Each summer, students from the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics gain important real-world professional skills through internships. In each installment of this series, you’ll hear firsthand about how one Lerner student secured their internship, what their experience as an intern was like and what comes next!
Michael Irwin, Class of 2020, majoring in exercise science with minors in business administration and Spanish, spent his summer in Santa Monica, California as a medical sales intern at BioSig Technologies.
Q: How did you find out about this internship?
Irwin: I came across the internship in a magazine and knew that it would be a great idea for me to apply. After researching the company and speaking with the CEO and Executive VP during the interview process, I realized this was a unique internship and a perfect fit for my future endeavors.
Q: What is the most exciting task that you have undertaken in your role?
Irwin: Although there were many exciting projects, my favorite was building and analyzing a nationwide hospital database of electrophysiology centers. As the company is expected to commercialize in the near future, I had the task of building this database which will be used by BioSig’s future sales representatives. It was really exciting for me because the information I compiled will be crucial in helping the company succeed with commercialization.
Q: What did you learn through this internship that you don’t think you would have learned anywhere else?
Irwin: Because it is a small company, this internship was very unique. I was reporting directly to the CEO and Executive Vice President of the company. Between them and the various guest speakers that we had the pleasure of meeting, I was able to learn all aspects of building a medical device company. I was able to learn a wide variety about the company ranging from intellectual property to raising capital, to marketing and sales.
Q: What is an example of a time you were able to apply something you learned at the Lerner College to your role?
Irwin: When building the hospital database I was able to apply knowledge from my BUAD301 class. In that class we learned about the different classifications of adopters in the market and I was able to use that knowledge in my work.
Q: What has been the most fun part of your internship?
Irwin: There was a lot to choose from in this internship with all of the site visits we did, but my favorite was going to New York City to see the NASDAQ. We had a full tour of the facility and were able to watch the closing bell.
Q: How do you think this internship will help you with your professional goals?
Irwin: As a science major I did not have complete exposure to the ins and outs of business. I learned a lot about business in this internship and having a deep understanding of everything that goes into a successful company will help me in my career. This internship has inspired me to be an entrepreneur one day too.
Q: What are your plans or next steps once this internship is over?
Irwin: Once the internship is over I will start to network and explore jobs in the healthcare field. I really enjoyed working for a small company, so my goal is to land in one similar.
Q: Is there anything else you want to tell us about this experience?
Irwin: The company only has about 30 employees and they hired eight interns so it was very exciting and hands-on. All of the work we did was meaningful and I am excited for it to come to life.
You can read more about Irwin’s work here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6556636705871536128