No one knew it at the time, but Christopher Hibbler’s grandparents got him interested in a medical career. Just not in the way you might think. 

Both developed Alzheimer’s Disease, and Hibbler, who was a high school teenager at the time, helped care for them. 

“That sparked my interest in the medical field,” he said. 

More than a decade later, he works as a senior clinical specialist supporting our Cardiac Ablation Solutions (CAS) business, treating patients with abnormal heart rhythms.  

Hibbler is on the road four to five days a week, traveling to hospitals across the southern United States, coaching and teaching electrophysiologists how to use Medtronic CAS devices.  

“To care for people, it’s just overwhelming joy,” he said. “If I can supply a product that I trust and believe in, it warms my heart.”  

Today he’s setting his sights even higher, thanks to the Medtronic Advancement Pathways and Skill building (MAPS) program. MAPS provides debt-free education for employees, and Hibbler leaped at the opportunity. 

He had been a certified surgical technologist pursuing his bachelor’s degree in healthcare leadership—paying out of pocket while working fulltime at Medtronic—when he learned about MAPS.  

“I was able to take 17 credits a semester. That really gave me the push to finish,” he said. “It was such a relief, knowing the tuition was paid for on the front end.”  

Launched in 2022, MAPS now offers more than 800 degrees, skills courses and certifications to qualified employees, and pays the full course tuition upfront. Employees can choose courses from more than a dozen qualified institutions, in careers such as equipment maintenance, cybersecurity, facilities management, HR services and many more. More than 2,300 employees have already taken advantage of the program. 

With the help of MAPS, Hibbler graduated nearly two years earlier than planned.   

He intends to become an account manager and someday a vice president of sales, opportunities that might not have been within reach without the degree MAPS helped him earn. He’s such a fan of MAPS that he’s serving as an ambassador to help spread the word among employees. 

“Education is so important. I became a first-generation college graduate in my family, helping fulfill a dream my parents had for me, and setting the path for the next generation,” Hibbler said. “My grandparents would be amazed to see how far I’ve come. I know they’re proud of me.” 

 

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