The GenA and CTA Clinical Engineering Sections are active participants in the Institute's education programs. The Institute operates a large anesthesiology residency program. This program currently has 40 medical students and more than 100 residents and fellows. Cleveland Clinic's Nurse Anesthetist Program is also supported. The engineers and equipment technicians educate these individuals on patient monitoring systems, anesthesia machine theory and application and a variety of other medical devices.
- Provide resident training for patient monitoring systems
- Provide System Network Architecture (SNA) training for of patient monitoring systems
- Setup and install multimedia workstations
- Support human patient simulator system
- Support of various multimedia presentations and preparation of lecture material
- Provide support for audio-visual/multimedia equipment systems
- Provide support for difficult airway workshops
A unique feature of the GenA and CTA Clinical Engineering Sections are that the engineers and technicians are an integral part of the OR environment. In addition to the formal scheduled training sessions the clinical engineering engineers and technicians will often be seen working with students and residents as on-site consultants. The two sections are based in areas that are integrated into the operating room surgical suites. This engineers and technicians wear uniforms appropriate for work in the operating rooms making troubleshooting and training in the operating room suites the norm. This accessibility has made the engineering sections a valuable adjunct to any classroom presentation. The GenA and CTA Clinical Engineering Sections are valuable part of the education program as an ongoing resource to support the Institute's education-oriented programs.
A wide variety of students spend time in both Clinical Engineering Sections. There are high school students that do week-long internships and some that spend just a day observing a surgical case and the daily routines. College students often spend several days experiencing not only the daily operating room routine but are offered a chance to work with researchers in the Anesthesia Department and in other departments that have relationships with the sections.
Clinical Engineering Section employees are offered several different educational opportunities. Technicians are sent to service training classes provided by the equipment manufacturers. Internal cross-training is provided by those individuals that have attended the service schools. The anesthesia technicians are offered internally taught classes to assist them along a newly established promotional track.