EBME Forums Forums Management Professional Issues The VRCT Website

Assuming the VRCT is advocating that any Registrant can perform all or part of the scope of practice for a CT, then what would happen if the Registrants i have indicated in previous posts were to atempt to do so, would the VRCT be liable for any incident. I stress again these registrants have no business being members, its, not their fault, they were instructed to join. What i am getting at is that VRCT has effectively allowed the membership of unskilled persons based on the date they were in post (pre Aug 2001) and no doubt verification by another Registrant. Patient safety guaranteed ? i think not.
Also regarding my so called "personal attack", i am only voicing my own and many colleagues feelings about Registration in a forum provided for this, nothing i have said is ever intended to be personal, it is simply disagreement. As for breaching the VRCT SOP, i am not a member!
Finally, there are those in this country who want to work and those that do not, and i am sick and tired of the former being charged to do so in any form.
Topper a.k.a.(Tony Harley Senior Critical Care Technologist New Cross Hospital Wolverhampton)

Wikipedia states that:-

Engineering is the discipline of acquiring and applying scientific and technical knowledge to the design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes.

The American Engineers' Council for Professional Development, also known as ECPD,[1] (later ABET),[2] defines Engineering as: "The creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behaviour under specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics of operation and safety to life and property."

Biomedical engineering (BME) is the application of engineering principles and techniques to the medical field. It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with the medical and biological science to help improve patient health care and the quality of life of healthy individuals.

Clinical engineering is a branch of biomedical engineering for professionals responsible for the management of medical equipment in a hospital. The tasks of a clinical engineer are typically the acquisition and management of medical device inventory, supervising biomedical engineering technicians (BMETs), ensuring that safety and regulatory issues are taken into consideration and serving as a technological consultant for any issues in a hospital where medical devices are concerned. Clinical engineers work closely with the IT department and medical physicists.

Personally I trained as an electronics engineer and have for many years done less and less electronics and more and more paperwork.

I found that IPEM appears to concentrate on imaging and was producing little that helped me in my work so have cancelled my membership; I have stayed on the VRCT however I am not sure that IPEM are the right organisation to have been given the task of running it.

Lee

After 32 years as an electonics technician (yes part of it spent as a scourge of the universe Avionics technician in the RAF)I don't think I personally require registration. However I suppose I don't mind paying a modest annual admin. charge to be put onto a database. (Anything for a quiet life)Where I hit problems is the fact that " Charges will have to increase considerably" (as quoted from the VRCT website). Who will be raking off all this money in? what if anything of value does the technician get back for it?

Best wishes,

Paul Latham

I think funds are needed to administer the VRCT. When HPC regulation is introduced being included on the VRCT will make the transfer onto HPC, for those with protected titles (it will not include everybody, possibly even those on VRCT now), cheaper - so we're informed.

The general ideas of professional institutions are that they are there to promote the profession, education, training, development, etc, etc. Very few of these views I see in the posts above. Perhaps you should either find another profession that you prefer being part of or maybe just don't get involved, and don't worry about it.

Under HPC that would be down to your employer giving these jobs or tasks to only those with protected titles or ensuring that others are adequately supervised by those who are required to do so and have protected titles. Otherwise they'd be breaking the law I suppose - there is legislation associated with HPC regulation.

Also the NHS employer has been notified that it should be looking to implementing regulation for those of us employed in Medical Technology as far as I'm aware - look it up on the VRCT website.


If this is the case then I don't see that you have any right to influence how it develops then. Perhaps you need to find another occupation if you're not interested in promoting it.


When HPC regulation comes along I doubt you'll be legally entitled to use this title, Topper, unless you are on the part of the VRCT register for SCCT - which is the same thing you're criticising her, in fact. If your employer does allow you to use this and you're not registered then I guess there could be problems.

Dear Richard,

Quote: "... or maybe just don't get involved, and don't worry about it."

I'd be delighted not to get involved in it but isn't this going to be Compulsory?

Best wishes

Paul.

No - it can't possibly be compulsory for everybody - how can you be involved if you're considered by your peers, i.e. those included on the VRCT, not fully qualified (as a Clinical Technologist)?

As a result, through no fault of your own (unless you just refuse if you are eligible for VRCT/HPC) if your employer can't give you a job title of Clinical Technologist, because you're not been on the VRCT or eligible to be included on the HPC register, you will have to be supervised by fully qualified individual in that case I suppose. And given a different job-title I suppose (or keep the one you have if it's not protected).

HPC regulation is mandatory for those given protected titles - in future (if it materialises) not being considered fully qualified under HPC regulation, i.e. not on the HPC register, then how could you be given such a title by your employer (who has to meet mandatory requirements)?

You will probably remain where you are supervised by others considered to be more qualified than you, irrespective of your previous career choices, or sadly, ability in electronics (we do not all just fix kit) - your choice. I'm only guessing how things will be implemeted in the future but this is likely given the way other regulated profession seem to operate.

Not everyone is going to be required to have a protected title. So why worry if you're not eligible for VRCT. Maybe you should wait and see what happens if and when HPC regulation is implemented.

OK, Richard you've sold registration to me. But I come back to my original point regarding charges, I don't mind forking out a modest annual charge but these charges will increase considerably in due course. (ie when it becomes Compulsory)

Ultimately, as with most things this will be accountant driven and we all know what accountant and a Compulsory customer in a non competitive market make don't we? yes exactly, feeding frenzy.

Best wishes

Paul.

This year the unions secured a contribution from the NHS employer towards payment of mandatory regulation fees for some of the new healthcare professions I think - Look on the pay deal for last April on the NHS employers, AMICU health or UNISON website(s).

In future I'd expect any trades union I'm a member of to be fighting for 100% contributions towards payment of mandatory registration fees from the employer. Don't tell me - you won't pay union fees either......

Richard
Quote "If this is the case then I don't see that you have any right to influence how it develops then. Perhaps you need to find another occupation if you're not interested in promoting it."
I'm more concerned about getting on with my occupation than promoting it.(to who anyway?)
As for my right to influence how "it" develops, whether it be this thread or Registration that you are referring to,i'm not trying to, however i say i do have every right as someone who may be affected by it and i have excercised that right.
I should however specify it is "Regulation/Registration" that i disagree with and not specifically VRCT.
Topper