EBME Forums Forums Management Equipment Libraries Development........

Hi,
This is my first visit to the EBME web-site, so please be patient?
I currently run an Equipment Library within Gwent Health NHS Trust, in a 540-bed hospital.
The library supplies around 300 items of equipment, including infusion pumps, pressure-relieving equipment, bair-huggers and so on….

Having set-up the library (starting with virtually an empty room), I believe it has become an important part of everyday running of the hospital.
However, I’m becoming a little frustrated with my roll, due to the lack off development opportunities within my area. Although I possess 7-8 IT qualifications, plus various other subjects (including a teaching certificate), I find general maintenance, calibrating, tracking, decontamination etc, is not taxing enough?
Basically, I’m looking for ways to develop myself?
Having read a few previous polls, it would seem most library technicians are MTO’s?
However, in my case I am paid as a B grade, although I fail to see the comparison???

Any suggestions?
Roger…

Roger, you could try getting involved in user training. Start by offering to demonstrate the equipment to the ward staff when it's delivered. Most will probably tell you to get lost, but a few will almost certainly take you up on the offer. If you make a good job of it, word will get around that you're a useful source of help. The role will develop from there !

Is there an EBME or Medical Physics department in your hospital ? Are you attached to them in any way ?

I've been involved in, and led teaching sessions regarding pressure-relieving equipment, however, all training for infusion devices is taken care of by Alaris Med, as they have around 90% of total devices within this hospital.
Although I’ve been trained in using their equipment, it’s more for troubleshooting common faults (battery calibration etc), which can be dealt with on-site. This seems to work well, as the main EBME department is around 20 miles away, so saves them some trouble.
I have a good relationship with the EBME dept with regards to servicing devices, as nursing staff have lost that “hoarding equipment” mentality and everything is given back.
I did approach the nurse trainer for Alaris, however, she told me they would only be interested in qualified nurses as trainers?

Thanks for the reply.
Roger…..

Roger,
Have you asked your line manager about further training/day release? You might be able to reach the acamedic standard required by Alaris and take on the teaching role.

Roger,

I notice that you mention IT qualifications. I would suggest, then, that computer-oriented work is your way forward. I assume you have already sorted out a decent database and tracking system for your library. Why stop there? How about a database of all equipment in the hospital?

From what I have seen recently, computer-types have a better time of things in our beloved NHS than EBME people. More respect, for sure. Also better pay for easier work, as far as I can see (...and, where I am at the moment, we wear ties whilst the IT guys wear "casual" - why is that?).

On a personal note, I can’t help but wonder what it is you’re really after (… money, being part of a caring scene, the techie thing???). Take a tip from an old timer – stick with computers (that’s certainly what I would do, and may even do now!).

Keep the Faith Geoff. The Band of Brothers needs You !!

Geoff & John,
I’m just about to embark on a management course, as the workload has exceeded original expectations. Hopefully this will lead in having an understudy, at some point?

As for the IT qualifications, I have managed to progress to HNC level, and the Database knowledge has been invaluable. I have considered deploying a section on the local Intranet, (bit like a web-site within a web-site), giving staff information on training, and solutions to common faults etc. However, I’m unsure as to whether this will be of any benefit? Do you know if this has been attempted elsewhere, and has it been successful?

Roger…….

Roger. We have posted copies of the official user guides supplied by the companies on our Intranet site. These have proved to be very useful. You need to be careful about posting any of your own "handy hints" or attempts at a user guide. If it's wrong, has something missing, or can simply be mis-interpreted, then you could be liable if there's an incident involving the misuse of equipment and the staff blame the instructions they were given.

A lot of companies have their user handbooks available in electronic format - sometimes downloadable from their Web site.

We have information on our intranet which is the same as our website (see MESU website ).

This area of our website is called "Product Information" & is designed to educate the users of our equipment by providing electronic versions of user manuals or information written by our department to educate & inform users.

Our department has staff who have the experience to know what information is useful & not to deliver inaccurate information. A good deal of the information originates from our Medical Devices Trainer. I believe that to provide this information you must ensure that you have adequate backup to qualify & support the information - you must not just be an "enthusiast" - in other words, to do it properly requires the integration into an "ebme" department & the support of a Medical Devices Trainer.

Regards, Mark