EBME Forums Forums Management Professional Issues Agenda For Change Complex Equipment

Has any one thoughts on what constitutes a complex or highly complex piece of equipment?Where does the differentiation lie.Is an anaesthetics machine complex or highly complex, and why,ventilators,dialysis machines? Where do we draw the line?

To a domestic, equipment can be highly complex, to the equipment designer, it is not. It all depends on who is answering the question. The vast majority of matching panels will think it is highly complex therefore why not stick with this definition.
The same argument applies to stressful and emotional situations. If you are used to working in an intensive care environment then it must be less stressful and emotional than someone who only visits say once a week in the course of his/her duties.

Er, excuse me, but I’m wondering why this line needs to be drawn at all. Isn't it all kit to be serviced or fixed anyway, or am I missing something here?

Complex equipment are alike to members of the opposite sex.

No matter how much you train, or retrain, load them with new software or hardware.

You can still never figure them out when they go wrong !

(the views expressed here are the sole views of the author)

Geoff

Its the latest game we are having to play, called Agenda for Change.

Factor 6 Responsibilities for Patient/Client Care.

Level 4 Calibrates or maintains specialist or complex equipment. 22 points

Level 5 Calibrates or maintains highly specialist or highly complex equipment. 30 points

Difference 8 points, other factors allowing could make the difference between bands 6 or 7.

I gave up playing those sort of games many years ago. I don’t know, and I don’t want to know! Luckily (for me, at least), there are still some people around who are interested in fixing the kit!

Oh we're interested in fixing the kit,why would we be here otherwise? But having said that why should we not be paid for our respective skills at a decent rate? Hence playing the Agenda for Change game.

Isn't it the nature of the engineer that they're so interested in fixing the kit that they usually get stitched up by their employers because they don't spend enough time or effort representing themselves?
Trouble shooters rather than trouble makers.....

I sincerely believe most of the equipment we techs work on could be classed as complex. Equipment classed as highly complex could be equipment which mimics the function of a bodily organ such as ventilators, haemo-dialysis machines and nurses.

can somebody telll me where i can find out whrere this point system is for AFC? as in how many points are given to what question?