Distance learning course proving its worth

As reported in March’s HEJ, January 2015 saw the commencement of the first ever Level 5 Distance Learning Diploma in Medical Equipment Technologies, run by Avensys Medical. The 18-month long Diploma is a new higher-level qualification for those employed full-time, and, thanks to a tie-up with IHEEM, allows candidates to benefit from Institute membership while on the course. Here Dave Eveleigh, senior medical engineer and trainer at Avensys UK, talks to a number of students enrolled on the Diploma about their first six months’ study, and what they have learned and gained.

Things can move fast in the world of medical equipment maintenance and engineer training. Readers may have seen in the March 2015 issue of Health Estate Journal an article on how Avensys UK provides a wide range of practicallybased and distance learning training, and is also very much involved in maintaining and repairing medical equipment for NHS Trusts around the country – looking after around 65,000 devices, in fact. March may only be five months ago, but a lot has happened since. Back in March, the first students on the new Avensys distance learning Level 5 Diploma in Medical Equipment Technologies were very new to the course. Now they have six months under their belts, and have completed a third of the Diploma.

There have also been some major developments at Avensys. All Avensys Level 2 and 3 courses are now CPD accredited, so count towards continual professional development, and we have just completed a major extension and refurbishment of our Training Academy in Kidderminster. The Academy is also set to to run a free online CPD training session on September 16, enabling engineers to get a ‘taster’ of the training and the facilities on offer