Just had this e-mailed to me and thought I would share it with everyone. I would be interested to hear other peoples opinions. Personally although I have been in this job for twenty years I wasn't aware that I could become an IPEM member and I certainly have no idea what the advantages of joining are.

IPEM’s Technology Advisory Group (TAG) will meet again in June and we are looking for some input from all technologists (whether IPEM members or not).
We would like to hear about the issues currently causing technologists concern. The concerns should be in areas that are relevant to the work of IPEM and, ideally, would be issues that affect the profession although more localised concerns are also welcome.
We’d also like to hear why technologists:
don’t get involved in IPEM activities and
choose not to be members of IPEM
Please pass this on to any technologist who may not have access to the mailbase or IPEM’s regional network. Please pass comments to michaela.moore@nuth.nhs.uk.
Comments are welcome at any time but that received prior to June 20th is more likely to be discussed at our next meeting
Apologies to those of you who may have received this multiple times.

Best wishes
Michaela

Miss M Moore
TAG Secretary
Medical Physics
Level 2, NCCC
Freeman Hospital
Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE7 7DN

Technologists? What's that?

Halfway between a technician and an engineer!

There appears to be biological engineers but nowhere can I find Biomedical engineers in any of the IPEM literature.

As for the 'Benefits for your career development', do they work for the same organisation as us. No pay rise this year and if your face doesnt fit or you challenge the 'yes men' you get nowhere.

Those overlooking a technical workforce with NO! technical background.

Waste of time, stick to ieee or one of the other big ones at least they are respected throughout the community.

Beat me to it Geoff
Best to ignore these people, they might go away!

They are not going to go away, so love them or loathe them, you won't be able to ignore them.

If you are working as a 'Biomed, Medical Engineer, Clinical Technologist, EBME Tech, IPEM affiliated Technologist, (call it whatever you like), in a few years if you want to repair medical kit in the UK you will be regulated by the Health Professions Council. The writing is on the wall and has been for a few years. At the moment it is the VRCT, what it will be called in the future I don't know - but you won't be able to ignore them.

Bill mcg - with regards to the IPEM (TAG) question about why technologists don't get involved in IPEM activities, I would suggest that it is because if you read most of the IPEM literature it is dominated by Medical Physics types. My opinion on issues currently causing Technologists concern would be that the IPEM has mainly failed (miserably) to get its message across to Biomeds, Medical Eng.... etc, etc.

Well the obvious elephant in the room is what are they going to do with their Voluntary register of clinical technologists?

As for membership of IPEM:

The IET gave their members a visit to CircleBath
A electrical installation magazine I received gave a nice review of a open plan theatre
EBME Associates had an interesting programme
And IPEM gives us this! Not really in the same ball league is it?

At the risk of starting another VRCT thread:
A recent government paper (Command paper:Enableing Excelence) stated that any healthcare occupation which is not currently regulated will not be recommended for regulation in the future. There will however be a regulatory body (CHRE) which will oversee any existing or new voluntary registers which employers and employees may (or may not) use as they wish to 'showcase' there abilities/value.
If an employer asks for potential employees to be registered, that is their prerogative. Many employers seem to be going down this route as a just in case future proofing excercise, however there are benefits to becoming a 'member' of a professinoal insitution (see link below). Not sure what, if any the benefits to registraion are as the information required to register is often the same as you would submit in a CV or interview process!

http://www.ipem.ac.uk/aboutipem/benefitsofmembership/Pages/default.aspx

Having looked into this a little, I am now thinking of approaching IPEM I was registered with the IET but rising membership costs have pushed me out.

Regards,
Rob

OK, I'll just pick on one (of the few mentioned):-

"Health Professions Council".

What's that? I thought we were having a "Bonfire of the Quangos"!

All these "monitoring agencies" haven't been doing too well recently, after all (have they)?

See the almost daily news reports. OK, let's quickly knock one out now:-

Dont see HR or Estates (both of which work in the NHS) getting registration, so thats the everyone in the NHS blown out of the water.

Who is going to say that one person is OK to do the job and someone else isnt. Seems to say that your manager can sign you off. Who has checked that they are technically competent to do that.
Seems like we are just introducing more buerocracy into a system that is overwhelmed with these idiots. A cull is what is needed not more paperwork exercises. We are all sick of the added need for ticks in the non productive drivel that is spewing from the NHS nowadays.

Needed - Record/Test data keeping of all equipment under your control. (something that ISO Regs was meant to look at)

Not needed - More red tape