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How many people in the world of "engineering" know about the specialised department within a hospital called EBME (etc)?

I noticed this job through sheer luck! I saw the advert in the scientific section of a job paper as I stumbled through it towards the enginnering section.
I must admit I have never looked back since starting and hope to enjoy my work for a few more years.

Regarding the "dead mans shoes" comment, I get the impression it is very true, although it must applied to other businesses/companies.

I feel there are good career oppotunities, I have done rather well in my short time in this field.
I have been told this job will forever pay the mortgage, but it wont make you rich!! Thats good enough for me.

Yes, but what about Mark's original point about "aging” of the departments, and what’s to be done about bringing in fresh blood of the right calibre? The work will still need to be done by somebody, after all. As I have said before, as young people in this country are led more and more away from practical vocational careers, we could end up with biomed shops full of non-British technicians (…who knows, perhaps that’s the answer? not for me to say, really).

But what would you think if you (as a sub 25 year old say) walked into a department and saw it was composed of 40+ year olds, listening to radio 2 who have been doing the job for the last 20 years and refuse to embrace the future or change? Would hardly fill you with enthusiasm for the job would it?

Tom you've hit the nail on the head, thats Taunton all over. I feel like that but i'm trying to steer the department in the right direction.

Im sorry but i am going to have to completely disagree with you. I am a 23 yr old technician and i have been doing this job for the past 4 yrs while doing my degree and masters. i know of so many young people who did biomedical engineering degrees like myself but are unable to find jobs as there arent enough jobs out there and the ones that are there require experience and most places are not willing to let you do a placement!
I was lucky to get work experience which lead me to have a job, but not many students are that keen to do work experience while studying.

Its good to hear that young people are interested in this profession but London does offer alot more than other areas. I have yet to meet another Biomed Technician/Clinical Technologist younger than myself, i am 26 and have been working in a DGH inexcess of 6 years.

As I said earlier - we have 2 apprentices (an 18 and a 19 year old). They attend college one day a week on an NVQ course. The rest of the week they are in the hospital working alongside an experienced engineer.

They attend suitable manufacturers courses and in the future maybe a degree course.

My understanding is that these schemes are available to all hospitals. They are run by JTL. We are not a large department (3 engineers on one site and 5 on the other)

HTH

Mick

Tom, it’s a matter of finding the right mentor (isn’t that right, Paul?).

But, shouldn’t that have been Radio 4? Ha, ha.

Paul, it's time to move to London, Mate.

Geoff, do you think we have a good mentor here? London is an option but costs are abit of a problem unless i got a band 7/8 post! But why stop at London, the world is a small place.

That’s more like it, Matey! When you find a place crying out for biomeds like the Desert Kingdom was back in the 1980’s, be sure to give me a shout (hint:- it could be Kazakhstan). Even though I’m more than twice your age, I’ll be happy to tag along, if only as your mentor.