Hear from Cole W., who started at CONMED as an Advanced Surgical Sales Intern and is now an Advanced Surgical Sales Associate in Pittsburgh, PA!

My experience at CONMED began when I was a junior in College working as a Sales Intern for the Advanced Surgical Division. My time as an Intern was mostly spent in the operating room shadowing sales representatives in Washington D.C, Tampa, and Dallas. When I was not in the field, my time was spent creating a training curriculum for new hires who were new to the medical device industry. This experience revealed to me the day-to-day life of Sales at CONMED. Internships are intended to provide insight into a company and industry to allow young professionals to determine if it is the right path for them. I was fortunate that my time as a CONMED sales intern was rewarding and offered me an opportunity to continue my time in the operating room as an Associate in Pittsburgh, PA following my graduation from Gettysburg College in May of 2022.

Many must wonder what we associates do on a day-to-day business. To start, I work alongside the Territory Manager in Pittsburgh, Connor, mostly with CONMED’s AIRSEAL® System. When I am not covering cases utilizing AIRSEAL®, I am targeting new users and building relationships at new accounts creating opportunities for AIRSEAL® Capital purchases. In simple terms, Connor and I are informing hospital staff and doctors on the clinical benefits of AIRSEAL®, with a goal that they will utilize the technology in all their procedures. Outside of AIRSEAL®, I work with Plume Pens, Specimen Retrieval Bags, and much of the Advanced Surgical Portfolio across many surgical specialties. CONMED’s Internship and Associate program is valuable because it allows young professionals to gain real-world experience. The role comes with a lot of autonomy; however, hard work and clinical knowledge are vital pieces for being successful and gaining validation within accounts. It takes time in the OR and aspirations to gain clinical knowledge in order to bring value to the hospital. Every associate will express their eagerness and excitement to run their own territory; however, this does not happen overnight. Working alongside successful sales representatives goes a long way toward an associate’s professional and personal development. The Internship and Associate program at CONMED provides an excellent and informative path into a successful career at CONMED and the Medical Device Industry. It is a program that I am passionate about and recommend to anyone looking to break into the Medical Device Industry.