Ethicon, Inc.

R&D Coop

January - April 2023 • Cincinnati, OH

What I liked

I was a design coop at Ethicon. I was responsible for helping out wherever I could on my team and within the company. My duties included writing engineering studies, designing and running tests, participating in device builds, filling out documentation, traveling to the manufacturing plant to help conduct builds and GR&Rs, etc. I really liked how welcoming and helpful all of the full-time engineers were when I arrived at Ethicon. They were all excited to welcome me to the team and I was treated like any other employee. Because of this, I was able to learn what life is really like while working at Ethicon. I also felt that my work and opinions that I was providing to the team was meaningful and appreciated. The engineers at Ethicon were very happy to share their knowledge and wisdom with me and took great interest in helping me figure out what I would like to do for a career.

What I wish was different

Advice

It is very important to talk to and introduce yourself to as many people as possible. I made many great connections with people and got a lot of great opportunities during my term from just networking with people at the company. This will also allow you to learn more about other franchises and fields. Also, If you have no work then find something to do and let people know you have bandwidth. There are always people at Ethicon that need help, so don't just sit around. It can be easy to just blend in at times, but your experience will be much more worthwhile if you make the most out of it.

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R&D Co-Op

January - August 2023 • Blue Ash, OH

What I liked

Ethicon provides a wonderful opportunity to take on technical and career-applicable projects. Co-Ops are treated as real engineers and can take leadership of projects and take part in very impactful work. The co-op program provides co-ops with many mentors and resources to succeed and learn during their time with the company.

What I wish was different

There was an unfortunate and unique circumstance during my term in which budget cuts occurred and caused many changes to the co-op program. I wish these changes would have been solidified and a plan was made before haulting the program and leaving many co-ops with the inability to return for their next term.

Advice

Take every opportunity available to learn and develop technical skills. There are many classes offered through NPDU that allow employees to develop skills that are not taught in classes but will be very beneficial in a technical career. The amount that a co-op grows and learns is up to them, the better you manage your time and projects well, the more you will be able to gain from this experience (and the more likely your team will be to ask you to return).

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Research and Development Co-op

January - May 2022 • Cincinnati, OH

What I liked

I was given meaningful projects throughout the semester. I was able to see my projects through from start to finish. I was able to develop technical and leadership skills throughout the semester. My team was helpful throughout the semester and was able to answer any questions I had. I was able to both work independently and on a team. I learned a lot more about the medical device industry and was able to work on a NPD project for a surgical device. I was able to get experience testing in a lab, designing components in CAD, creating test methods, data analysis, and writing engineering studies. Overall, I learned a lot in my time as a co-op at Ethicon.

What I wish was different

I liked a lot about working at Ethicon and I don't think there is really much I would change. One aspect that was difficult juggling at first was a remote start due to COVID. For the first couple of weeks, co-ops were not really allowed on campus which made the start of the semester a bit difficult. After a couple of weeks, we switched to a hybrid model with 3 days in person and 2 days remote. However, I think that overall, the co-op program and the company was structured really well and there isn't really anything I would change.

Advice

I would recommend not being afraid to ask questions. The people working at Ethicon are very helpful and willing to answer questions. I would also recommend that future co-ops use their time as a co-op to take advantage of opportunities given to them both on their team and through the co-op program. Ethicon offers a lot of great opportunities for co-ops to grow and learn through courses and events. Taking advantage of those events can be good for learning new topics that can be helpful for your projects and for becoming a more well-rounded co-op.

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Research & Development Quality Co-op

January 2022 • Blue Ash, OH

What I liked

During my time this semester at Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon location, I was extremely blessed in the fact that I had the opportunity to involve myself in numerous amounts of rewarding experiences throughout the co-op, so that in itself was something I loved about co-oping at Ethicon. I was able to explore so many areas of the company, what they do, and how they function, and because of that, it is truthfully hard to pick just one thing to talk about that I liked, however, something that I loved was the trust and responsibility the assignment managers and your teams put in you while giving you projects. The tasks you performed weren’t just to give you learning experience but were being used in the further development of the project which was extremely cool to understand and watch. One gratifying experience concerning this that left me smiling and proud of the work I had done was when I finished my first project, or task, that was assigned to me. This project took me three weeks to complete and was a very tedious process, however I am thankful for it for a multitude of reasons. It allowed me to immerse myself so deeply in the previous and current project and allowed me to learn about the biomedical device I was working with in such a deeper depth I could have ever imagined. I enjoyed the gravity and weight in which the tasks I was given held in the team’s projects’ development and success. It was so fulfilling to see that what you were doing was actually making a difference in the trajectory of the project. You weren’t given assignments or “busy-work” to do just to help you learn and understand things, but rather were given tasks that would contribute to everyone’s work, and further, the success and launch of the product of the team you were on. To know you were helping pave the way for a project with your work made it this experience so gratifying.

