By Jim Fedele
As 2021 closes, it is time for me to reflect on the past year. I think about the things I have accomplished and failed at. I use these experiences to learn and adjust for the next year. The COVID-19 pandemic continued to challenge me and my team along with some other issues I never thought I would face.
Managing our work around the coronavirus continues to be a challenge. Our hospitals seemed to be over capacity most days in the past year. As we work to catch up from all the procedures and care that was postponed in 2020, our teams never felt the relief they had hoped to realize. When the number of cases waned, we tore down our temporary ICU in March only to rebuild it again in August. We gathered all the extra vital signs monitors and put them in storage just to get them back out. I know my team is really feeling the burnout of the situation. However, to their credit, they keep their efforts up, solving problems with a smile in support of our clinicians.
The demand for integrated medical equipment continues to grow and so do the problems of working with IT. Our ability to fix issues becomes a blurry line when integration problems occur. It becomes a tug of war to get the resources we need to troubleshoot network-related issues. The biomed team does not have the credentials or tools to access the network, but IT won’t touch medical equipment. It is a continuous source of frustration.
A new issue for me in the past year was finding technicians. We have had four to five openings all year. I have tried everything I know to recruit talent. In almost a year’s time, we have only received 8 or 10 applications. I remember at one time in my career when we interviewed 20 applicants for one job.
We have had some success stealing people from the maintenance department. Luckily, we have found some ex-military guys with electronics training working as third-shift mechanics. I am very pleased with how well they are doing. They have proven to be very capable technicians with a good work ethic. Unfortunately, as I investigate 2022, I see two more retirements on the horizon. Our industry, like most it seems, is really going to struggle to fill vacancies in the future. I imagine we will soon need to figure out how to do things differently and stop doing unnecessary tasks. I do not see a way that we will be able to meet the demand.
My goals for 2022, based on this past year, are to build a more robust emergency equipment inventory. I have learned that when a patient is in jeopardy any monitor will work for our clinicians. Another goal is to build a bridge with IT or train one of my techs to be an IT specialist for medical equipment. One more goal is to communicate with my existing employees to understand what they need to be excellent in their jobs and remove barriers.
For all who read my articles, I wish you a healthy and prosperous new year. I hope you achieve all your goals and take time to enjoy life a little.
Thank you all for your support this passed year and have a wonderful new year!
Jim Fedele, CBET, is the senior director of clinical engineering for UPMC. He manages six Susquehanna Health hospitals. He has 30 years of HTM experience and has worked for multiple service organizations.
