Biomeds Find Their Volunteer Spirit at Home and Abroad

Abstract

A ltruism is the act of doing something to benefit someone else, while making a sacrifice of your own. Biomeds are, by their nature, altruistic. On the whole, we care about the patient (from a safety and wellness perspective), the hospital (from a financial perspective), and society (from a well-being perspective). Many of us exhibit this altruism through our churches and other volunteer activities. And some of our colleagues show that spirit by offering their professional skills in areas where they are critically needed.Biomeds, clinical engineers, and imaging engineers possess talents that are in demand around the world. It is these special skills—maintaining and operating medical equipment, and educating others in how to do the same—that we should offer to others.The American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE) organized 45 trips between 1991 and July 2010 to other countries for the purpose of teaching clinical engineers about healthcare technology management. ACCE members volunteer their time, and travel costs are covered by the registration fees of the participants. Countries served by these professionals include many in South America, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. I had the opportunity to spend a week in Cuba in 2007.TriMedx, a provider of healthcare equipment services in Indianapolis, ID, has the TriMedx Foundation, which supports company employees who volunteer in other countries. TriMedx is unique in that it not only pays all travel costs of these employees, but it also gives them paid time off—meaning employees don't have to dip into their vacation days to do good works overseas.The Georgia Biomedical Instrumentation Society organizes periodic work days where members help Med-Share International check, repair, test, and prepare medical equipment for shipment to other countries. This kind of volunteer work is not only enjoyable, but it also fosters important professional relationships.What are the benefits of such volunteer efforts back at the workplace? First, some employees probably feel closer to their jobs because of company-paid volunteerism opportunities. I have spoken to many TriMedx employees who stay at their same jobs and resist outside job offers, in part, because of their ability to take these trips year after year.Second, when coworkers volunteer together, there is a bond created that exceeds anything that the normal workplace can engender. Building a playground with your fellow BMETs or taking care of the veterinary equipment for the local zoo can help to foster a sense of job security.A few years ago in Atlanta, several biomedical department employees volunteered to take inventory, maintain, and upgrade much of the veterinary equipment used at the Atlanta Zoo. We can say with pride that we had a role in the successful birth of a baby panda, due to our donated equipment, maintenance skills, and willingness to be on call in the case of an emergency at the zoo.A biomedical department is a team. We support each other, encourage each other, and share our victories and hardships. We sometimes get closer by organizing bowling or softball teams, but the real way to build bonds with coworkers and help others at the same time is to volunteer. I have no doubt that cohesive teams function better than a collection of unconnected individuals. Start building your team today, and include service to others in your team-building activities.