GE Healthcare, Waukesha, Wis, a provider of health care information technology solutions, is offering a vendor-independent educational program for biomedical and technical professionals, to enhance their knowledge of IT concepts for health care.
The new Healthcare IT curriculum identifies core IT skills critical to servicing and supporting integrated and networked medical devices.
Biomeds face many challenges as their industry evolves, with device connectivity becoming as important as the device itself. The curriculum targets health care-related IT skills biomeds need to quickly diagnose problems affecting workflow and quality patient care—regardless of equipment or vendor choice.
The rapid emergence of networked health care requires biomeds to acquire new skills in areas in which they typically have not played a part. Biomeds understand the differences between life-critical patient information workflow and mission-critical health care enterprise workflow. Among the challenges facing them is where they fit in the cycle of support. Hands-on experience with IT networks and IT concepts gives biomeds the tools to work and communicate effectively with their IT departments.
The program’s foundation course, Essentials of Healthcare IT, explores fundamentals of connectivity. Hands-on labs help students build and troubleshoot flat, switched, routed, and wireless networks, using actual equipment, not simulations. New courses include Wireless in the Healthcare IT Environment and Securing the Healthcare IT Environment.”