All that other stuff is transient and superfluous. A bit like managers, you might say.
I'm starting to feel mildly insulted here Geoff. Have you ever managed a department? Have you taken that much "weight"? It does not sound like it or you might have a different view. It might look easy but, believe me, it is not.
As to the "it's the same as it was 35 years ago" comment, well again, no. The basis (fix the kit) may be the same but much, much more is expected these days. The world is more complex, industry (even the NHS I imagine) is much more complex and , as a consiquence, the job is much more complex. No more just sitting in the "biomed shed" of your youth fixing "kit", PR skills are required and a quite varied set of skills beyond that. I have been around this industry for a mere 20 odd years and even I can see that things (and the expectation of the function) have changed in that time.
If you think that being a biomed is just about the kit Geoff, then you have lost contact with the reality of the current situation.
