Empowering the Biomedical/CE Professional
The Washington State Biomedical Association
A reshuffling of the schedule proved to be a successful change at the last annual symposium for the Washington State Biomedical Association (WSBA). The many months of work put into organizing the symposium paid off for the planners when the new schedule allowed for more attendees to visit with the vendors in attendance. Classes were also a hit. “The robotic surgical device was a very impressive demonstration,” says Jeff Schweer, CBET, president of WSBA. “The feedback over all on the classes was very positive, and really, since the membership had picked the types of classes they were interested in, how...
The Wilson Medical Center Clinical Engineering Department
The Wilson Medical Center campus is located in Wilson, N.C., 45 miles east of Raleigh. The 1300-employee, 296-bed hospital provides comprehensive health care to residents in a five-county area opened in September of 1964. Biomed duties are handled by a small, capable and cohesive team. “At Wilson Medical Center, we have a group of individuals whose talents and experiences complement each other in combining to form an excellent team,” says Jim Downing, CBET, Clinical Engineering/Capital Asset Manager. Downing ought to know. In addition to being the clinical engineering department’s manager, he was one of two of the original department members. Downing, who also...
Passionate about helping people
This year’s professional of the month is David Sieminski, a Senior Field Specialist with Philips Hospital Respiratory Care and a returning volunteer in post-earthquake Haiti. Sieminski, a respiratory ventilation service specialist, has been to Haiti five times since the January 12, 2010 magnitude 7.0 earthquake that caused devastation to the island country near its capital, Port-au-Prince. The quake caused more than $8 billion in damage and is estimated to have killed more than a quarter-million people. Philips assembled a “disaster team” who arrived in the town of Milot, Haiti, to install more up-to-date medical equipment in the over-burdened hospital there....
MD Expo is pleased to announce the location of its Fall 2012 show. Drum roll please… We’re going to Las Vegas! The show will be held Oct. 3-5 at the Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa. Contact MD Publishing to reserve your booth now! “MD Expo has received overwhelming support from neighboring western state biomed associations, including the Intermountain Clinical Instrumentation Society (ICIS), the Colorado Association of Biomedical Equipment Technicians (CABMET), the Arizona Medical Instrumentation Association (AZMIA) and the California Medical Instrumentation Association (CMIA),” said MD Publishing president John Krieg. “The MD Expo in Las Vegas will be a great...
The California Medical Instrumentation Association
In early 1970, a group of electronics technicians and engineers gathered to discuss some of the difficulties they faced in the operation of biomedical engineering departments. Lead by Dennis Heath, Pat Tarzan, George Edwards, Courtney Martin, Dick Habegger and Dick McGraft, this group met for months. In early 1972, they formed the constitution and bylaws for the evolving California Medical Instrumentation Association (CMIA). In October 1972, the first unofficial meeting of the CMIA was held at Santa Ana Community Hospital. The first official meeting was held at Stanford University Hospital and the second meeting took place at General Medical in...
The Gulfport Memorial Hospital Biomedical Engineering Department
When a monster was at the door, this hospital did not flee. In late August 2005, Hurricane Katrina made a direct hit on Gulfport, Miss. Memorial Hospital at Gulfport continued operations uninterrupted. Mississippi’s first primary stroke center was vigilant in the face of danger, providing uninterrupted emergency response despite its close proximity to the waters of the gulf. The 440-bed not-for-profit hospital was first approved for construction by the local county board in July of 1946. In 2005, that construction was tested. The challenge Katrina presented is one that few biomed departments have to ever face. Yet the members of...
Cho Fei Low
There are times we have to sit in the driver’s seat whether we are ready or not. That is as applicable on the job or in a family situation as it is to actually driving. The driver has control, and the passengers trust the driver to get them to their destination safely. That analogy can be applied to a clinical engineering department. If the boss is sidelined, someone has to step in and take over the reins. The ensuing experience can go two ways, depending on the new driver. That was exactly the case at the clinical engineering department at...
The Connecticut VA Clinical Engineering Service Line
To serve and honor those who have served us is the mission of the veterans administration. The organization’s official mission statement comes from a commitment to fulfill a promise first made by President Abraham Lincoln: “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.” It permeates the Veterans Administration throughout its ranks. The VA Clinical Engineering Department in Connecticut reminds us that we should “take a look at our local VA.” That’s the message from Chris Gutmann, John Klemenz and Chris Falkner, all members of the department. In addition to their commitment...
Denise Ferber
It’s one thing to work on medical equipment and feel somewhat detached from that equipment. It helps patients so it plays a critical role. But what if you were the patient and that equipment helped save your life? Your perspective would be forever changed. That was the case with our December Professional of the Month. As a biomed, she always had an appreciation and respect for the equipment she worked on, but when she became the patient, it took on a whole new meaning. “I believe the biggest challenge that I have encountered or experienced would be having a heart...
The Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) at the Ohio State University
The biomed departments of tomorrow will be staffed with technologically savvy engineers who learn about the advanced medical equipment of today in college. Today’s biomed programs focus on training both inside and outside the classroom. An important component of that foundation is early participation in an association. The networking and shared experience of association membership offers another avenue of learning. The Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) at the Ohio State University serves up a full plate of supplemental benefits to those who join and attend the group’s events and meetings. In September, BMES hosted a “Kickoff and Recruitment Meeting,” which offered...
