EBME Forums Forums Management Professional Issues IPEM Registration

Geoff,

So any of that get you put your money where your mouth is then Geoff? Someone of your views could be of use to me on our training side.
Paul.

Thanks Paul, I didn't know this was the case at all.

Other than to satisfy my employer, I had absolutely no idea why I pay an annual subscription which comes in a prepaid envelope with IPEM as a return address.....

Nor did I realise that there is information on line which may be useful to us.

Thanks for the email Paul, your help here is most appreciated!

Kind regards

Eddie

What's that ... you want me to send money? No chance of that happening, I'm afraid.

But if you need anything from me (apart from money, that is), my email address is well known.

Meanwhile, I'm pleased that it looks like Eddie's problems may have been sorted.

I don't need to be one either!

Looks like we'll be the only ones left out in the cold, then, Roger (although perhaps I should point out that, in my own case, that's hardly anything new)!

Well since there is NO "National Register of Clinical Technologists" only the voluntary one, they'd have a hard job making this stick

But on the down side, the Modernising Scientific Careers proposals have 3 stages of registration included in the current lay out! There is no information in the proposals about "Grandparenting" clauses or how (or indeed if) the voluntary register will match into this, though it is almost certain that "Clinical Technologist" will not become a registered and protected title.
I would suspect, from what I've been able to find out so far, that the equivalent new title would be "Healthcare Science Practitioner" - to all intents and purposes capped at Band 6. Further progression would require enhanced registration as a "Healthcare Scientist"

The "The Future of the Healthcare Science Workforce
Modernising Scientific Careers: The Next Steps
A Consultation" document is well worth reading if you have any interest at all in the future (or lack of) of medical technology careers.

I take it Paul that looking at the proposals those who are currently classed as "Clinical Technologists" will be registered but as "Healthcare Scientist Practitioner" with a larger group of people. The case against engineering disciplines making their own application to become registered was that there wouldn't be significant numbers to become registered. Therefore I would imagine that the HPC would be more willing to register "Healthcare Science Practitioners" than they would "Clinical Technologists". Hopefully those on the voluntary register of clinical technologists will automatically become Healthcare Scientist Pracitioners

I attended a IHEEM lecture recently, basically because our business spans equipment and infrastructure services I attended with our expert to learn more

The lecture on decontamination equipment, new HTM requirements was first class, some of the most learned and educated experts in the land delivered an entertaining and informative series of seminars.

Over the years I have laid out a fortune on membership of professional institutes and as a business I will continue to support them.

Two things for me were clear

1. The DH speaker in no uncertain terms made it quite clear that regarding policy, IHEEM was only one of many stakeholders, and indeed an interested party like industry with its own bias, point of veiw and aims.

Basically the DH advisor cast doubt in the minds of many as to why the AP or AE (D) status for instance relied on membership of a particular professional institute, why are certain bodies still perceived as rule makers and enforces, nothing could be further from the truth apparently, DH would like to remove myth and mystery by asking for feedback from all, whoever you belong to

2. The IHEEM education chair indicated to me that IHEEM was less relevant to the medical engineering community than I thought it might be, he even went on to point out the benefits of IPEM membership, this I thought strange for a professional institute that claims to represent those involved with healthcare engineering and a instute that absorbed the Institute of X Ray Technology amongst others.

In the IHEEM monthly going back some now, I remember a great paper by Paul Robbins and often see articles about medical equipment.

Anyway, I will continue to support professional institutes, why, because I think they are a good thing and sometimes a very good thing, you tend to get out what you put in if not for any other reason from time to time they bring together great people that do great things together and sometimes its so special that you can tell your kids or grandkids about.

As one Involved in the mentoring of others and young engineers education, I like that about the institute.

At IPEM I am sure their aims are noble and representative, more so than IHEEM it appears anyway, they try to cater for all and at all levels, they will never please everybody, but they are trying to and that says a lot, does it not.

Darren

Good old Darren. As enthusiastic as ever!

Even when it was more appropriately known as the Institute of Hospital Engineering, IHEEM never really served biomed very well. Back then, you got a biomed-related article in the journal perhaps once every couple of years, if you were lucky.

These days, outside of the UK, no-one even knows what "Estates" means. And why indeed should they? It's a strange bit of NHS-speak. Just in case NHS-types aren't aware of the alternatives, "hospital engineering departments" overseas are often known as:-

Facilities (as in Facilities and Maintenance: F&M)
Engineering (nice one)
Utilities (as in Utilities and Maintenance: U&M)
M&E (Mechanical and Electrical engineering)
Building Services ... etc.

I have also known "Technical Services" (which sounds reasonable to me), with biomed a part of it.

What's wrong with calling the Hospital Engineer the, er ... Hospital Engineer? Who knows, the position could even be filled occasionally by an ex-biomed. Rather than the more usual ex-boiler fitter, electrician, or (as I have mentioned recently), chef!