Minneapolis Star Tribune — Ashley Seeklander has an interesting job as a microbiologist. Important work. Good company.
But, when she thought about what else she might want to do with her career, medical technology kept grabbing her interest. “I’d like to get into medical devices, or conducting clinical trials,” the graduate student from Big Lake said.
This week, St. Cloud State University hosted a medical device job fair, bringing together representatives from nearly 20 companies with more than 40 graduate students. It is the fourth year of the job fair, which was held exclusively for students in the St. Cloud State programs. “In the early days [at Medtronic], I’d train them in myself. But there is so much to learn,” said Chuck Swanson, a retired Medtronic executive. “We need people who understand the regulatory side of it.”
A series of graduate-level programs focusing on medical technology through St. Cloud State gives Seeklander and other working professionals a chance to earn master’s degrees and forge new careers in regulatory affairs, applied clinical research and medical technology quality. The program is unique in its depth and breadth of offerings, said Swanson, the director of the program.
