As the Medical Education Manager for Arthrex Mexico, Jonathan Hernández is responsible for planning and running all of Arthrex’s Medical Education activities in Mexico. He has been with Arthrex for five years and works with internal and external stakeholders like surgeons and other health care professionals (HCPs) to identify training and educational opportunities for the ArthroLab™ Mexico City, the LATAM MobileLab and at third-party facilities like local hospitals, medical congresses and distribution partner lab spaces.
As the person helping train surgeons on the proper use of Arthrex’s products, Jonathan knows a lot about many Arthrex products, yet confidently says his favorite Arthrex product is InternalBrace™ kit because can be used in many joints in the body.
“The InternalBrace kit is my favorite product because it is like a safety belt for ligaments,” he said. “When you need protection against an extreme movement in any region of the body, the InternalBrace ligament augmentation will do its job.”
Continue reading to learn more about Jonathan and his role at Arthrex Mexico.
How do you impact our mission of Helping Surgeons Treat Their Patients Better® in your role?
I impact Arthrex’s mission by providing Medical Education training, courses and activities that demonstrate the safe and effective use of Arthrex products and surgical techniques to HCPs around Mexico.
I am honored to belong to the Medical Education team since it is a position that allows me to work closely with surgeons, listen to their needs and identify which Arthrex technique and product could help them and their patients. I particularly enjoy the times when I can contribute a surgical tip or pearl that is new and beneficial to them.
What inspires you the most at Arthrex?
I am most inspired by the process we go through to launch a new product in Mexico. It is both fascinating and rigorous with lots of steps and many people contributing to the effort.
We have to obtain registration documents, manage the import process, track on-site inventory and logistics, create communications content for announcing the launch, promote the product through sales, develop Medical Education training to teach users about the product and host the Medical Education course to guide the surgeons while they are learning. The entire process is planned months, if not years, in advance of being able to use the product in a patient for the first time.
The collaboration and teamwork involved are very inspiring.
What is your favorite success story at Arthrex?
My favorite success story at Arthrex happens every time we train and educate a surgeon on a new product or technique. Seeing surgeons learn the safe and effective use of Arthrex products and how they can make their patients better is the ultimate success story of Arthrex.
Surgeons often schedule a training lab because they have an upcoming surgery scheduled and they are looking to better understand the procedure or refresh their skills before treating their patient. We’ve helped surgeons prepare for many different types of surgeries.
On one occasion, there was a complication in the operating room during a knee procedure and thanks to the plentiful information from Arthrex and my colleagues, I was able to provide a solution to the surgeon leading to a successful result.
How do you describe the Arthrex culture?
The Arthrex culture is unique with the main objective of making people better, which makes us a family.
I remember a few years ago Arthrex Mexico had “Family Day” where we had the opportunity to show our families our workplace and meet the families of our coworkers. It was a great day filled with shared experiences, good food, camaraderie and plenty of games. Anytime someone fell during the soccer game, there was a friendly hand there to help them back to their feet. I remember thinking how great it was to always have someone there to help. That is truly the reflection of Arthrex’s culture. A workplace with that type of culture is a joy for all of us.
Our core value is Making People Better. How has Arthrex made you better?
Throughout my years at Arthrex I have tried to learn something from each person I interact with. Arthrex is filled with very smart people and the key is to always listen carefully.
Arthrex has also made me better by allowing me to participate in Learning and Development courses that focus on hard and soft skills for both work and personal growth. I particularly like the courses that focus on non-cognitive skills that allow you to be introspective and look deeply within yourself. I feel these courses have helped me be a better colleague, family member and all-around person in the world.