Preparation and perseverance are daily foundations for Philip Hwang. As a medical device sales consultant for Medtronic Spine, he has to be ready and knowledgeable before surgeons even enter the room. The right hands for the job are important, and so are the tools that are in those hands. Philip has worked to ensure that the value of great prep and planning is recognized and he has seen the success that comes with it. In fact, Philip was instrumental in getting Orthopedic Link going. He helped us get our initial donation of Medtronic implants for the Philippines in 2008.
Outside of the operating room, Philip is prepping himself for other challenges — he’ll be taking part in an Ironman triathlon this September and is training daily! No matter what he does, it seems like Philip is surrounded by the idea that the true work of becoming healthy begins before we see the results. Dr. Ananthakrishnan spoke with him about his work, his training regimen and how preparation can lead to success.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
What is your position at your company? Describe your typical day.
Philip:
I am a Sales Consultant for Medtronic Spine. My typical day starts early morning, in the operating room. I check to make sure each room has all of the necessary spinal instrumentation needed for each case. I double-check the plan with the surgeon and then work with the team in the room to make sure that the case goes as smoothly as possible. This involves training the surgical tech as well as sometimes giving advice to the surgeon on the instrumentation.
In between or after cases, I clean up the instrumentation, put things back together and restock the trays to prepare for the next day’s cases. I also contact the surgeon and staff to discuss the exact needs and plans for future cases so that I can get the right instrumentation prepared.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
How often do you travel for work, where do you go and what do you do while you’re away?
Philip:
I seldom travel for work. If I do, it’s only to go to medical meetings that the surgeons are also attending. I am pretty much at the hospitals that I cover all of the time.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
What are the biggest challenges you face in your profession?
Philip:
I think the biggest challenge that I face in my profession is constantly trying to prove the value of my role to the surgeons, the staff, and the administrators. Some people believe that medical device sales consultants are not helpful or not needed in the OR. Some believe that we only add an unnecessary cost to the “system”. I believe that there are examples of both: sales reps who are extremely valuable and others who add no value. Unfortunately, the “bad apples” cause the entire lot to look bad as well.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
What do you find to be the most personally fulfilling aspect of your work?
Philip:
The aspect of my work that I find most personally fulfilling is when I can truly add value to the surgical team using my extensive training and experience in regards to spinal instrumentation. Adding this value gives me personal fulfillment because I know that there’s an extremely important patient on the table who expects and deserves the best possible outcome to their surgery. The patient and their families are 100% totally dependent upon the surgical team for their results. I feel blessed to be a part of this important team and to be able to contribute to it.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
What is your favorite story with regard to a patient and the outcome for that patient?
Philip:
My favorite stories usually come from the Children’s Hospital, which is one of the hospitals that I am privileged enough to work at. Many of the neuromuscular scoliosis cases that the surgeons do are extremely complex and involve an operation of almost the entire spine.
One case I remember was a young lady who had such severe scoliosis that she was losing her pulmonary function and even her diet was adversely affected. Our company took a CT scan of her spine and created a physical 3-D model of it so that the surgeon could hold her “spine” in his hands and develop his comprehensive pre-operative plan.
After eight hours of intense surgery, he was able to use our company’s screws & rods to correct her spine in such a way that she was able to regain her full pulmonary function and health only a few months after surgery.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
What inspires you to do this Ironman triathlon?
Philip:
I am 46 years old and always thought that I was pretty athletic, healthy, and in good shape. However, my labs say that on the inside, I am not in such great shape. I have high cholesterol and was put on Lipitor this year. I also am showing signs of pre-diabetes, high glucose, amongst other not-so-great stats. I decided that this year I would work out every day and train for this triathlon to see if I can change my health outcome.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
Have you ever done one before?
Philip:
I have never done a triathlon. I did a marathon in 2009, but haven’t really trained since then.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
How long have you been training for the triathlon?
Philip:
Since Christmas, 2015.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
What does your training regimen look like?
Philip:
Every weekday morning, I wake up at 5AM and either swim a mile, run 5 miles, or do a spin class. On the weekends, I try to go for one long bike ride or a long run. In between all of that, I try to squeeze in my favorite hobbies: tennis & golf!
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
Do you have any good luck charms or rituals you do before a race like this one?
Philip:
I just pray that I can finish!
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
Who will attend the race with you and cheer you on from the sidelines?
Philip:
I am doing the triathlon with some of my co-workers and, hopefully, my family can be there to cheer me on.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
Thank you for your time and for sharing your experiences. We appreciate your work at Medtronic Spine and we appreciate your work with Ortho Link.
