What I can take away from my first AIAD:

First of all, I wish I was more prepared for this AIAD. I came into Boston Scientific knowing only vaguely what they did. I was just all the more impressed when I found out everything that Boston Scientific could accomplish. However, I think some good background would have made the transition easier. In fact I was half way through my AIAD before I realized that my sister was working an internship at one of Boston Scientific’s major competitors. I wish I could have spent more time there as well. We were given such a crash course into everything that goes on in Boston Scientific that I don’t think the quick overviews truly gave it justice. I would not trade in my experiences there, I just wish I could expand on them.

One of the most interesting experiences I thought was going on a sales call with a regional sales direction named Gavin. This was by far one of my favorite parts of my trip. The sales call involved going to one of the hospitals that bought Boston Scientific’s products and watching while a surgeon used these products to help expand the veins in an elderly gentleman’s femoral veins. As a young student interested in medicine, I found this fascinating. We were able to see directly into the operating room. We were also able to see a computer screen that showed the dye and x-rays of the man’s veins. I could even pick out the blockages once pointed in the right direction. On an entirely different level, this sales call was also interesting because we truly saw Boston Scientific’s products from start to finish. The very first week, we had spent time in their production laboratories where we were able to watch them measure, cut and coat the drug eluting stents. We were then given information on the production and lengthy process of developing new stents. We had talked with sales personnel who had become very accomplished in their ability to know the inner and outer workings of everything they sold. We talked with the head of marketing who was working on a new logo to help make Boston Scientific products really stand out. Now in my final days at Boston Scientific I was able to witness the actual product being used. The fact that such a simple product can so drastically better a person’s life really came alive as we watched the surgery.

One of the best pieces of advice that an ex-naval officer gave to me and my fellow cadets was that if we should ever get out of the service, we need to be careful to find a career that is as rewarding as our service in the military was; finding a job that makes us proud to work where we are. Before coming to Boston Scientific, I never would have thought that a man working in sales could give advice like that and not be a hypocrite. However, after my time at Boston Scientific, I can really see how much the devices can help people. It’s the sales people that make sure that others understand that Boston Scientific’s products are superior in some senses and truly are the right products for job.