Technical training
Technical courses for hospital engineers are held at our Morley service centre. Clinical training for nursing staff is given on the ward by our clinical education team.
| Course | Length | Covers | Certificate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1: user maintenance | 1 day | Daily and weekly checks, first-line fault finding, replacing handsets, castors, mattresses and battery packs | Level 1, valid 3 years |
| Level 2: VR-7 and VR-7 XW | 3 days | Planned maintenance, the service tool, event logs, replacing actuators, load cells, lifting columns and controllers, scale calibration, software installation | Level 2, valid 3 years, with a service tool licence |
| Level 2: VR-5 | 2 days | As Level 2 VR-7, for the VR-5 | Level 2, valid 3 years |
| Level 2: VR-A4 pump | Half day | Planned maintenance and repair of the pump | Level 2, valid 3 years |
| Level 2 refresher | 1 day | Changes since the last certificate, practical assessment | Renews Level 2 for 3 years |
Who can attend
Level 2 courses are open to engineers employed by a hospital that owns VR-series beds, or by a contractor maintaining them for that hospital. Delegates for Level 2 should have a recognised qualification in electrical or electronic engineering and experience of maintaining medical equipment. Level 1 needs no qualification.
Places and dates
Courses run most months, with up to eight delegates on each. Dates are sent to the medical engineering contact at each hospital with VR-series beds and are available from the training team. Places are confirmed in writing. Hospitals with a full service agreement have two Level 2 places a year included.
The training room
Delegates work in pairs on four VR-7 beds, two VR-5 beds and a VR-A4 test rig, each with its own service laptop. Lunch is provided. Morley is about ten minutes from junction 27 of the M62, and there is parking on site.
Clinical training
When new beds are delivered, our clinical education team trains the ward’s nurses on the ward, usually over two or three days to reach every shift, and trains link nurses to train colleagues who join later. The VR-7 quick reference is in the document library.