September 5, 2013 — Agfa HealthCare installed six DX-D 100 mobile digital X-ray systems at the Medical Education & Training Campus (METC), a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) integrated campus. The systems will be utilized in the basic biomedical equipment technician (BMET) training curriculum for all Army, Navy and Air Force BMETs in the DoD. In addition to implementing the DX-D 100 systems, Agfa Healthcare will provide on-site training support at METC to help create a curriculum for the program.
METC, the tri-service training campus located on Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, boasts a state-of-the-art DoD healthcare education campus that trains enlisted medical personnel and has more than 50medical programs and 21,000 annual graduates.
Every DoD BMET trainee will use the DX-D 100 system in their basic X-ray training curriculum, allowing service personnel at METC to be trained on a standard equipment platform that will be encountered in their careers around the globe. Agfa HealthCare's past experience supporting METC programs allowed the company to have an understanding of the training environment and what it takes to meet and exceed the customer's needs and expectations. Other Agfa HealthCare solutions currently implemented at METC include IMPAX PACS, CR 85-X, CR 35-X and DRYSTAR printers, all installed in the METC's advanced telemedicine and teleradiology course since 2004.
“The Medical Education and Training Campus (METC) Biomedical Equipment Maintenance Technician (BMET) Training Program is responsible for training up to 440 Army, Navy and Air Force apprentice level BMETs annually in an intense 11 month program comprised of comprehensive didactic curriculum and challenging medical device practical laboratories,” said Muhammad A. Faaruwq, PMP METC BMET program director. “These new Agfa HealthCare digital X-ray systems will assist METC in satisfying two major mission training objectives associated with malfunction isolation and preventive maintenance inspection and calibration of mobile radiographic systems.”
Included in the list of BMET program graduates is Mike Nielsen, Agfa HealthCare’s sales manager, Government — Western Region, who knows firsthand the significance of this training program that prepares medical personnel for Warrior Care, treating military personnel on the front lines.
“The government team within Agfa HealthCare has a strong background in working with the military combined with a firsthand understanding of the Medical Education & Training Campus’ specific needs,” said Nielsen. “Our service engineers know how the program works, offering an ease of service and maintenance as well as hands-on curriculum development that will assure our success and enable the BMETs to have the best training experience for this important task at hand.”
The DX-D 100 is a highly maneuverable digital radiography (DR) system that combines full mobility with Agfa HealthCare’s excellent image processing. The result enables high- quality radiology exams to be efficiently performed in mobile environments, including intensive care units (ICUs), emergency departments, operating rooms or at the bedside when combined with Agfa HealthCare’s MUSICA2 image processing, the industry leading image processing software, which produces excellent image quality.