VBA News - July 1997

This year's annual meeting is unmissable! There will be too much to see and do to not be there. Golf tourney, brewery tour, classes, door prizes, awards - It is too good to be true. The registration brochure will be right on the heels of this newsletter so be on the lookout. Take it to your boss the day you receive it - Don't delay!

The 5th annual ski meeting will be here before you know it too. The BMET competition will be back - if you missed it last year I feet sorry for you - it was great! Start getting your teams together now!

Remember, involvement is the key to Power over your career - sitting back will accomplish nothing. Make a commitment to yourself now for your future.

Mary Frye Coker

During the last AAMI annual meeting the SBET Board of Directors and various chapter representatives met to review a restructure or conversion of SBET. The SBET Board and AAMI executive board voted to approve the conversion of an SBET society structure to a BMET product /service committee structure. Within the next four months we hope to make any and all proposed process changes to make AAMI a more effective and efficient organization for the BMET profession. The following brief history and information, reflect the total involvement of AAMI/SBET volunteers and staff within the file past two years.

Background of SBET Committee

February 1995: Task force was put together by AAMI/SBET to review the present structure of SBET.. Members of AAMI/SBET Task force: Les Atles, Gaylord Gordon, Steve Haupt. Scott Long, Marina Stockmaster, Bill Betts, John Koberstein, Mike Miller, and Jane Brookstein.

Task force reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of SBET.

After this review process, a Chapter Committee and a Product/Service Committee was suggested to help serve the needs of BMET's more effectively and efficiently.

MAY 1995: SBET annual board meeting - Bob Larkin appointed President. Steve Haupt appointed Vice President. John Koberstein moves to SBET Chair.

September 1995: Bob Fulcher appointed as AAMI staff to assist SBET. to replace Jane Brookstein. SBET board meeting (midyear) - concerns between AAMI board and SBET board. Chapter committee and Product/Service Committee discussed.

January 1996: Bob Larkin resigns as SBET President. Steve Haupt appointed as President.

February 1996: Meeting with Mike Miller, Bill Short. Ron Abraham, John Koberstein. Steve Haupt and Bob Fulcher to review direction of SBET and objectives of new Product/Services Committee.

June 1996: SBET Board reviewed new committee objectives and how they would assist in SBET objectives. Formation of new Product/Services Committee. Suzanne Stone appointed to replace Bob Fulcher as AAMI staff to assist SBET.

November 1996: Initial Product/Service Committee met to review objectives and process. Objectives of Chapter Committee presented to SBET.

June 1997: SBET board meeting - new proposal to consolidate SBET. Chapter Committee and BMET Product/Service Committee into one.

As you can see many changes have taken place over the last two years, and the meetings and conference calls have been extensive. What do we hope to accomplish with all this craziness'?

Proposed Outcomes from the restructuring of SBET:

Increase BMET influence on AAMI board

Work within the strengths of the present structure.

Local Organizations support the working BMET's. BMET management local issues

National Organization support BMET management, national issues, provide assistance to local organization.

Networking of chapters to enhance communication among all BMET'S.

National products/services to assist in making the BMET profession a distinct, qualified and credible profession.

Two points on SBET must be coveyed

SBET is not Dissolving but converting. The new proposal only. converts SBET into a committee structure. This structure was determined due to other working committees within AAMI and how AAMI .works more effectively. i.e. Clinical Engineering Management Committee

SBET never a true Society SBET origins were based on support to BMET's as an established Society, within AAMI. AAMI board could overrule any SBET board decision. No monies were ever under an SBET fund. except travel funds donated bv Marquette Electronics. SBET board attempted to research, design, market, implement etc. all products for BMET'S.

In other words it was a Hybrid society of volunteer working BMET's who worked very hard to recognize the BMET profession as distinct, qualified and professional.

How will it work?

Here comes the fun part. We are putting together the final stages of the working process. Presently a task force made up of BMET'S. CE's and AMMI Staff will complete the final structure and present it to the AAMI board this fall. During the Virginia Biomedical Association annual conference this task force will meet to adjust the proposed changes. Once this is completed. we will make final recommendations to the AAMI board this fall.

I hope this helps in understanding what is really, going on with SBET. and with a little luck we can move forward into this process to help our profession.

