A pilot externship program between Tri-County Technical College (TCTC) and Arthrex recently gave students a firsthand look at how advanced manufacturing and surgical care work together to improve patient outcomes.
The program brought together 12 students, including six enrolled in TCTC's CNC Machine Tool program and six studying Surgical Technology. Paired with a peer from the opposite discipline, students gained a deeper understanding of how precision manufacturing, quality standards and clinical expertise all play a role in delivering safe and effective surgical care.
Throughout the externship, students learned from industry professionals, participated in peer-to-peer instruction and explored the connection between the operating room and the manufacturing floor. Surgical Technology students demonstrated operating room protocols, while CNC students introduced their partners to manufacturing equipment and machining processes.
The experience culminated with a visit to Arthrex Manufacturing Inc. South Carolina (AMISC), where students toured the facility and followed the production of Knotless 1.8 FiberTak® soft anchors used in shoulder stabilization procedures. They also met with Arthrex team members representing Operations, Quality, Manufacturing Engineering and Clinical Media to learn about product innovation, quality standards and medical education.
"We launch more than 1,100 new products every year, and we need to teach the safe and effective use of those products," said Arthrex Senior Manager of Clinical Media George Rego.
In the afternoon, students put their learning into practice through a hands-on surgical skills lab, using Knotless FiberTak technology to perform simulated glenoid labrum repairs on anatomical models.
"There are more similarities within our two fields than I initially thought there might be," said TCTC Surgical Technology student Leah Broome.
Her externship partner, CNC student Daniel O’Donnell, said the experience helped him better understand the impact of manufacturing on patient care.
"This program added the human aspect to the machining side of production," he said.
By bringing together future healthcare and manufacturing professionals, the externship highlighted the collaboration required to transform innovative ideas into technologies that support the Arthrex mission of Helping Surgeons Treat Their Patients Better®.
