Starting on July 10th, 2023 incoming students in the Medical Device Design MS program will complete an 8 week Clinical practicum and design workshops to conduct guided needs finding.  This unique experience is the foundation of all design activities completed throughout the year.  After an introduction by our clinical director, Dr. Jonathan Stone, students spend three days each week observing and interacting with a variety of clinical teams.  They observe surgeries, speak with company representatives, get to know the residents, attending surgeons, and nursing staff, and they become familiar with the scheduling and flow of different medical and surgical specialties.

Our students have observed in orthopaedic surgery, plastics, cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, electrophysiology labs, prosthetic clinics, neurosurgery, colorectal surgery, and pain clinics.  They have seen both routine and highly specialized procedures and often have a chance to observe as new technologies are introduced to or adopted by our clinical teams.  Spending this much time in the operating room environment and following up on clinical rounds is an ideal way for students to understand the “pains and gains” of their potential clinical customers.  They understand the importance of quality of care, time management, and most importantly have developed skills in identifying unmet clinical needs in the operating room.