This article takes at look at celebrating 26 years as a Biomed. Paul Neher is a Supervisor of Biomedical Services and CBET certified. He works for Parkview Health and is based in Indiana in the United States.

Working as a Biomed – the mission and the vision

Introduction

As I prepare to celebrate my 26th year as a biomed, I think back on my “why?”
What’s my mission?
What’s my vision?

Vision

To create a safe environment where patients can receive the best care possible. We accomplish this by adherence to state and federal codes and standards and best practices. We do this by doing the right thing for the customer, every time, and above all, do no harm.

Safety as a Biomed

Both in the environment of care, as well as in the equipment we service, we don’t just do “good enough to move on.” As a biomed, I was always taught to leave any device I touched good enough that I would use it on a family member. It may work, but is there the possibility of fluid invasion? Does it rattle? Is it at the edge of tolerance or in the zone? Is it electrically safe?

Compliance

As we know, the Joint Commission, Board of Health, and the NFPA set the majority of the codes and standards we follow in the USA. Our customers follow CAP and other accrediting bodies, and we support them in those accreditations. The Emergency department (ED) hold stroke and trauma ratings and need our help keeping those standards of care. Compliance is more than just hitting PM percentages; it’s validating we are meeting the standards and allowing our customers to do the same.

Doing the right thing as a Biomed

New Biomeds ask me, “How do I know what to do?”

The answer is relatively simple:

“If you make decisions based on what is the best thing for the patient, you will always be right.”

It’s easy to get caught up in what procedure says, what the boss says, what the policy says. While those are always good standards to follow, life is going to throw curves your way that are not so black and white.

What do your instincts tell you?

What’s the RIGHT thing?

During COVID, many of the stringent codes and requirements were set aside, waivers were given, policies temporarily set aside, so that we could do the right and emergent thing to take care of our patients. We worked over, because it was needed. As well, we set up clinics and networks in places not designed for that because people needed to be cared for. We went outside supply contracts because equipment HAD to work to care for our patients. We needed the PPE, and supplies were hard to get. Do the right thing every day and you will always be right.

Do no harm as a Biomed

While none of us would intentionally hurt a patient or fellow co-worker, have we cut corners? Have we simply checked the boxes to get by or have we taken all the steps to complete all the work orders, done all the work necessary to make everything safe and right? Have we “pencil whipped” tasks to make metrics or did we really do all we could? Cutting corners and not doing our jobs correctly could be just as harmful in the long run as blatant neglect. Think on your work with every task, “Have I done everything correctly that needed to be done?”

Conclusion

As I look back on my career as a Biomed, even as I look at my work every day, I feel the conviction of vision, safety, doing the right thing, and doing no harm. It’s proven that 1% incremental changes over time get bigger results than big changes. I know my weaknesses, especially as it pertains to my leadership and growth. How about you? What can we do better? How can we raise the bar?
Never stop learning. Never stop growing. And if I can help you, please let me know.
Paul Neher
Supervisor of Biomedical Services, Parkview Regional Medical Center

Paul Neher’s career and philosophy as a Biomed

To learn more about Paul’s career and philosophy, go to:
Working with a servant’s heart and a willingness to care

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