This past summer I had the opportunity to be a summer intern at the medical device sector of Cardinal Health. While I was hesitant to leave my research for a few months, I knew that this would be a great opportunity to expand my technical skills and learn how to be an engineer in the field.
In my internship, I worked with the R&D remediation team that looked at existing products that needed to be re-documented or tested in order to satisfy international regulations. I spent the first half of my summer creating and performing test procedures and creating result reports. I was able to use a lot of the skills that I had learned through my research project, such as using an experimental protocol and documenting the results in a professional manner. There were a lot of technical skills that I gained, such as using an Instron machine and using SolidWorks to design fixtures. The second half of my internship focused on the design control process, where I conducted a gap analysis on our existing wound care projects. Learning about this process was especially beneficial as I start my capstone project this year.
While I am glad to be working back in my lab, I am grateful that I took this internship. I was able to develop existing skills and gain new ones that will help me through my senior year and into my career. Not only that, I met some amazing people, made great connections, and genuinely had a lot of fun. I want to encourage everyone to keep an open mind for opportunities that come their way. Especially as students or young adults, new experiences can be eye-opening and provide a direction for our futures.