Responding to industry changes in how medical imaging equipment services are being delivered, field service technical training is also extended to in-house biomedical organizations through MagnaServ's "In-House Choice" equipment service offerings. Biomedical staff training courses are custom-tailored to provide specific equipment technical training to qualified clinical engineering staff. "By training qualified hospital biomedical staff to provide "first call" and preventative maintenance services, it is a benefit for the facility," says Baumgartner. "The facility realizes a significant service contract cost savings, with improved on-site service technician response times."

Some ISO training programs are very specific to one modality. Maull Biomedical Training, Aurora, OH is one that fits this description. The company teaches biomedical service technicians how to operate, PM and calibrate contrast injectors and train on MedRad and Liebel-Flarsheim systems. "Our training provides a huge cost savings to our customers, even short term," says President Steve Maull. "The average service contract for a contrast injector is around $3,000, and a typical hospital group may have five to ten or more of these injectors on contract. So, that is $15,000 to $30,000 a year paid-out for a service contract on a pump." Maull goes on to say for that same $3,000 Maull Biomedical trains students to take all (or nearly all) of these injectors off contract, providing significant, immediate and long-term cost-savings.

Maull says that injectors are really much simpler than the manufacturer would have you believe, "they are just plain piston pumps." Training takes about a day per injector and service technicians are taught proper operation of each model of injector they wish to receive training on, as well as general troubleshooting issues they need to be aware of for each model. They also receive free technical support after training has finished in the event they come across something that wasn't presented in class (troubleshooting issues typically).

Sonora Medical Systems, Inc. is an OEM that trains biomedical and clinical engineers to service ultrasound and MRI equipment and offers basic courses in each modality as well as a number of advanced courses that are system-specific. The most popular course offered at Sonora is for ultrasound, such as advanced training for Philips IU22 and IE33; for Acuson Sequoia; and GE Logic 9.

"Right now, a number of other companies offer the same resources as we do," says Eddie Henry, Marketing Manager for Sonora. "The main point that sets us apart is the fact that our training is college accredited, and we are in partnership with Front Range Community College (FRCC) to ensure the education we provide is undergraduate level in quality." Sonora instructors are certified through FRCC and the program is accredited through the Colorado Community college system (CCCS).