EBME Forums Forums Management Professional Issues Agenda For Change Bed Technician / Librarian - Agenda for change.

Hi any Bed Maintenance Technicians or Equipment Librarian's had your Agenda For change bandings yet?

I'm a Bed Maint Tech and have been given a band 5 (MTO2).

If there are any other Librarians out there. What job description were you matched against & what banding?

Cheers

Rob.

Hello Rob,

I think you are unusual and rare, but it is the way hospitals should be moving. Beds are getting more expensive to have on contract and trained in-house technicians are now becoming more financially viable.

Proactive biomed departments should “do everything” - and be hungry for more! That’s the way to grow biomed (make yourselves useful, if not indispensable). Unfortunately, it seems to me that UK NHS hospitals adopt an entirely different approach. Most don’t touch lab kit, many don’t see inside the x-ray department ... etc. Just a bunch of “pump boys”, in fact!

It depends where you work and who you work for - you can't generalise because the service requirements are so fragmented and job-roles so varied.

Larger Medical Physics maintenance sections have evolved by providing some level of technical support for diagnostic radiology equipment (X-ray, Fluoroscopy, CT, MRI, Ultrasound, PET, Gamma Camera, PACS), radiotherapy treatment equipment (LINAC/CT_SIM/PACS) or laboratory equipment (usually as an income generator, to enhance the maintenance budget, or to reduce costs).

EBMEs haven't evolved from a demand to maintain radiology equipment or support clinical examinations, i.e. do routine QA, because, traditionally, the links with radiology haven't been there and EBME doesn't provide clinical examinations that utilise diagnostic radiology equipment or laboratory equipment - many Medical Physics departments do.

If you go beyond plain X-ray equipment (as used at the dentist for example) and consider CT/MRI/PET/LINAC then maintenance is highly specialised. This requires particular knowledge and skills in a range of subjects that goes beyond the bounds of general engineering. Not something I'd want to "dabble" with despite my background knowledge and experience - not without the full support of my employer, the manufacturer, radiology, etc.

The scientific, regulatory, clinical and management aspects of ionising radiation are major issues concerning maintenance so an awareness needs to be there of the issues.

Medical Physics maintenance has tended to stem from a need to support radiology and maintenance of general medical equipment whereas EBME maintenance has predominantly stemmed from estates response to providing maintenance of general medical equipment. It's arguable that EBMEs or small Medical Physics departments cannot provide adequate support to radiology or laboratories if they're struggling with demand for general equipment maintenance - infusion pumps are prevalant.

The bottom-line is that if the employer, radiology or laboratories, don't want to provide for in-house maintenance to support radiology or laboratory equipment then it's unlikely those working in the EBME or Medical Physics department will be required to work on it; irrespective of whether they have the knowledge & skills to do so.

Particularly if these services can be contracted-out transferring the risks associated with ionising radiation and QA of diagnostic equipment to the manufacturers or other 3rd party organisations.

With just three techs in the department, I don't see how we are able to take on all that extra work, and don't say take on more staff, because there's nowhere to put them.

Now, where did I shove that broom? Ah yes, I remember!

Regards, the "pump boys" of Whipps Cross

Sorry Paul. That’s just not proactive enough, Mate. If your real problem is lack of space, get a Portakabin (you know, I’m going to have to start charging for all this good advice)!

Geoff,
Pay-per-view on this web site......could be interesting to implement.
But then adult sites manage it......So I am told.
Robert

Robert.

Maybe we could go for pay- per - view to get a Doctors appointment?
Maybe pay- per - view for attending wards to plug equipment in that staff say is not working?
Rob.

Rob,

I LIKE IT! We'll all be meeeeeeeeeeellionaires!