July Guru of the Month - Lonnie Dockter

July Guru:
Lonnie DockterLonnie has been in the biomedical engineering field for 29 years! As a General Biomed Tech III at Tri- State Memorial Hospital in Clarkston, WA, what he works on the most seems to come and go in spurts. For a time, he says, "it will be a string of failures on MedSurge beds, next it could be bladder scans or vitals monitors.  It all just depends!"  He also purchases parts and some supplies if departments have difficulty sourcing.  He will offer viewpoints and recommendations, but does not purchase capital equipment, unless it is a piece of test equipment for the shop. 

Lonnie's Ben C. & friends

To grow in his career, Lonnie uses webinars when available, reads the trade journals, and occasionally goes to factory training courses.  "I also interrogate... I mean, ask a lot of questions when there is an FSR on site." 

Lonnie remembers using MedWrench since 2014 when he referenced the July newsletter, and still enjoys the newsletter today! He mostly uses MedWrench for service manuals, but also uses it for the community forums and to source used equipment. "I like to keep up on the trials, tribulations and dilemmas faced by others in the field."

Lonnie celebrating with his teamCurrently on his bench are two Philips M3001A modules waiting for a configuration upgrade, and a Philips Patient Interface Module (PIM) to be replaced.  He just received parts for a Steris 3085 Surgery Table.  He also has a Hospira PCA Pump due for PM and two new pieces of surgery equipment to be checked out and inventoried. 

Outside of his career in biomed,  Lonnie likes to "flat water" kayak and do a little fishing, camping and riding his motorcycle.  He also hunts and is a competitive shooter in both Bullseye Pistol and CMP Rifle.  Lonnie confidently states, "I do not golf and will probably never start since I already have enough money sponging hobbies!"

Thank you, Lonnie, for your dedication to the HTM field! We appreciate your input and wisdom in our community. 

"Be ready when opportunities present themselves," Lonnie advises newbies. In regards to all biomeds, Lonnie says it best, "Tell your friends what a great career it is. The world needs more of us!"

Want to be our next MedWrench Guru or know someone that should? Send us an email at mandy@medwrench.com to nominate or be considered!