to review what has been achieved and agree what comes next.

A successful first 90 days doesn't mean somebody has learned everything.

It means they have built strong enough foundations to keep progressing.