Yet again Geoff when you have no answer you resort to cheap personal remarks.

Perhaps after 8,903 post we are left to think "Empty vessels make the most noise"

I think the real Acid Test would actually be when you stand in front of the surgeon who's complaining that their equipment has been playing up, they mention something clinical and you open your mouth and say the immortal words 'I just fix things'

Yes that would make you look a idiot

Junior grade staff are mere fixers!

Chris, you can say "I just fix things and I am registered to do so" would that please the surgeon ????

Now thinking back Neil I think this is a Engineering thing, when I was at University the lecturer previously worked at British Airospace knew a bit about how pilots fly planes, even on a recent episode of Aircrash investigation it was reported that a engineer had been called to the cockpit to see if he had any suguestions how to relight the engines.

Even before I came to the health sector my previous job required me to know a bit about the application of the equipment as well as the engineering side. Here also when you started they use to send you on the Philips Biomedical measurements course to get an understanding of the clinical side. I think you need just enough application knowledge so when you talk to the customer you don't seem a clueless prat!

Although long time ago now at one of my previous employments they did have people who just knew engineering principles. They were called test technicians or bench technicians, highly boring job as you were just fixing similar faults all day, didn't need many qualifications and the pay was crap. Perhaps those who just want to fix things can just fix the simple things like nebs and Omrons?

Mornin’ Dave, Chris ...

Despite being "empty vessels" and/or "clueless prats", some of us are not too proud to fix kit (whether simple or grand), and have been able to resist any temptation of falling into the trap of trying to become a "pretend medic".

I don’t recall ever being challenged by any surgeon (and I dare say Neil has had similar experiences). If you are competent, it generally becomes apparent.

Speaking for myself I never went to university. But despite that, I still manage to do OK when it comes to grammar, and spelling.

Meanwhile, I hope you have a good day chatting with (impressing) the surgeons.

OK, that’s all ... the kit awaits.

If I have any 'clueless prats' in my department I will ask them to close the door on the way out.

Clunk!

Here's a thought for Dave and Chris, while you are waiting for the registration to become compulsory "what is happening with your registration cash" ?

Surely everyone in this job knows just a little of how the piece of equipment they are working on actually works in the nursing environment. If they dont then they are not a proper techie as we are a bred that wants to know how things work. We have to know how the operators use the equipment so we can tell them its finger trouble or that their brain has not sent the incorrect signals to their digits (for those wanting to sound more intelligent:).
As for the standing in front of the surgeon, I am sure they have the good sense to know that the tech whether registered or not is there to fix their kit and let them get on with it.
What makes a registered tech any better than an unregistered one can someone please tell me what they can do that the unregistered one cant. If I have a certificate from a manufacturer then is that not enough to work on the kit. At present the nurses are going through compentancy training, have the VRCT thought of this.

'Foolproof systems dont take into account the ingenuity of fools' Gene Brown.

obviously not as when anybody mentions the clinical side Geoff responds that they should retrain as a medic and that he's just a fixer.

I would state the simple example of the Bipap Vision where usually the operator doesn't set the alarms a suitable pressure above the inspiratory pressure. It would seem that quite a lot of us would do a visual inspection and see if it was setup correctly, whereas Geoff and his band of fixer would just take it away, where it would go backward and forward from the workshop with the staff starting make assumptions on his ability. (medical staff are never wrong, until you show them and then their just unaware of the issue!)