Internship Experience - Engineering Intern Abbott Employee Review

4.0
10 Jan 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The internship program is well established, especially at Abbott Park. Not only are interns paired with a manager, who generally acts as a mentor for the summer, but there are several intern-only social events run by the program. These allow for the interns to form a sense of community within Abbott in among themselves. Other events include a meet and greet session with senior level management from all divisions, a day of seminars on professional growth and ethics, and a dinner at the Abbott House where CEO Miles White speaks (and often stays for dinner and chats with the interns) and each table of interns has a VP or senior manager at the table. Networking is huge and is encouraged through the program. It's a great place to gain experience.

Cons

Expectations as far as working hours as not always explicitly stated and can be cause for either not enough time to finish projects or too much time sitting at the office for no reason. For permanent employees, there is little interaction with upper level management and the CEO, whereas the interns met him at least once over the summer. Abbott, like many employers, also tends to hire out of their current internship pool. Thus, if you intern with Abbott early in your college career but do not return to intern the following summers, the chances of you entering the Professional Development Program once you graduate tend to decrease.

Explore other reviews about Abbott

5.0
3 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Work life balance is great

Cons

Remote work opportunities are minimal.

2.0
15 June 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

• Strong brand and market position • Talented individual contributors and subject matter experts sprinkled throughout the organization • Opportunity to work on products that impact many patients

Cons

These comments reflect experience within Abbott Diabetes Care. • Culture can feel political and risk-averse, with difficult issues often addressed indirectly rather than transparently • Decision-making is slowed by multiple layers of management, many of whom appear focused more on managing upward than enabling teams and execution • Long-tenured management structures can create limited accountability, discourage new ideas, and make modernization difficult • Some leadership styles feel hierarchical and dismissive of dissenting viewpoints, making it risky to challenge the status quo • Strategic thinking and decision authority are concentrated among a relatively small group of senior leaders, creating bottlenecks and limiting innovation • Office environments and ways of working often feel outdated compared to more modern organizations • Organizational responsiveness can be frustratingly low. Routine requests, decisions, and communications often require multiple follow-ups, creating unnecessary delays and reducing accountability • Promotions and performance assessments often lack transparency, leading employees to question whether advancement is based on impact, visibility, DEI, or internal relationships • Employees navigating significant career or life transitions may experience varying levels of support, visibility, and development opportunities, making career continuity and progression feel less predictable than they should be

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