Technology for Healthcare

Technology for Healthcare

A health care technologist s job is to manage and innovate medical equipment. Health technologists mediate and build bridges between healthcare professionals and technicians and/or between hospitals and manufacturers/suppliers of medical devices and services. Programme profile Because health technologists have both medical knowledge and a wide knowledge of technology, they are an important link between medical staff, the hospital, the manufacturer and the government in its role as legislator. Health technologists are patient-oriented as they consider the interests of the patient group and customer-oriented because they advise healthcare professionals on the best way to use medical devices. Health technologists are able to review clients requirements for medical equipment solutions, draw up a schedule of requirements for new medical equipment, carry out a risk assessment and implement, test and evaluate new medical equipment on the user s premises. They are also able to develop maintenance protocols for the use and maintenance of medical equipment. Research Development Experimentation Competence Management Advice Instruction Leadership Self-management Minimum attainment target adopted for the programme II * II * I III III II * II II * at least one of these competences must be raised one level Institution that offers the programme : Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences Illustration of professional field Occupations, jobs and roles for graduates are mostly to be found in the following professional domains (for a full description of the professional domains, see Section 2). A few examples are given for each domain. Research and development Research worker Policy advisor Application and production Health technician Application specialist Clinical physicist Project manager Commerce and customer service Product specialist Representative Account manager Consultant Instructor or trainer 58 Bachelor of Applied Science Version 1.0, June 2013

Technology for Healthcare Knowledge Health care : oncology, surgery, cardiology and paediatric medicine (neonatology) : rehabilitation, chronic diseases, care of the elderly, care of the disabled : organisation, trends and innovation : ethics General medical and other technology : electrical engineering (analogue and digital), medical physics, biomechanics : medical devices for monitoring, treatment and functional support Technology (diagnosis and medical imaging) : imaging technologies: echography, CT scan, MRI, etc. : radiotherapy and radiation hygiene Technology (focused on care) : design of technical upgrades : homecare technology, domotics (+ robotics) Information and communication technology : databases : information technology : communication technology : telemedicine Safety/management/legislation : quality control and quality control systems : management aspects : patient and general safety, performing risk analyses Skills Applied scientific research : quantitative and qualitative research methods : desk research : statistics (descriptive and inferential) and use of SPSS Reporting and instructing : reporting: writing advisory reports and research reports : writing manuals and instructions, developing e-learning : oral presentation and instruction skills Project management and organisation : project-based work, management skills : business administration Typical textbooks Introduction to Physics in Modern Medicine, Suzanne Amador Kane Praktische stralingshygiëne, G. Brouwer, J. van den Eijnde Toegepaste wiskunde 1 HBO, Jan Blankespoor Wat is onderzoek?, Nel Verhoeven Anatomie en fysiologie van de mens (3e druk), L. Gregoire Elektrische veiligheid in medisch gebruikte ruimten, Mark van Abkoude Introduction to Biomedical Instrumentation, Barbara L. Christe Een praktijkgerichte benadering van organisatie en management, Nick van Dam, Jos Markus Ethiek & techniek, Lambèr MM Royakkers Basisboek anesthesiologische zorg en technieken, J. Peeters The list of typical textbooks serves as an illustration to give an impression of the level at which the subject is taught in the study programme. Bachelor of Applied Science Version 1.0, June 2013 59

