EBME Forums Forums Management Training Technician Trianing

How much product training should a biomed do?
Should a whole dept go on all of the courses or should just a few, then those 'few' do some 'peer group' training with the remainder of their collegues?

I don't believe that 'peer group' training is a good idea. We're all different - that's a Chard expression. We all consume the same information differently.

Biomed training should be 'built in' when kit is purchased..does it all come down to £££'s?

Hi Mark.
If it's a large, expensive piece of kit, then training should be built into the price. Unfortunately, there's a lot of medical equipment - and even more medical devices - which are so "cheap" that adding a course costing several hundred pounds onto the purchase is simply out of the question. But just because it's cheap doesn't mean you can't make a dog's dinner of repairing it (or calibrating it) and so cause injury to a patient.
I was asked to do a rolling programme of training requirements for my technicians some time ago. I just looked at the major items and allowed for staff turn-over and refresher training - it came out at around £10,500 a year for the 7 of us. The current training budget is £2,000 (with a temporary addition of £2,400 from the salary part of the budget) so I can't even cover the main items of equipment.
Bye the way, that wasn't training everybody on everything. It was getting at least two people trained on each item to cover holidays etc.

Roy

As a dept' we're being called upon to provide 'end user' training ie. how to turn something on...nurses!!
Company reps are more than happy to provide user training to the nurses but forget about us biomeds.
Knowing how a bit of kit functions is half the battle.
If we're going to be 'training' people ourselves WE need to be trained - who trains the trainer? How can we be expected to give advice on equipment functionality, in the current climate of litegation, if we haven't got the 'driving licences' ourselves.
This is the stick that we're going to beat the Trust with!

I need therapy - I took today off..ha! My wife gave me some decorating jobs to do.
I've 'navigated' the site today and inwordly digested the wealth of information that it has to offer...what can I say?

I'd have too agree with " Mark" on his initial comment! Peer training is not the answer, one should always do the training ones-self. Expensive possibly, but in the end everyone's pick up of information is different. " especially after the compulsory trip to the pub at Dinner time, oohhh errmm...!!! I mean when your on the courses...of course!!!!

PS does this mean I now have to use a different user name.. there's so many Marks on this site now...???

Yes, I've just noticed this.

There are ten flavours of Mark currently registered.

The log-in process stops anyone logging in with the same name - but it doesn't stop you using the same 'publically' displayed name.

Looking into it

Marks' are naturally caring people, that's why we drawn to work in the NHS.

Would anyone like to use some psychology on this phenomena...

I had a dictionary for breakfast

An interesting idea... thought I just got it from my Bruv's best mate at the time ... erm the name that is.!!
But otherwise I'd agree with your comments most days.. are we cloned or something.!!!??

Getting back to the training.
Speak to your procurement manager. They should ask for free technical training with every tender. Most companies want to sell their kit - so tech training is ususally forthcoming.
We spent in the region of £4000 last year but all the technicians got trained on at least 3 products.

Speak to our procurement manager.. he/she would have to set up a committee and go on a fact finding mission first, just to find out what our dept does!!

At least training on 3 products..is it xmas?