By K. Richard Douglas
Biomed associations and societies can look at their recent history in terms of pre-pandemic and post-pandemic. The pandemic threw a wrench into the operations of most groups and forced changes. One or two groups did not survive.
This isn’t necessarily new. Some local and regional biomed groups have materialized and then dissolved in the past without the challenge of a pandemic.
One regional biomed group that has survived is the New England Society of Clinical Engineering (NESCE).
“NESCE was one of four regional CE organizations in the northeast. The others were the Medical Device Society (MDS) in Massachusetts, the Northern New England Society of Biomedical Technology (NNSBET) in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire and the Iroquois Biomedical Society (IBS) in eastern upstate New York. These four societies were formed at about the same time as clinical engineering was growing. The societies worked together to hold an annual conference which was hosted by each group on a rotating basis. NESCE is the only remaining active regional CE organization in the Northeast,” says Ashley O’Mara, the group’s president.
O’Mara says that a group of clinical engineering directors from the Hartford, Connecticut area was instrumental in the group’s creation.
“Mark English, director of CE at Hartford Hospital, and Ernie Gignon, director of CE at UCONN Health Center, were two of the founders,” she says.
The society covers biomeds in an expansive area of the Northeastern United States.
The New England region of the country is comprised of the states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. It is anchored by the city of Boston and has significant historical relevance to the U.S. going back to colonial times.
NESCE was founded on December 10, 1975. The society’s history has included a big focus on education and student participation is a key pillar of the group. The region that the society covers also includes some of the country’s leading educational institutions.
The group not only survived the pandemic, but adopted procedures to keep members connected.
“NESCE continues to adapt to the changing times and the work/life balance, the HTM community continues to try and find. We offer both virtual and in-person quarterly meetings,” O’Mara says.
Regional Event and Education
In the past, the group has hosted a symposium every three years. The society has also traditionally hosted quarterly membership meetings. As mentioned earlier, the pandemic had an influence on the operations of many biomed groups.
“As COVID has changed the HTM community, NESCE has adapted by offering both virtual and in-person quarterly meeting formats,” O’Mara says.
NESCE has its 2024 regional meeting and event on the calendar, as well as an event scheduled for 2025.
“We will be partnering with MD Expo for the fall 2024 Expo being held October 8-10 at the Mohegan Sun Casino. Our next NESCE Symposium will be held in October of 2025, with a location to be determined. Both events will feature keynote speakers, education sessions, vendor expo halls and networking activities for the New England HTM community,” O’Mara says.
Next year will also see a new program added to the society’s offerings.
“We are planning to launch a NESCE student scholarship program at our 2025 NESCE symposium,” O’Mara says.
The group will also begin initiative to help create a pipeline for new biomeds entering the profession and coordinating with local programs.
“The NESCE Executive Committee has recently launched an HTM outreach subcommittee. This group will be building relationships with local biomed technical schools/community colleges as well as reaching out to local high schools,” O’ Mara says.
The goal is to supplement current efforts to help replenish the talent-drain from the HTM profession caused by retirements.
“The association works closely with the UCONN clinical engineering master’s degree program and subsidizes their attendance at select quarterly membership meetings to allow the students to interact with HTM professionals throughout New England that may be recruiting,” O’Mara says.
She says that NESCE also has an active membership development subcommittee that meets routinely to look for new ways to recruit members, including free membership drives, social media membership campaigns and more.
“HTM leaders in New England continue to look for entry-level technician training partnership programs and NESCE is working on how to best assist the HTM community in these efforts,” O’Mara says.
As a biomed society that survived the early days in the region, NESCE has grown and brought together the HTM community in the Northeast and survived the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. It now is doing its part in connecting with new biomeds and helping the field replace a dwindling workforce.