I would say he almost certainly has a decent amount of technical skill (obviously no one would question his ability to use a screwdriver, or a multimeter, etc…) but there are some unique things about the biomedical industry.
The biggest thing is that there is the expectation that a tech will know at least something about physiology and medicine. I mean…if a nurse calls and says the NIBP is reading a high systolic, would he know what that means?
I do know there are some biomed tech programs out there, generally two-year, but I’d say about half of the content would be things he probably already knows (basic physics, electronics, etc…) So while I wouldn’t say he’d have to go get another degree, a couple classes in physiology wouldn’t hurt.
But it’s not something that can’t be learned on the job, either. I went to school for a 4-year engineering degree, as did three other techs in my company. Three of us were biomedical engineering, and one was mechanical. So I knew a lot of the physiology, and the theory behind how the devices worked, but no real “hands-on” experience. We also have a tech that used to be an OR tech/assistant, and my manager used to be an RN and was a similar story. So there are a lot of different backgrounds that biomeds start from.
I’d say if it’s really something he is interested in, then I’d be more than happy to give him more info if you want to PM me with his questions.
Quite true. As I understand it, magistrates in civil-law countries (and esp. Spain, Italy and France) often act more as a prosecutors than as impartial judges or magistrates in the U.S., personally conducting investigations, issuing subpoenas and questioning witnesses. The anti-Mafia magistrates in Italy have won some renown for their tenacity.
No coaching here, at least by me. We had a person that just did coaching, but they never filled the position after she left. Now the supervisors do it, and I think do it as little as possible! Once a call is scored, I don’t hear about it again unless it is challenged. And I like it that way.
I recruit participants for focus groups and research studies. I’m on the phone all day, and if you get a call from me, it’s because I want to give you money for your opinions! How cool is that?
I thought about, but didn’t, but then decided to add that all of you should sign up with Market Research companies, if you like giving your opinions and getting paid for it. We and the other companies recruit from all over the country and at one time or another, we would be looking for people in all of your professions, and that’s true even if we don’t have an office in the city where you live (and we have offices all over the country). There are focus groups that meet at an office. There are focus groups that meet at local places (businesses, hotel meeting rooms, etc.). There are research studies that are conducted by telephone. There are research studies that are conducted online (through, for example, private Facebook groups). Practically every subject under the sun can be and has been a topic of a focus group/research study, from cancer treatments, to fabric softeners, to automobiles, to fruit juices, to cell phones, to children’s toys, to mock juries, to technology in schools, to politics, to drugs given to schizophrenics, and on and on and on.
Most of the time we recruit from our database, from people who have signed up with us to be called for focus groups. Sometimes we have to cold call, and some people think it’s a scam, but it’s not, which is easily checked once we give the name of our company and they can check us out before continuing. Doctors are usually the easiest cold calls, since many of them are familiar with research studies conducted over the phone. Mock juries are the hardest cold calls because most of the calls go to people who have never heard of a focus group, let alone a “mock jury.” But most of the time we recruit from our vast database, and those calls are a joy, because all I have to do is say the name of our company and people perk up. They know why I’m calling and want to see if they qualify. Except for the occasional people who grumble “I never qualify for these things” which makes me feel bad if they go through the screener and don’t qualify, yet again. But mostly it’s a good job. Not the highest-paying job, but rewarding in its own way. I give money away, that’s why I said, how cool is that, because it’s pretty cool.
I’m Director of Research for an advertising agency.
I knew, from about the end of my freshman year of college, that I wanted to go into market research. I focused my education on that – I got a BBA in Marketing, then an MS in market research.
I spent a decade working in market research for two “packaged goods” companies (a company which made personal-care products, then a food company).
At that point, I realized that I didn’t fit in well on the corporate side, and left that side of the business to go into advertising. I was an account planner for 11 years, and just changed departments to be the Director of Research for my agency’s “Customer Intelligence” department.
Generally speaking, my job is to (a) uncover research sources that are out there (many of which are studies which research companies have conducted, and to which we subscribe), (b) get research studies fielded for those times when we discover that the sources in (a) aren’t sufficient, and (c) help the rest of my department analyze the data we get in (a) and / or (b), and interpret the results.
Related to Equipose’s post: I hire companies like that one to conduct my studies for me.
You’re about the only person in this thread that I couldn’t recruit, because most screeners start with a question along the lines of “Do you, or does anyone in your household or immediate family, or close friends, work, either now or in the past, in…[list of various fields related to the study, and] marketing, market research, advertising or public relations?” A yes would prompt a “I’m sorry, we can’t use you for this particular study, but thank you for your time.”
Indeed. When I’m approached by a research recruiter (either in person at a mall, or on the phone), I’ll usually let them give me the screening questionnaire, just because I’m curious to see what they’re doing. Any researcher worth their salt should have a “sensitive industry” question in there, as you note, to get rid of people like me…but you’d be surprised at the number which don’t.
ETA: The reasons for screening out people who work in those industries are (a) they probably know too much about the research technique itself, which could lead to biased answers, and (b) the information in the research study is often proprietary (e.g., ideas for new products), and you don’t want to risk having a competitor getting their hands on it.
