Medtronic Internship

My name is Teri Ross, and I am a senior mechanical engineering major. During the summer of 2022, I had the amazing experience of interning as a Core Spine R&D Engineer at Medtronic. Having the opportunity to work at Medtronic was a dream come true because med tech is the reason I majored in engineering in the first place. During my internship experience with Medtronic, I was able to develop my communication skills, CAD skills, networking skills, as well as website-building skills.

When I first arrive at Medtronic, I felt a plethora of emotions. I was finally achieving my dreams of working in the medical device industry, but I was nervous due to the fact it was my first internship. However, I had a wonderful mentor and manager who reassured me throughout the entire experience and also gave me a lot of career and academic advice.

My main project was to create a counter torque test fixture in CREO for the CD Horizon ModuLeX spinal system that was recently released. I also created a Sharepoint for the R&D department. My Sharepoint included CREO best practices, DFMEA templates, FEA explanations, etc. Along with projects, I was allowed to redraw in CAD and 3D print released drivers and shanks for my portfolio. 
Along with my projects, I had the opportunity to shadow neurosurgeons in a validation cadaver lab for ModuLeX and a hands-on cadaver lab with the CD Horizon Solera Spinal System. I had never seen a cadaver before, so this was a fantastic experience to understand Medtronic's devices better. 

In conclusion, Medtronic was a place that helped me find what my career goals are and what I am passionate about within engineering. I suggest to anyone who feels afraid to apply for internships to take the first step and apply! Reach out to people at the company to learn more about their role and see if it’s something you could see yourself enjoy doing. I will forever be grateful for the knowledge and memories I created at Medtronic.