Spotlight on Philip Hwang
Preparation and perseverance are daily foundations for Philip Hwang. As a medical device sales consultant for Medtronic Spine, he has to be ready and knowledgeable before surgeons even enter the room. The right hands for the job are important, and so are the tools that are in those hands. Philip has worked to ensure that the value of great prep and planning is recognized and he has seen the success that comes with it. In fact, Philip was instrumental in getting Orthopedic Link going. He helped us get our initial donation of Medtronic implants for the Philippines in 2008.
Outside of the operating room, Philip is prepping himself for other challenges — he’ll be taking part in an Ironman triathlon this September and is training daily! No matter what he does, it seems like Philip is surrounded by the idea that the true work of becoming healthy begins before we see the results. Dr. Ananthakrishnan spoke with him about his work, his training regimen and how preparation can lead to success.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
What is your position at your company? Describe your typical day.
Philip:
I am a Sales Consultant for Medtronic Spine. My typical day starts early morning, in the operating room. I check to make sure each room has all of the necessary spinal instrumentation needed for each case. I double-check the plan with the surgeon and then work with the team in the room to make sure that the case goes as smoothly as possible. This involves training the surgical tech as well as sometimes giving advice to the surgeon on the instrumentation.
In between or after cases, I clean up the instrumentation, put things back together and restock the trays to prepare for the next day’s cases. I also contact the surgeon and staff to discuss the exact needs and plans for future cases so that I can get the right instrumentation prepared.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
How often do you travel for work, where do you go and what do you do while you’re away?
Philip:
I seldom travel for work. If I do, it’s only to go to medical meetings that the surgeons are also attending. I am pretty much at the hospitals that I cover all of the time.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
What are the biggest challenges you face in your profession?
Philip:
I think the biggest challenge that I face in my profession is constantly trying to prove the value of my role to the surgeons, the staff, and the administrators. Some people believe that medical device sales consultants are not helpful or not needed in the OR. Some believe that we only add an unnecessary cost to the “system”. I believe that there are examples of both: sales reps who are extremely valuable and others who add no value. Unfortunately, the “bad apples” cause the entire lot to look bad as well.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
What do you find to be the most personally fulfilling aspect of your work?
Philip:
The aspect of my work that I find most personally fulfilling is when I can truly add value to the surgical team using my extensive training and experience in regards to spinal instrumentation. Adding this value gives me personal fulfillment because I know that there’s an extremely important patient on the table who expects and deserves the best possible outcome to their surgery. The patient and their families are 100% totally dependent upon the surgical team for their results. I feel blessed to be a part of this important team and to be able to contribute to it.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
What is your favorite story with regard to a patient and the outcome for that patient?
Philip:
My favorite stories usually come from the Children’s Hospital, which is one of the hospitals that I am privileged enough to work at. Many of the neuromuscular scoliosis cases that the surgeons do are extremely complex and involve an operation of almost the entire spine.
One case I remember was a young lady who had such severe scoliosis that she was losing her pulmonary function and even her diet was adversely affected. Our company took a CT scan of her spine and created a physical 3-D model of it so that the surgeon could hold her “spine” in his hands and develop his comprehensive pre-operative plan.
After eight hours of intense surgery, he was able to use our company’s screws & rods to correct her spine in such a way that she was able to regain her full pulmonary function and health only a few months after surgery.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
What inspires you to do this Ironman triathlon?
Philip:
I am 46 years old and always thought that I was pretty athletic, healthy, and in good shape. However, my labs say that on the inside, I am not in such great shape. I have high cholesterol and was put on Lipitor this year. I also am showing signs of pre-diabetes, high glucose, amongst other not-so-great stats. I decided that this year I would work out every day and train for this triathlon to see if I can change my health outcome.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
Have you ever done one before?
Philip:
I have never done a triathlon. I did a marathon in 2009, but haven’t really trained since then.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
How long have you been training for the triathlon?
Philip:
Since Christmas, 2015.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
What does your training regimen look like?
Philip:
Every weekday morning, I wake up at 5AM and either swim a mile, run 5 miles, or do a spin class. On the weekends, I try to go for one long bike ride or a long run. In between all of that, I try to squeeze in my favorite hobbies: tennis & golf!
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
Do you have any good luck charms or rituals you do before a race like this one?
Philip:
I just pray that I can finish!
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
Who will attend the race with you and cheer you on from the sidelines?
Philip:
I am doing the triathlon with some of my co-workers and, hopefully, my family can be there to cheer me on.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan:
Thank you for your time and for sharing your experiences. We appreciate your work at Medtronic Spine and we appreciate your work with Ortho Link.