The Importance of Training and Education

Q: Please explain the importance of continuing education as it relates to this field.

A: As professionals, Imaging Engineers need to be exposed to new technology and experience how the OEMs are implementing that technology in their new imaging systems. Continuing education is an excellent example of the “Evolve or Else” effect; if an engineer does not stay current with their training and experience they will eventually lose their ability to be effective.

What we have seen firsthand is that an engineer is only as valuable as their ability to work on current and evolving technology. New technology is always built upon older, established tenens within the industry but the speed at which technology evolves continues to become a shorter and shorter cycle. This reduced development and implantation timeframe equates to a higher demand for current knowledge and experience.

Continuing education is also an investment in an engineer’s future. It provides a way to establish an increasing personal value to their employer. It also demonstrates a commitment to being “part of the solution verses part of the problem”; having the ability to provide support in multiple areas of need.

Q: What can Imaging Engineers expect regarding your new class offerings? 

A: We are very excited to offer three new course offerings in 2018; Definition AS CT, Luminos Agile Fluoroscopic and Ysio Radiographic systems. These new courses focus on three current Siemens platforms and we are the only training provider besides Siemens to offer training on these systems.

These courses will follow the same 8-day plan as our existing course offerings, eliminating the need to travel on weekends; which is important to everyone’s work-life balance. Every course has two primary goals; to provide a functional understanding and knowledge of the systems and hands-on exposure, through working on the systems.

Q: What sets Technical Prospects apart from others when it comes to training? 

A: Along with our 8-day schedule, each of our training offerings average 30-35% lecture and 65-70% hands-on lab exercises. Our goal is to have every student leave our courses with a strong fundamental understanding of how to properly troubleshoot, service and support the system. This includes the knowledge and experience to handle the most commonly occurring failures, part replacements and the EOM developed preventative maintenance procedures.

Q: Who should attend your classes?

A: Anyone looking to further their first-hand knowledge and experience of Siemens Medical Imaging systems. This includes but is not limited to in-house imaging engineers, Independent Service Organizations (ISO’s) engineers and anyone who is looking to acquire more opportunity and responsibility in supporting their company’s or organization’s imaging systems. For Biomedical Engineer’s or those new to the Imaging field, we offer online, basic introductory courses; Introduction to X-ray, Introduction to CT and Siemens syngo.

Q: What advice do you have for those entering into the Imaging Engineer profession? 

A: I strongly encourage anyone interested in pursuing the Imaging Engineering field to reach out to people already in the field and the training organizations that exist to get some personal insight. This can be a demanding but very rewarding career and offers a great deal of challenging situations and environments. Also consider learning the basics of the field prior to entering it; training in Radiation Safety and Basic X-ray/radiation production are required.

The Imaging Engineering profession encompasses a great deal of opportunity; working within one, several or all the imaging modalities. The opportunities are diverse and each offers its unique challenges and rewards.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to tell the MedWrench community about Technical Prospects?

A: We are Experts in Siemens Medical Imaging, providing solutions for imaging parts, training and support to customers all over the world. Give us a call to see how we can best assist you, your department or your company.

To learn more about Technical Prospects, visit their website.