Over the summer, I had the incredible opportunity to work as a Post-Market Engineering Intern within the Supplier Engineering Team (specifically the Metals, Coatings, Facilities & OEM subgroup) at Cook Medical- a privately owned, global medical device company based in Bloomington Indiana. Cook Medical focuses on the design and manufacture of minimally invasive devices for various applications in healthcare. One common application includes the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). As part of the post-market engineering team, my projects mostly revolved around initiating changes and modifications for existing products which are currently offered by Cook on the market. This often involved the creation of several supplier change project plans (SCPP) as well as design change plans (DCP) for each change/modification.
During my internship, I was assigned as Project Lead for 20 projects where I closely worked alongside full time Supplier Engineers to investigate changes to product design, manufacturing processes and inspection processes at the supplier level. I really enjoyed the ability to take responsibility for my own projects and determine appropriate pathways for their completion within given timelines. This was a unique experience which is not usually provided to many engineering interns. Consequently, I gained a wealth of experience not only in Engineering but in the area of project management as well, while simultaneously learning about the numerous facets of the medical device industry. Additionally, I have become proficient utilizing software such as Agile Product Life Management (PLM), jBase and Project Center which are common in the industry. While interning, I was also afforded the opportunity to liaise with other departments such as Regulatory Affairs, Sustaining Engineering, Procurement and Quality Engineering. As a Biomedical Engineering student with mainly a research background, this experience allowed me to get a glimpse into the world of the medical device industry and I hope to utilize both the technical and soft skills I have acquired in my future work experiences. Overall, the 12 weeks which I spent immersed in this industry have benefited me tremendously and undoubtedly contributed to my personal development and enhanced my knowledge of the medical device industry as I prepare to enter my Junior year at Duke.
