Medtronic is dedicated to training and education

Josh Tarini joined medical devices firm Medtronic Canada as a diabetes clinical specialist. Fourteen years later, he is the senior manager of training and education.

“I have a big passion for teaching, leading a team of specialists and working with health care professionals,” says Tarini. “Medtronic is very committed to medical education.”

The Brampton-based company has some 300 employees in the Greater Toronto Area. Many fan out as field employees, including account managers as well as clinical specialists who work alongside doctors and nurses in clinics and hospitals.

“These are our employees with their feet on the street,” Tarini says. “So, when we run large-scale education programs, we count on them to help us invite attendees and build the right curriculum.”

Medtronic began in the 1950s making bulky, visible pacemakers. Now they’re the size of a vitamin, leadless (wire-free) and can be inserted through the femoral artery. Along with cardiovascular therapies, the company also has innovative devices across diabetes, neurosciences and medical surgical areas.

“Education, both internally and externally, is what ultimately allows for the optimal use of our products, and then the best possible patient outcomes,” says Dave O’Neil, senior business director, central zone. “It’s a virtuous cycle of education. If you’re wired to be a learner, you’re going to be constantly learning.”

Medtronic’s central zone is Ontario and a lot of the firm’s business is clustered around the academic hospitals in Toronto, London, Hamilton, Kingston and Ottawa.

“We have many therapeutic areas of focus and that requires constant training and education with our team, especially with those who interact directly with health care professionals as well as the actual clinical health care providers,” O’Neil says.

This fall, Medtronic arranged a program on spinal robotics for orthopedic and neuro spine surgeons where they saw the robotic spine technology and heard from physician experts who use it.

“We often see a very high representation of the hospitals and clinicians from the GTA and that’s in part because of the density in this area and in part because of the number of teaching hospitals,” says Tarini.

Commitment to training and education also helps employees live the company’s mission, which is to alleviate pain, restore health and extend life.

“It is just so meaningful for our team members to be involved, immersed and connected to our customers,” O’Neil says. “There’s the intrinsic reward of living the mission and that’s extremely gratifying.”

Medtronic sets high standards for its employees due to the technical demands of the work, which directly affects patients and customers. That leads to tangible recognition.

“We do offer external awards where we recognize employees who go above and beyond the normal scope, and beyond the expectations of their role,” says O’Neil. “We can do spot awards for points or other small awards that allow them to feel they’ve been recognized.”

All employees can recognize their peers or colleagues through Medtronic’s points program, similar to a loyalty plan, where people collect points and trade them for small appliances, sporting goods or even travel.

“It’s like a catalogue-based system,” O’Neil says. “It’s a neat system where we can recognize our team members for doing a great job. When people receive these awards, they’re incredibly appreciative because they know they’ve done something above and beyond.”

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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.