What I wish was different

The only thing that comes to mind that I wish would have been different is that I wish my assigned team’s project would have been in a place where I could have helped test on it and further the project in that way. When I came on, the product my team was working on was in the very first part of development stages again, as they were in the process of closing out one they had been previously working on. Despite this, however, I got numerous, amazing opportunities to help test with other teams and further their projects’ data in that way, including working in the tissue labs on multiple occasions, but I never got a chance to contribute this to my own team. I am hoping that since I was offered to come back for a position during the summer term, that I will be on a team that is in a place to start the stages of testing with their device. Although getting the experience of testing in other areas was great, I think it would feel so much more rewarding to contribute that sort of data to my own team, knowing that I am personally helping contribute to the further development and release of the product.

Advice

One key piece of advice that I would share about this experience is that think it is critical for your success and growth to remain open for the entirety of your work term, because most likely, you will be involved with a lot of other areas aside from the one you were assigned to at the start of your co-op. Other teams might specifically ask for your personal help, or send out emails about needing help and asking for volunteers, and my biggest advice in those situations is to take the opportunity! Take the opportunity to help with a task or project that is different from what you are doing now. Take the opportunity to learn about a different side of the company. Take the opportunity because there is no way it can hurt you; it will either tell you, okay I wouldn’t want to do this in my daily job life and help you narrow down what you want to pursue in the future, or it could give you a completely new perspective and introduce you to an area of the company that you do thoroughly enjoy and want to explore more. No matter what case it is, you will learn helpful and essential knowledge, so remaining open is something I would suggest to anyone, no matter what major or co-op the individuals are in.

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Engineering Co-op

August - December 2021 • Blue Ash, OH

What I liked

Ethicon Endo-Surgery is a company that lives out the Johnson & Johnson Credo in its work. The company is a welcoming and enjoyable place to work. I enjoy working with and developing new medical devices, the encouraging environment of the co-op program, the way that many full time employees look forward to helping and supporting the next generation, and the commitment to both innovation of devices and safety of the patient. For four terms Ethicon became a very enjoyable work place and I am hopeful to continue my career there in the future.

What I wish was different

Three of my four rotations have been fully or partly remote. This is the unfortunate circumstance of the pandemic, but if I could of done them all fully in person I would have. Due to the size and age of the company it can sometimes feel like there are a lot of hoops to jump through to complete projects, but that is also part of the commitment to quality.

Advice

Be a sponge. Ethicon has a lot of opportunities that can help you expand in whatever you are interested. If you like materials, 3D printing, equipment engineering, design, human factors, robotic or almost anything else related to engineering and medical devices, there is an SME and classes that can allow you to dive deeper into your area of interest.

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Research and Development Co-op

August - December 2021 • Cincinnati, OH

What I liked

I was really given ownership of my projects and trusted to make necessary decisions for them. I had a few main projects that I was able to take the lead on and focus on throughout the term. Feeling trusted in my decisions and ability to get my work done really helped to build my confidence in a work environment. There were also classes that were open to me to take to learn more about different areas and technical skills.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more opportunities to take part in big picture areas to gain a better understanding of how each part comes together. This could have been possible by having more small opportunities to help out on other projects on top of owning a few projects.

Advice

Network!! At Ethicon every person I met was so willing to set up time to meet and talk about their careers as well as answer any questions. Building a network of people around me and learning about different people's roles early on helped me know who to reach out to for help when I needed it.

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Electrical Engineering Co-op

August 2019 • Blue Ash, OH

What I liked

Ethicon provides interesting and meaningful work.

What I wish was different

Can be difficult at times to find enough work to keep busy.

Advice

When entering this company, be sure to schedule 1-on-1 meetings with your team members immediately.

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R&D Co-op

January - May 2018 • Blue Ash, OH

What I liked

Ethicon’s co-op program typically employs about 40 college students at a time. The program is very well structured with requirements for co-op projects, technical and non technical classes, mentor ship networks, etc. Work is very hands on and meaningful to the medical device industry. I personally owned 4 semester long projects that produced results used in marketing campaigns by the company today. Work is a good mix of hands on (testing, surgery/trial, building) and desk work (data analysis, CAD, etc.). Overall company culture was youthful and encouraging.

What I wish was different

There were a lot of layoffs/role changes during my semester there, resulting in me having 3 different assignment managers throughout my term. This cause a little bit of confusion and stress when it came to reaching out for project help.

Advice

Get involved in as much as you can! Beyond your base role, reach out to other departments, other product teams, etc. to maximize your learning.

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Product Management Intern

January - August 2018 • Somerville, NJ

What I liked

The department has a great working dynamic. The work assigned was interesting and thoughtful. I was constantly pushed to be better and encouraged to succeed.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more opportunities to work cross-functionally with other departments

Advice

While there, speak with as many people as you can. Everyone has something to teach you.

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Engineering Intern

January - May 2018 • Cincinnati, OH

What I liked

Amazing, challenging work that forced me to grow so much as an engineer and great people to work with. I still text my boss regularly and they’ve been advising me during my job search.