 As doctors, nurses and medical technicians, we depend on a vast array of biomedical equipment to assist us in treating and caring for the patient. At a major army medical center, the biomedical equipment inventory may include up to 20,000 items. The availability and dependable operation of this equipment is crucial to proper diagnosis, treatment and often the very life of the patient. Much of this biomedical equipment is in daily use. Some pieces are one of a kind and cannot be immediately replaced. Other equipment is relatively simple and usually inadequate supply. To allow us to provide the best in patient care, our biomedical equipment must receive the best maintenance care available. These men and women are training at the US Army Medical Equipment and Optical School, which has become the model for civilian training programs throughout the country. As military medical professionals, we're extremely fortunate to have our own biomedical equipment maintenance and repair staff on call 24 hours a day. The availability of such staff expertise is a key factor in efficient biomedical equipment maintenance and also contributes to a significant savings in both maintenance and repair costs. A part of the Army's Academy of Health Sciences, the school is located at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado. Since the school is geographically separated from the academy, we're going to use this film to familiarize you with the medical equipment training program. Then we'll show you how a biomedical equipment section interacts with a medical staff to support the maintenance needs of a major medical center. The school's training curriculum is divided into a basic and an advanced course. In the basic course, students learn to install, service and repair mechanical and electromechanical equipment. Systems such as this respirator, dental equipment and sterilizers. This morning we're going to go into circuit four. Circuit four has four major components. We have the time delay. We have relay K3. Basic students begin by studying electrical fundamentals and simple mechanical components. First one to the two, three position. Doing this we energize T1. Initially, theoretical concepts are put into practice through laboratory troubleshooting exercises. The basic students then move on to analyze and troubleshoot malfunctions in a variety of actual equipment available to the school exclusively for training. The students get hands-on maintenance experience with dental operating units which combine electromechanical components with pressurized water, air, gas and hydraulic systems. They learn about pulmonary equipment such as this anesthesia apparatus which must operate precisely with zero tolerance for error. They also learn to service sterilizing equipment which utilizes higher amounts of electrical energy as well as steam pressure and some totally electronic components. Core students are also introduced to a number of other types of medical equipment. This variety prepares them for the diverse maintenance and repair needs they'll encounter in the field. The goal of the basic course is to teach the students concepts which give them the ability to analyze typical electromechanical components. For example, this training unit is equipped with a series of controllable malfunctions from simple to complex. By activating various combinations, the instructor teaches the student to analyze components in a logical order. The approach prepares the student to apply troubleshooting concepts to any type of electromechanical device, even if they've never seen that specific equipment or model before. The fact that this concept approach is taught using the latest medical equipment which the students will probably service in the field is an instructional bonus made possible by the school's exceptional equipment inventory. Throughout the training program, safety principles and practices are stressed. We talked about how much pressure these gases are under earlier and we said the cyclopropane under very low pressure so we don't use a regulator with it. The students are taught to appreciate and avoid the potential safety hazards associated with each maintenance situation. After completing the basic course, students are assigned to biomedical equipment repair units attached to field medical activities. Students might be at a major military medical center or with a direct combat support medical unit. To continue their academic training during this initial assignment, basic course graduates are encouraged to participate in the school's medical academic preparatory correspondence program. Subjects include introduction to military medicine and surgery, algebra and electricity. We're discussing RC time constants or resistive capacitance time constants. Now this deals with the amount of times it would take a capacitor charged from its minimum level zero to its maximum applied voltage. It would take us five time constants to completely charge this capacitor. After an initial assignment at a field activity, selected students return to the school for the advanced course. Here they broaden their theoretical understanding of electricity. Students can go on to master the principles of solid state and digital electronics. This advanced training is a prerequisite for maintaining today's highly sophisticated electronic biomedical equipment. Remember that when we were monitoring the power supply on the RD-2, the 250 volt range, we have to monitor the power supply on this unit also, except that the tolerance ... As in the basic course, the training approach in the advanced course continues to be concept oriented. The advanced students learn the electronic concepts and the logical troubleshooting procedures, which enable them to analyze malfunctions, even in unfamiliar pieces of equipment. Now that you're familiar with their training program, let's follow three members of a biomedical equipment repair section as they carry out their daily assignments. Like all military missions, successful biomedical equipment maintenance requires proper planning, efficient execution, and experience. Sergeant Wright, the section supervisor, embodies these key concepts. Specialist Trey is one