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I fully agree with John's letter re representation from our profession on the above group. I have previously posted on this site that if we don't take action, the whole profession will disappear within next few years. Can I suggest we organise a day meeting on Management of Medical equipment at Falfield. I can ask them to facilitate this with some new speakers and Topics. We have heard enough of control assurance and infusion device training issues, let us discuss reality. i am happy to act as a post box and get this off the ground. Please let me have any topics of interest and speakers you may wish to suggest . I can get one of our consultants to discuss his expectation from our departments. Please be positive and let us arrange a date in November, 15 or 16th November 2001.
Alex
fax : 01924-816072

In addition to contacting Alex - it may be a good idea to post here, in order for others to know what's going on.

(It may also encourage others to participate)

Alex
I would like to give my point of view as a speaker, I feel strongly about raising the profile of medical engineering.
We are often ignored, and our profession is not properly understood.
We do need to raise our profile or others will keep making (often wrong) decisions without our input.
15th Nov suits me better than 16th.

The NHS document "Making the Change" (see link from the ebme hompage) gives us some insight into how the government sees our profession developing with emphasis on training, state registration as Healthcare Scientists etc., its worth a look at. If there is a meeting to be held could we consider somewhere nearer a railway station - Falfield as apain to get to! (and too far south !!

Raising the profile is key to our survival, but I believe the problem is far deeper.

We're Engineers and most peoples idea of an engineer is somebody who leaves greasy hand prints on their car after its serviced.

I tend to agree.

Ask any member of the public who works in a hospital and the only answers are nurses and doctors.

We tend to be the "forgotten sons" of the health service

Although I agree wholeheartedly with the comments already made, are we in danger of fighting on too many fronts and duplicating time consuming work?
Let me explain - there appear to be quite a few groups all trying to do the same thing, ie raise profile, arrange meetings, saving the world of medical engineering.
Sorry I'm getting carried away again.
Seriously, the IPEM is presently encouraging 'technologists' (their term not mine) to join and trying to arrange meetings with appropriate and interesting topics / presentations.
It can be difficult having the time etc. to organise and just as difficult to make time to attend, I worry we could be shooting ourselves in the foot by not working together whilst the private sector start taking over before we've had chance to get the defences sorted.