EBME Forums Forums Management Recruitment Trainee EBME Technician Salary?

CPI, consumer price index or, the rate of inflation, ie the amount you need to increase your income to stay where you were (in real monetary terms, to quote the politicians) 12 months ago.

To get back a bit to the original topic. I am not in any position to comment on the NHS pay scales (obviously) but what I would comment is that, starting pay scales need to be enough to attract the quality of staff that you are hoping to bring into the industry.

If you are looking to bring in degree level/HND/City and guilds (showing may age or WHAT) people then you must compete with the other industries who are trying to get the same folk. If you cannot attract the "right" people then you need to look at your terms and conditions. If on the otherhand you place an advert and get flooded by Nobel Laureate's then you have over done it !!

From my dealings in all this, it seems to me that there's nothing much wrong with pay and conditions in the NHS, but there does seem to be a lack of suitable applicants.

That is, posts have been known to be advertised (repeatedly), without being filled.

Part of a larger problem, perhaps? Lack of apprenticeships, lack of "industry", lack of City & Guilds? Yes, there are lots of young people with degrees. But degrees in what? I'll leave it to others to comment further.

Pull up a sandbag.
The RAF deemed ONC sufficient for Techs such as myself to work on some of the most complex equipment on the planet.
Now I'm working on "complex medical equipment" it would be an overstatement to state that i probably only ever use / or require 10% of the skills i was using on a daily basis back then but the NHS sees fit to demand HNC's, Degrees etc and of course Registration in order to do the job.
One things for sure, the job is very well paid, even overpaid for many positions in my opinion, especially toward the "management end". After all, it is an absolute doddle!
Topper

A "doddle"?

I am regularly expected to instantly repair equipment with no fault discription, no decontamination and no consumables.

Mind you as we have heard in the last 2 days i do work for one of the few none Foundation trusts to come in Monitors bottom 12, a place where you are 3 times more likely to die of cancer than the best performers and apparently we have the worse performing primary schools in the country.


Lee

Yes, Topper is right, the general* run-of-the-mill medical kit is in many ways a doddle when compared with some other technical equipment that's out there.

And (from my own perspective) it also tends to be a lot easier when you have fully equipped workshops at your disposal. Not to mention a budget for parts, and all the rest.

I'm just glad that Topper said it first, though. I can only imagine the "red arrows" from my regular admirers if it had been me!

* "Heavy" imaging equipment, and Linacs and stuff like that (some of the lab analysers, even) can be a different kettle of fish ... but how many NHS biomeds actually work on kit like that?

"I would just like to know what band/salary a trainee engineer should start on bearing in mind he has 18 months NHS experience"

This is the original question from Jordan, if he has 18 months NHS training surely he is in a 'band' now, struggling to move up the ladder, then move out, go private, go abroad, anything other than a small cog in a massive wheel.

In his Profile, Jordan describes himself as a Trainee EBME Technician.

But he hasn't been back here since his original post, I notice.

Let's hear what he has to say.

Geoff, I think I need to stick up for some of my NHS colleages. As you have never worked in the NHS you are not really in a position to comment on their skills or attitude.
There are a lot of really good technicians in the NHS who often go the extra mile without looking for thanks or payment.
There are three technicians here + me. All work extremely hard. I don't have to chivvy them along, they just get on with the service schedules and only stop me from what I am doing when there is problem.
I am sure there are more departments like ours who seem to be tarred with the same brush as the minority of deprtments that give the majority a bad name.

I would say i have bent over backwards and worked my butt off for my trust.

I was a trainee for a few years doing same work (plus more) as a fully paid tech - which wasnt that fair in my opinion.

And even now im on alot less and doing a TON more boo.

I'm sure you're right, Graham.

But you're wrong about one thing there, if you don't mind me saying. I have probably visited more NHS biomed departments than most people who get on here, and have even worked in a few of them (albeit as an agency technician). I can also claim to have many years of experience in the game, not only as a "hands-on" tech, but also as a manager, contractor, project engineer, writer and all the rest. You'll just have to believe me (or not) when I say that I know a great deal about the attitudes and skills required to succeed as a biomed tech, whether in government hospitals or anywhere else!

My comments are not meant to belittle anybody. In fact my interest is to the contrary, to encourage debate (and, hopefully) improvement in general, and promote the biomed credo in particular.

If that ruffles a few feathers along the way, that can't be helped really. That sort of thing is in the nature of internet forums, I'm afraid.