of Wright's most experienced repair technicians. Specialist Judd, I have a work order here for you on an electric bit, award 57. Specialist Judd is a recent basic course graduate getting her initial job experience. In this instance, the mission involves the complex maintenance needs of a major army medical center, but the operational methods shown here apply in principle to all medical activities, regardless of size. Since I've arrived here at the medical center, I've really gained a lot of new experience, not only in equipment repair, but in developing a sound working relationship with the hospital staff, who depend on the equipment, and that's an important factor in doing a better maintenance job. May I help you? Yes, I'm from the medical maintenance, I'm here to fix your bed. Okay. Can I have a pop? Can you show it to me? Sure. Thanks for having me, please. In the six months she's been in the section, Judd's responsibilities have steadily increased. She's gained experience in servicing a variety of basic medical equipment. I was a little nervous about my first few field assignments, but my confidence has really increased now that I've had the chance to apply some of the things I've learned in the basic course. I'm getting eager to work on some of the more sophisticated equipment, but I still realize the important contribution to patient care I'm making by maintaining some of the more basic hospital devices. How's everything going? Fine. The beds working properly now. I replaced the switch and I repaired the tension in the screen. My next goal after I finish my tour here at the medical center is to attend the advanced course at Yusuf Meals, and I'm taking the required correspondence courses now to make sure that it happens. Specialist Prey has completed the biomedical equipment advanced course. His training and experience have made him proficient at repairing all types of medical equipment, including sophisticated solid state and digital electronic components. How was the heating bath on the CPK that I fixed for you last week? It's been working really well. It's a little bit warm. One of the most challenging aspects of my job is keeping up with the rapid advances in electronic technology. Advances in equipment sophistication have required biomedical equipment personnel to expand their skills into many new areas of technology. Increasingly stringent government regulations such as calibration and compliance testing for radiological systems have added further skill requirements. To meet these and other advanced educational needs, the Biomedical Equipment School offers a series of functional courses to qualified repair personnel. Whether it's a kidney or a fetus or whatever. Morning Major. Good morning. I'm having an in-service this Wednesday and I'd like for you to attend if you could. In-service on what? It's going to be on the cardiac monitors. Today's in-service is on the care of your monitors. All you need to take care of these monitors is a little soap and water. One of my responsibilities is to share my knowledge about new and current equipment with the hospital staff. It'll be very dangerous. May I sign right now, have you? Yes. This is Captain Ticklin on Ward 46. Our cardiac monitors have gone out. Maintenance is not always scheduled. Sometimes repairs may be necessary under emergency situations with patients' lives in the balance. Such critical equipment malfunctions require quick action from both the staff and the repair section. But effective emergency repair procedures don't just happen. They must be planned and coordinated. Planning, coordination, and overall maintenance management is the responsibility of the biomedical equipment supervisor. Well, good. It's coming back on. Very good. It's working just fine. Success of our maintenance program from routine inspections to emergency repairs requires effective coordination between the repair section and the hospital staff. So we'll go back and fix it up in case a problem ever happens again. We'll have a quick fix right for it. Sergeant Wright, I have some questions regarding the piece of the portable unit that we want to acquire. Specifically regarding the warranties, what is covered? The manufacturers give a one-year warranty on the controls. Another important function of the biomedical equipment supervisor is providing advice on the selection of new medical equipment. From a maintenance standpoint, we believe that the gas operator would be more appropriate because we fill that up once. When planning for a new purchase, he can provide valuable input concerning compatibility with existing equipment, ease of repair, and the best procedures to follow for maintenance. Sergeant Wright, thank you very much. Your information has been most helpful because I would have thought the battery power would be the unit we'd want. I think the gas power is the item we should purchase instead. Sergeant Wright uses a number of sophisticated management aids to keep on top of the medical facilities maintenance needs. These include computerized repair records, equipment calibration requirements, and preventative maintenance schedules. This tag represents another key management aid, the biomedical equipment maintenance control system. To determine how much money has been expended on a certain piece of equipment. It also determines the amount of PM and electrical safety that is due on this equipment. There are three primary factors. The control system helps Wright make the most efficient use of his maintenance resources, and efficient maintenance translates into maximum availability of equipment to assist all of us on the medical staff in our patient care mission. The men and women who maintain and repair biomedical equipment receive a high level of technical training. They're provided with the best tools and testing devices, and they utilize the latest in management aids. But to get the most out of their training and tools, they need our understanding and cooperation. In today's high technology environment, a close working relationship between the biomedical equipment operator and the biomedical equipment maintainer can go a long way towards ensuring continued high quality patient care.