Technology for Healthcare Consultant Erik van der Boom: All the competences are useful Name: Erik van der Boom Age: 29 Course of study: Technology for Healthcare Place of employment: ChipSoft Job: Software consultant fter a number of years spent studying A aerospace engineering at Delft University of Technology, I came to the conclusion that it really wasn t for me. I tended more towards the practical than the purely theoretical. Given my background, I was already interested in healthcare and technology (medical analyst mother, nurse girlfriend and programmer father) and lost no time in choosing health technology. The idea of being a bridge between healthcare and technology was very appealing to me. I expected to learn a lot about healthcare and the technology used in it, and the programme fulfilled all my expectations. I had always had a passion for IT and after my first internship at IBM Healthcare I knew for certain that healthcare ICT was the subject for me. At the Medica Trade Fair in Dusseldorf I came into contact with ChipSoft, the Netherlands biggest player in the field of hospital automation. The company does a lot of work on developing new functionalities for improving hospital services and, for my graduation project, I was allowed to work on one of them (CS Maps, winner of the Health Care Innovation Award 2011). On completion of my internship I continued to work there as a software consultant I am the link between hospitals on the one hand and our development department on the other. My work consists of implementing our product (CS-Ezis. NET) on customers premises. I also provide support if there are any queries or problems and translate customers (and my own) wishes and ideas into effective solutions. The programme focuses heavily on the skill of speaking both languages, the languages of healthcare and technology. That s also what I do in my current job: I can talk to both doctors and application managers and translate their requirements into effective solutions. My background comes in handy for this. In practice, I am not consciously using competences. But if I look at my day-to-day work, I can say that it involves all of the competences, from researching into problems and their causes to experimenting and developing new options. In a working group, you have to coordinate operations and advise the customer. Training new staff and customers who attend training courses is also among my duties. Basic skill set In future, I would like to focus more on management, something that I enjoy, but I need to develop a bit further for that. I have gained a good basic skill set from previous experience and the programme but it needs a bit more work before I can use it to best advantage. I also like challenging operational work very much; I don t want to become a line manager but a working foreman or project manager. For the present, I m happy to stay in my job at ChipSoft and intend to progress there. : 60 Bachelor of Applied Science Version 1.0, June 2013

Technology for Healthcare Medical instrumentation technician Sebastiaan Notenboom: You have to create added value from a technical perspective y personal medical history led to my M interest in medicine from an early age. The health technology programme was a good option for me to combine the knowledge from my previous technical training with my interest in healthcare. The programme dealt with a wide variety of subjects inside and outside healthcare. Sometimes, I felt it was lacking in depth; some subjects were in my opinion dealt with too generally. As the programme progressed, my interest increased in aspects of healthcare process optimisation where technology can provide support. Currently, I am responsible for almost all the medical equipment in the Urology, Gynaecology and Pain Medicine departments, with echography and bladder volume scanners as my product specialism (across the hospital). This includes preventive maintenance (quality assurance), corrective maintenance (repairs), assistance and support in the direct care process and an advisory role in areas such as the purchase of new equipment. Widely employable When I look at the competences of the programme, research and development are an important aspect for me. Familiarising yourself with equipment, and the healthcare process around it, is very important and necessary in terms of supporting the care process. A medical technician is also involved in the process of purchasing new equipment, e.g. by getting together with other disciplines to draw up a set of specifications. When providing assistance and advice on the care process that involves the equipment concerned, it is important to have the right knowledge to be able to create an added value from the technical point of view for the care providers In the medical world, you are surrounded by legislation and regulations. This is also true in the area of technology. The medical technician therefore actively tests the equipment himself and checks on the conditions in which the equipment is being used, and ascertains whether they satisfy the specified requirements (as a minimum). The medical technician is responsible for maintaining the equipment within his/her priority area. I also use the competence of instruction. For example, as a medical technician, I regularly provide instruction on the correct use of equipment when new equipment has been purchased and during the care process. My current job provides me with a great opportunity to view healthcare from several perspectives. I work with different disciplines and am faced with a wide range of healthcare procedures. I am currently taking a healthcare management course and I hope that in the future I ll be able to get a job as, for example, a quality adviser, project manager or healthcare manager. : Name: Sebastiaan Notenboom Age: 24 Course of study: Technology for Healthcare Place of employment: Erasmus MC Job: Medical instrumentation technician, Urology, Gynaecology and Pain Medicine departments Bachelor of Applied Science Version 1.0, June 2013 61