By K. Richard Douglas
Windsor, Ontario sits across the Detroit River from Detroit on the Canadian side. The city features a waterfront park that stretches three miles and is known as the “Automotive Capital of Canada.”
The city also has two campuses of St. Clair College. The college is known for it’s excellent biomedical engineering technology program. One of the program’s graduates is Erika Colombe, biomedical engineer technologist for TRH services in Cambridge, Ontario. Colombe works as a field service technologist with the company.
While Colombe’s interest in the biomed field began in high school, it was piqued while attending St. Clair.
“I learned and got into the HTM field through my professors at St. Clair College. These professors are James Linton and Jim Durocher. They introduced this to my class and encouraged us to integrate any management into any of our assignments with emphasis on our project management course,” she says.
Colombe says that the program she took was biomedical engineering technology, a three-year advanced diploma in Canada.
The biomed job opportunities are not that great in Windsor, but Colombe was prepared for that reality before entering the job market.
“I was pretty lucky to have professors that were pretty straight forward about this topic. I would’ve never found a job in Windsor, my hometown. I had to move away. Currently, right now, the jobs in Ontario itself are very limited; most of them are located out of province but definitely not as bad as if in the U.S. I see jobs all the time for the U.S. as compared to Canada,” she says.
She says that working for an independent company, her training looked a little bit different.
“I had one-on-one training with the other technicians on job sites for about a month then I was on my own. Since then, I have helped develop a more standardized training program for my company. After that I have received a variety of manufacturing training on various equipment,” Colombe says.
Today, as a senior technologist, she offers support to new members of her team, including job preparations, what questions to ask, etcetera.
“I am not only working with management I directly report to, but management at the sites I work at. St. Clairs’ Project Management course encouraged us and taught us that every single person you work for/with is management and always a customer – whether it is a nurse, physiotherapist, dentist, etcetera,” Columbe says.
Since entering the field, Colombe has worked as a biomedical technologist, senior technologist and team trainer.
A PASSION FOR THE JOB
With a few years under her belt, the field-tested biomed is used to challenges and knows she is on the job to get the repair completed.
“One of the biggest challenges I have faced in itself comes from working for an independent company. When describing what we do, I call us a ‘fix it company.’ We fix everything. For our customers, we do not send anything back to the manufacturer unless it is our only option. With this, it means a lot of learning and troubleshooting,” Colombe says.
That often requires troubleshooting older equipment. She says that this means understanding the issue and repairing it on the first try.
“In addition, because we work on so much equipment, it has been a challenge simply learning it all. We work anywhere from surgical sites, dental offices, physiotherapy clinics, hospitals; basically, anything medical we work on. This went way beyond the scope I was taught in school and three years into my career, I am still learning,” Colombe says.
She says that on a more interpersonal level, time management is one of the hardest challenges and she tells every new member of her team that.
“If I am only given five hours on site to complete a job, I have to finish it and I am not leaving until it’s done. This is because of costs from our end as well as [the] customer’s end. Customers do not want to pay for us to come onsite another day if we don’t need to. They are given a time a frame and we are expected to complete it in that time frame. So, time management is an absolute key part of my job,” Colombe says.
Colombe describes herself as “just a young woman passionate about what she does.”
“I try my best to make light of everything; my job is tough. And it’s not only tough for me but for all the other techs as well. I want to keep the team in a good mood constantly and I try my best to do that – my boss would describe me as a ‘yapper’ when I’m around everyone,” Colombe says.
Family includes a twin sister who is a nurse.
“She’s two minutes older and never lets me forget. I also have an older brother who is a biomedical engineering technologist, although he followed in my footsteps,” Colombe says.
When not working, she enjoys painting, drawing and occasionally even playing video games.
“I was an avid soccer player for most of my life and even to this day, I still love the sport,” she says.
“I do have memberships with MedWrench and I also follow TechNation as a whole. Here in Ontario, I am working towards my OACETT, certified engineer technologist certifications,” she adds.
Biomed customers in Ontario can rest assured that when this biomed is on the job, the goal will be to get things fixed. A passion for the field can only mean good things.
Biometrics
Favorite book:
I am currently reading a Court of Thornes and Roses series and loving it!
Favorite MOVIE:
I’m not much of a movie watcher but my favorite television show is “Vanderpump Rules.” I’m a sucker for good reality TV.
Favorite FOOD:
It’s cliché, but I could eat pizza every day. Specifically, pizza from Windsor, Ontario, my hometown; it’s what Windsor is known for.
Hidden talent:
I’m not sure yet but I did teach myself to play the guitar.
Favorite part of being a biomed?
My favorite part of being a biomed is the challenge. As much as it drives me crazy, I love working on broken equipment and trying to figure out what is wrong with them. The reward when you figure it out is blissful.
Why do you read TechNation?
I read TechNation because there is so much to learn from everyone in all parts of society. I love reading about people who do the same job I do and see what their days look like compared to mine. I like to read about the new skills that people mention and how I can apply them to my everyday life.
Professional of the Month Nomination
