For the second time, Clemson’s Sales Innovation Program’s partnership with Arthrex offered Clemson students the opportunity to participate in the Representative Orthopedic Procedure Experience Simulator (ROPES) course in Greenville, South Carolina.
Clemson’s SIP is an on-campus organization that focuses on helping students with a desire to work in sales. The program includes students from a variety of majors, such as marketing and bioengineering, and these students work with various businesses to gain professional guidance and experience, including Arthrex.
Dennis O’Keefe, vice president of communications at Arthrex, offered The Tiger his insights on the company’s partnership with Clemson.
Arthrex’s expansion of manufacturing operations in the Upstate offered the opportunity for Arthrex and Clemson to partner on initiatives that would provide students with experiential opportunities related to medical device design, manufacturing and representation.
“Arthrex has over 4,000 medical device representatives providing daily technical service to surgeons and staff at hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers throughout North America, partnering with the J. Daniel and Nancy Garrison Sales Innovation Program (SIP) was an obvious decision,” O’Keefe told The Tiger in an interview.
One area SIP specifically focuses on is the sale of medical devices. Through SIP’s collaboration with Arthrex, ROPES allows students to gain exposure to working in operating settings as an Arthrex representative.
In the medical device industry, individuals are responsible for providing technical assistance to the medical staff during the surgical procedure. The ROPES course was located in the Steadman Hawkins Foundation Bio-Skills Lab at Prisma Health Upstate in Greenville, South Carolina. Here, students experienced a simulated operating room environment.
The students gained further insight into what is expected of a medical device representative through direct exposure to a simulated operating room setting.
“While many students express interest in medical device sales, they often do so without first-hand exposure to the operating room,” O’Keefe said. “This externship was designed to bridge that gap, offering students the chance to observe real surgical procedures in a bio-skills lab and experience the unique workplace the OR represents.”
Bradley Davis, a senior marketing major at Clemson, has always had an interest in the medical device industry. With his future and ambitions in mind, he joined SIP to earn his Orthopedic Device Specialist certification. Through his involvement in SIP, he secured an internship with Arthrex.
Davis emphasized the useful real-life experience ROPES offered him. While he believes learning in the classroom and shadowing is beneficial, he explained how ROPES offers first-hand learning that other educational environments cannot.
“Unlike Job Shadowing or Classroom Learning, ROPES is an environment where you can simulate real-life operations and observe team dynamics, allowing you to witness how it all flows together. It also gives students the opportunity to ask questions and get hands-on experience,” Davis told The Tiger. “It is the closest thing to an actual operating room observation that I have ever experienced.”
Another notable aspect of ROPES, according to Davis, is the interactions it allows with real medical professionals and the relationships that were created in return.
“It allows us as students to interact with representatives, surgeons, and physician associates in a meaningful way,” Davis continued. “The relationship being built along the way and the experience with product demonstrations and surgical techniques helps us understand what it is we are doing and why it matters, which really emphasizes Arthrex’s mission of “Helping Surgeons Treat Their Patients Better.”
Davis is grateful for the opportunities Clemson SIP and Arthrex have given him and the professional experience he gained. ROPES furthered his passion for a career as a medical device representative and drives success in the career path he is pursuing.
Victoria Johnston, a senior marketing major, also participated in the Arthrex ROPES course.
“The Arthrex ROPES externship was truly an invaluable experience. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to attend and gain hands-on experience using Arthrex products and learning various procedures,” Johnston told The Tiger.
Johnston believes that her involvement in the program helped expose her to different opportunities. Following her graduation from Clemson, Johnston is taking on a full-time position working for Suvon Surgical, an Arthrex agency located in New York City. She gives credit to her Arthrex ROPES externship for preparing her for this position.
Ryan Mullins, the executive director of Clemson’s SIP, also shared his insights on Arthrex and ROPES and what they have provided for students in SIP.
“This opportunity is one-of-a-kind on a global scale and represents the innovative education we seek for students in the Sales Innovation Program,” Mullins told The Tiger.
“My favorite part about this experience is watching students engage directly with human anatomy while industry pros explain surgical procedures and device benefits,” Mullins continued. “It brings this unique slice of the sales profession to life, in real time, in a way that classroom time simply cannot offer.”
The ROPES course is offered annually and will continue to expose interested students to a sales-focused career opportunity.
