By: Makayla Dilliner
Graduating from Kalāheo in1997, it took just one injury for Arthrex Sales Representative, Steve Hess, to decide what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Playing on a team that would go on to win four OIA championships and one state championship as first in state– basketball was a passion of his life to say the least. “One of my proudest accomplishments at Kalāheo was being named to the 1st team All-State basketball team my senior year,” said Hess. However, that would not mean it would come with a perfect journey. After breaking his knee cap during a practice one season, Hess would go on to find a new passion. “I had to go to a physical therapist and I just thought that he was super cool and was grateful for how much he helped me,” he explained.
Hess would later earn a degree in occupational therapy from the University of Puget Sound and pursue his passion in various medical career paths. Explaining the differences between physical and occupational therapy, he gave a run down of each. “Physical therapy is more like strength and mobility.Occupational therapy is the same thing, but it's more based on fine motor. A lot of times they'll divide the body in half, physical therapy is kind of from the waist down, occupational therapy is from the waist up. For example, your arms and hands, certified hand therapists or occupational therapists, it's more attention to detail.”
First working in patient care at the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific, slowly but surely, Hess moved up the ladder in the health field.
After serving in an administrative role as director of rehab at Pohai Nani for 12 years, Hess faced a feeling of constraint to the same procedure over and over again. After being given a chance to start anew with the help of his friend, Hess made the decision to take control and change the course of his life. “I started looking around for other opportunities. A friend of mine recommended me for a sales position with a new product for orthopedics– and the companyʻs called Arthrex.”
Used in over 150 countries, Arthrex specializes in sports injuries like ACLs, Achilles tendons and rotator cuffs. Known for developing arthroplasty and orthobiologic products, the company uses the latest technology and research to design and assemble products considered the best for orthopedic surgery– releasing up to a thousand products a year.
“This company hires some of the best surgeons around that do a lot of these surgeries, and how this company started was they went to them and said, we'll pay you to show us any ideas that you have, how we can make products better. If you were the designer of a product, what would you change about the one that you're using now? If you have any ideas to create a brand new product that doesn't even exist. That's their research and development team– always coming up with something new–constantly evolving,” he explained.
“I basically take those products that they develop and take them out into the field and introduce them to surgeons and try to get them to use them, and then once they decide to use it, we'll practice using it on either a cadaver (dead body), or a scenario, just a pretend bone or things that are made out of plastic.”
While Hessʻ job relates to selling a product– his work has shown to go beyond expectations— being as close to the operation as possible– even aiding in the surgeries of patients. “It's not like being a car salesman. You're kind of part of the team in the operating room, participating, and I'm representing these products. There might be other representatives in the room that are in charge of the pumps and different machinery to keep people unconscious on the operating table.
I'm just the guy that does this one small part of the surgery, like the implants that they're going to put in the body to fix whatever's broken. If someone tears their ACL or breaks their wrist, we might put in screws and plates or things.”
Eventually, you will find your place in the world. Hess shed light that the best place to start off in the medical community is through gaining experience in internships and any other volunteer opportunities. “Talk to people that you know that are in the industry and ask them questions, whether they're a nurse or a doctor or a therapist or anything in that realm. Then talking to all the hospitals and clinics, would be the next step in finding opportunities that best fit you,” he said.
In the end Hess shared that no matter what you want to do there's a possibility of something better for you being out there. “Knowing that there's other jobs out there that are in the medical community that might not just be the first thing you think of, you don't have to be the nurse or the doctor or the nurse's aide or the technician.”
“There's so many different little niches out there. You just have to seek the opportunities you need and try. “