Steve Haupt
SBET President

or "Professional" or "Not Professional" Does appearance really matter?

I think it was Shakespeare who said, "for the apparel oft proclaims the man", or perhaps we should say person in today's politically correct environment. And political correctness is why we should dress professionally. The great philosophical debate that a person's action speaks louder than how they dress means nothing to the hospital visitor, family member. or recovering patient that sees a BMET for only a moment. First impressions are everything to a one time meeting in any profession especially ours.

Different cultures have different apparel. Clothes in China during the Cultural Revolution were easy. Everyone wore the same uniform. But most of us live in Virginia. Look at the doctors, lawyers, bank tellers, even the car sales persons and waiter at your favorite up scale restaurant. Professional dress is well defined and if our profession is to succeed we must adhere to the professional dress standards of the area we live.

If you want to be a BMET. Clinical Engineer or Health Care Professional. look (lie part. dress the part and most of all present yourself as an equal to other professionals. If you want to sell tulips on a street corner in Chinatown it really doesn't matter. Promoting our profession requires much more than a tie, but it's a start.

Ben Clark
Centra Health, Lynchburg
ben.clark@centrahealth.com

I think depending on the application, a tie and the necessary, accouterments should be worn to present a professional image. The Clinical Engineering Department representatives at Martha Jefferson Hospital wear a tie and are expected to dress in such a manner: clean, pressed shirt and pants, matching socks (just kidding about the socks - that's an option). There are times when this type of dress is not applicable. When it's not we don a pair of scrubs.

If you check in job categories and look under the title of Biomedical Equipment Technician, Biomedical Engineer, etc., they're listed as professional jobs. Most jobs listed in Plant Maintenance are listed otherwise and they typically wear uniforms???

My personal opinion is: I think the type of dress that warrants a tie projects a professional image and would like to see all biomeds dress accordingly. Biomedical Engineering is a serious profession. I'm proud of it and this is one way for me to express it.

Michael P. Reichenbach
Manager - Clinical Engineering
Martha Jefferson Hospital

For those who were not able to attend AAMI 97 for whatever reasons you missed a good one. Attendance (unofficially) was the highest ever.

EXPO 97 (vendor exhibition) was also one of the largest (if not the largest) ever. It took several trips between sessions to walk through it. As always all the vendors were willing to talk and most had service group folks available to discuss specific service issues if needed . All of the "expected" vendors were there with their latest product lines and there were several new vendors with new technology/products to pique your interest (was the first time I had seen a gas type sterilizer that created ozone rather than deplete it).

The sessions I attended were full and provided t lot of information. The Plenary session I felt was particularly interesting. The Plenary panel discussion was on tire future of Clinical Engineering (officially titled "Biomedical Support Options: Today and Tomorrow). The presentations ranged from "eventually it's all going to be third party or OEM" to "how to maintain or reclaim what you've got/ had" from the point of view of an in-house person. I spoke with some of the presenters after the session (while touring the exhibit hall) and all were willing to go into further detail on their views.

I came away from AAMI 97 feeling like there is definitely a future out there for Clinical Engineering but it's definitely not going to be "status quo". We're going to have to continue to explore and take on non-traditional avenues to ensure our own futures.

Lee Gilley
Centra Health, Lynchburg
lee.gilley@centrahealth.com

In looking around on the I'net and reading thru some of the journals I've come up on some interesting sites. Some of these you may have seen some not. Some are useable info and reference information and some are just for fun. If you have or know of any sites you think would be useable to others send them in to me and I'll list them in the future.
lee.gilley@centrahealth.com

Found in the 24 x 7 Journal ( Do you get this? It's a free subscription and there ain't nuthin' much free anymore)

http://www.temple.edu/biomed - this is Temple University Biomedical. Lots of information and useful links.

http://invisionet.com/mellink.htm - This is one of the best I've seen for links to anything Biomedical. I've had it bookmarked for some time now, even before it came out in 24 x 7.

Just for fun: http://www.mtn.org/quack - This one has some unique and unusual medical devices that have been produced for the general public.

Is it for personal gratification only or does it carry weight?

E-mail your responses to: ben.clark@centrahealth.com