MedWrench Guru of the Month - Rich Sable

November 2017 Guru of the Month: Rich Sable

How long have you been a member of MedWrench?   

I’ve been a member of MedWrench since its inception six years ago. In fact, I met Kaylee at an MD Expo and asked her about this website and it was a eureka moment for me. Many professions had similar websites and I often wondered why the Biomed field did not have an online community. This is a fantastic site to find information and share your expertise with others.

What aspect of MedWrench do you utilize the most? 

I like to build “My Bench” with devices I work on regularly and I subscribe to the news feeds on those products. This way, I can browse the questions and answers to continue my education on those products or I provide service advice to others who can benefit from my experience.

Are you aware that MedWrench now has a mobile site? If so do you use it from your smart phone or tablet? 

Yes, but I don’t use it as often as the laptop/desktop versions. Besides, everybody has their own preferred way to do things and it’s great that MedWrench provides multiple options for its users.

What do you like most about MedWrench? 

I like the sense of community that MedWrench created and professionals from many organizations are sharing advice and knowledge from their experience on products with others in need of service or calibration advice. In fact, I follow service advice on products that were recently purchased to gain background service information. This is a great way for new technicians to broaden their technical knowledge. 

What do you think about the new version of MedWrench for your desktop?

I really like the new desktop version of MedWrench because it’s easy to navigate and the color scheme along with the available information make it very powerful to use. Right from the home screen you find quick access to current news including recalls, the ability to ask a question or find equipment, and the ability to see the most current topics at the bottom of the page. Many times, I just scroll to the Recent Question/Active Question section to see if I can help or increase my knowledge base.

Where are you currently employed? What is your position there? 

Recently, I joined EQ2, LLC., and I am the Product Manager for HEMS CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System). In this role, I manage the customer experience and bring user feedback to the development team where new ideas can be implemented into the program. Additionally, I assist the sales team and distributors when they have technical questions and keep the customer up to date with their implementation plans.

What type of equipment do you work on the most? 

The devices that I worked on the most in my previous position were specialized cardiac devices, imaging, laboratory, and networked medical devices.  

In your current position do you purchase parts? 

In my present position, I don’t order parts like I did when working for a hospital, but MedWrench introduced me to many different vendors and suppliers for parts that I used in repairs of our medical devices.

What is your role in the process? 

When I found a new parts supplier, I discussed it with my director and we added them to our vendor list and enter this information into our HEMS database for access by everyone in the department.

What are your hobbies? 

I’m an audiophile, not audio snob, and I really enjoy listening to many different genres of music including classic rock, jazz, alternate rock, blues, and classical music, but I like big components and speakers to immerse myself into the music. Also, I enjoy exercising and visiting our National Parks because we have a beautiful and geographically diverse country.

What is one word that describes you the best?

Approachable.

What advice do you have to anyone just graduating and entering in the HTM Field? 

With the continued movement towards networking and EMR, I would highly recommend gaining computer and networking skills to better understand both the medical devices and their interconnectivity to the hospital system. Therefore, I would recommend taking A+ or NET+ courses and though certification is a nice thing to have, in my experience it's not as important as the knowledge and skills gained from the courses themselves.

Watch our interview with Rich at the 2017 MD Expo in Orlando!