After months of rearranging plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CONMED kicked off the 2020 Talent Launch Internship Program in July. There were several changes made, including shortening the program to six weeks and transitioning more than half of our interns from in-person to virtual internships. Hear from Manufacturing Engineering Intern, Kason, on his positive experience interning at CONMED this summer, despite the numerous changes and challenges!

Maximizing my Engineering Internship at CONMED During a Global Pandemic

When I first received notice that my summer internship would be shortened and possibly made virtual, I was extremely disappointed and worried that I wouldn’t get the hands-on experience I need to be successful in a competitive job market. I found myself thinking “why is this happening to me in such a pivotal point in my career?” Moving forward, that mentality could make or break my upcoming months as a Manufacturing Engineering Intern.

As my start date got closer, I decided to part ways with that negative mentality and chose to go after every opportunity I would be presented within six short weeks. While the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down a bit, I was fortunate enough to be one of the few interns working on-site, full-time in Utica.

Although I knew my time here would be limited, I hit the ground running and dove into several projects that would help improve efficiency in our Electrode Factory. Completing projects, designing sophisticated fixtures and improving assembly line efficiency are all important tasks as a Manufacturing Engineer. These engineering responsibilities can take several weeks to complete, validate, and document. When given a short window of opportunity from CONMED, I realized that building relationships, making a good impression, and networking throughout the company are just as important as the technical skills that I will acquire during the rest of the internship.

Building relationships and networking came easy due to the welcoming culture at CONMED. I truly learned about the culture at CONMED when I reached out to two employees who work in the Orthopedics Department in Largo, FL. These engineers work in a completely different department and location than me, but they were still more than willing to give me great advice and teach me about what they do daily. That is a testament to the working environment at CONMED.

The people at CONMED have made it easy for me to excel and be successful within my department. Everyone I have worked with or talked to has been extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and dedicated to teaching me all there is to know about CONMED, our products, and the medical device industry. Paired with my motivation to learn, CONMED has continuously gone above and beyond to ensure that I maximize this abbreviated internship.

Written by Kason S. (Manufacturing Engineering Intern, Utica NY)

If you or someone you know is interning at a company now or will be in the future, check out our blog post:

6 Tips to Maximize Your Internship

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