Hi Geoff,
The MIA or Master indemnity Is a form of insurance which protects the Organisation in the event of a problem where the user or patient on the receiving end of the equipment tries to sue the organisation for damages etc. Generally,when equipment is used on loan or trial from another from a company, it is expected to be compliant with all European standards (CE marked etc)and fit for use on a patient. It is policy within our trust and I'm sure of many other to perform checks to ensure that the equipment is fit for use and conforms to these standards. If the company is registered with PASA then they have probably undergone certain checks to ensure that the company can underwrite the insurance levels required(but don't quote me on this though - if were ever in any doubt we get the engineer or their MD to sign indemnity forms from our procurement dept)
I have noticed over the years that many company representatives try to get in through the 'back door' and never announce the fact that they're visiting.When challenged they always say that our trust is the only one who asks to them to present themselves to the EBME dept prior to their visit to the intended department for their trial (interested to know if anyone else has this problem!)
It is your responsibility as an employee of the organisation you work for to protect the the patients and the organisation from equipment that does not conform to standard - Not to mention the impending corporate manslaughter and corporate homicide laws!
Johnmjm - dont let people put you off - its a great job to be in check out all the employment pages of EBME, go to your local hospital and visit their EBME dept, see what they do, see if they offer training or work experience (some dont but many do, we do! if not them - try elsewhere) Most Depts will require a minimum of ONC but on the job training can be given often FOC from equipment suppliers. check out Falfield college for medical electronics training. All the best
Regards to All
Rob
