Spring/Summer 2025 Coop at AirLife
Kelsey
Experience Information
Employer: AirLife
Job Title: Engineering Coop
Major: Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
AirLife is a plastic medical device company that specializes in anesthesia and respiratory devices that are used anywhere from EMS to homecare. The company is located in west Michigan, which was established in the early 1980s. It has grown to hold distribution centers, cleanrooms, and overseas manufacturing facilities in China and Mexico, and has a global reach that serves the healthcare industry in over 97 countries. AirLife values customer first, differentiating with our people, bias for action, continuous improvement, and accountability which is emphasized through the continued efforts to improve and grow as a company.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
I was able to collaborate closely with the onsite and remote engineers and lab technicians to help with the effort of consolidation of products acquired from other companies, improved organization of samples used for audits and validation testing, implement an efficient intake system for the FormLab 3D printers, and further aid in testing a vast number of products that are currently being used in hospital settings. One of the biggest advantages of this experience was that I was able to get hands on learning, and being able to take on the responsibilities of an engineer.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
This experience deepened my knowledge of the plastic medical device manufacturing industry, including the applications/uses by physicians of the products, manufacturing production and assembly processes, design verification testing, and the importance of documentation and ISO standards/regulations. Additionally, I was able to learn from all of the departments located throughout the company by shadowing them, to better understand the company as a whole.
Favorite Part of the Experience
One of my favorite experiences of this co-op rotation was learning about the different applications of the products that we were working on from the clinical director. This really impacted my perspective on how testing, validation, and documentation creates the product that has such an impact on a patient's outcome in a hospital setting. Furthermore, I was also able to determine how much responsibility I was able to handle, and take on projects that interested me within the company. This made the experience very personalized to my learning and my goals that I had, while also allowing me to grow from the people around me.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
The biggest influence that this experience has had on my future career goals is it has shown me the responsibilities that an engineer has, and how critical thinking from engineering can be applied to the different applications within the medical field that I had not considered previously. In addition to this, it has also shown me specific aspects within a company that I value to look for in future career opportunities.
Internship Format
In Person