EBME Forums Forums Management Professional Issues Professional Regulation

Firstly we must remember what HPC registration is, it is to practice using a protected title. It will only affect those who want to be called Clinical Technologist. If you call yourself Medical Engineer and your Trust agrees to employing you on that basis then registration is as useful as a chocolate teapot.

The HPC cannot act if you call yourself something else. There are many Medical Physicists working in the NHS who are not registered as Clinical Scientists purely because they have called themselves something else.

If they want registration to work then the powers to be should be co-operating when people like Richard ask questions and not attacking him otherwise it will be Richard Ling, Medical Engineer and there is nothing (currently) HPC or IPEM can do about it and the benefits that registration may have offered lost.

I tried to join the register at the beginning of this year. For the bargain price of £10 i was informed that i now required four years experience to join, by which time the register will be closed. Not realy sure where that leaves me when regulation is enventually enforced.

Is anybody else in the same boat or know somebody that is? I have almost two years experience as a Medical Engineer/EBME Tech/Biomed (pick your favourite).

Any advice anyone?

Well all I can say to that, personally speaking, is that it's a fact that the VRCT panel decides upon whether individuals meet the criteria laid down. There's no reasons for VRCT to exclude individuals based on a whim as far as I'm aware. There are probably justifiable reasons why you weren't considered eligible - based upon the requirements laid down. Honestly, hand on heart, if you read the requirements laid down, do you meet them on paper? If not then you can't really justifiably hold that against the VRCT panel can you StuC?

Mr Ling,

I'm not holding anything against the VRCT. I didn't quite meet the requirements but was encouraged to apply by my superiors before tha register closed.

I was actually after some constructive advice. Not a telling off.

I agree with you on the telling off bit. That was a bit strong and a bit of a cheek from you Mr Ling on count of some of the things you post. We will all try to aspire to you and I have to say I have 22 years experience and because I havent been based in a medical environment for the 4 year term I probably dont meet the sodding criteria, not with standing being able to do the job standing on my head!!!

This is me being very diplomatic!!!!

As someone working for a supplier and someone that supports the VR. I travel up and down the country and the response that you get from different hospitals (EBME and MED physics)is quite staggering! some will issue you with a pass to work on the site for the day, others look at you as if your mad when you call on them before going to ICU to do some work.
I have only ever been asked who i am and for proof, once !!, and not one person has asked if i am a member of any professional body. (but i am on the VR and a member of ART)as a representative of an equipment supplier it is assumed that you have had any training that you need to work on the equipment you are there for, if not you should not be touching it!

Although the company I work for is supporting my professional development, it has in no way been the instigator of it, in fact it was myself that has said that we need to move towards this. We have not been instructed by anyone that we will need this, but i understand that most of the field engineers out there are already on the VR.

It has been said that we would need to do a risk assessment on all areas that we are to work.

This is a quote from the Ipem site which might be of help to you Stu. This is all dependant on how many years work experience you have or failing that if you get registered with another engineering body that qualifies you (no logic!)


'Alternatively, candidates may apply through the Grandparenting Provision. The criteria for entry onto the Voluntary Register through Grandpaenting provision are as follows:-

There must be evidence of employment in a technical role involving work in health care areas such as medical physics, clinical engineering, medical equipment maintenance or medical equipment manufacturing, or, biological science, physical science or engineering related to health care within an academic institution, and,

There must be evidence of not less than three years work experience in a technical role (as in 1 above) including at least two years appropriate, formal in-service training provided by a suitable organisation, or, in lieu of the formal in-service training, evidence of not less than four years relevant work experience, or, registration as an Incorporated Engineer or Engineering Technician.'


Scott you have brought up another field there 'Risk assements', who out there has had the training. Me personnaly, I have but not by this employer, bored me to tears. Good one to send someone on no one likes. (anyone think of someone!!)

Billy/StuC,

I wasn't telling anyone off and I wasn't trying to be cheeky - just stating the fact that if you have to/want to join an organisation that has conditions applied for inclusion, unless you can prove otherwise to those deciding on it, then there's not a lot you can do about being excluded. I'm not having a dig- I do appreciate that there are some that have to join and others that find it difficult to meet the requirements.

I am in the same position if I wanted to work in a Clinical Scientist role. Although my grad/postgrad qualifiactions (prospective) and engineering training are IEE/IPEM accredited I have not done the relevant Grade A training - thus I can never expect to be employed as a Clinical Scientist in a protected role working in Clinical Engineering. Whilst, on the other hand, Clinical Scientists can go on to attain CEng refgistration as Engineers based on their Clinical Scientist Grade A training. Hence obtaining CEng through IPEM is possibly more straightforward for Clinical Scientists, who wish to get into Engineering, than ECUK registered Engineers like myself who proceed through the IEE. There are hoops we all have to jump through unfortunately.

Billy,

No-one is expected to aspire to my standards, since I'm not imposing them on anybody, Billy. However the VRCT is and that's what I've consistently referred to in this thread. I have a similar level of experince as you do - all working in Electronic/Electrical Engineering environment - so it's difficult for me to see what you're getting at with regard to aspiring to me? I'm just a technician working in an EBME department just like you are.

Hey I got in , even with my limited experience ..OK so I have 17 years in here.. just seems like less?.. Doesn't time fly when your enjoying yourself.. and I have and still do !!

I thought VRCT was a way of stopping the cowboys, and giving us a guide to what is expected for the future.

Most proffessional organisations have a charge for their administration, the VRCT is less than most. Ok I am now a convert.. but we all need to be flexible.. and grow with the times.

I too am a humble technician working in an EBME department like Richard and many others.

Cheers