Atlantic Canada Clinical Engineering Society

The ACCES board of directors recently held their Annual General Meeting, which took place on Thursday, May 18^th 2017, in Moncton, New Brunswick. The floor was opened for nominations to the vacant Director of Education position, but none were received. However, after a few members showed interest in lending a hand, an Education Committee was formed.

The Education Committee has since met, and together they have laid the groundwork for a series of educational offerings through online webinars based on speaker sessions from ACCES22. Expect emails to be sent to the ACCES distribution list as soon as webinars are scheduled and available. Coming soon!

Dear ACCES Members,

It is finally nice to see that summer has arrived to the Atlantic Provinces, bringing with it the nicer weather, which we all deserve. Especially deserving are those individuals who participated in hosting ACCES22 this year in Moncton.

In May 2015 ACCES (Atlantic Canada Clinical Engineering Society) and CMBES (the Candian Medical and Biological Engineering Society) signed a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between out two Societies.

CMBES is Canada's principal society for engineering in medicine and biology. It is a member of Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC)and affiliated with the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE).

• Our mission is to support clinical engineering professionals working in Atlantic Canada. We strive to develop and promote opportunities for continuing education, personal growth, sharing of experience, adoption of standards of practice, and certification. To achieve these goals, the directors developed a 4 year strategic plan to help focus our energies.
• With your assistance in our member poll and a facilitator, the ACCES directors identified 4 strategic directions with priorities and timelines assigned to each.
• We hope these directions align with your view of what a successful Clinical Engineering Society looks like and we welcome any feedback you have on the direction of your society. Please contact any of the Executive via the information on our contact page.

On May 9^th, at the midpoint of the Saint John conference at our Annual General Meeting, I officially retired as the President of ACCES. The past 7 years have been a roller coaster of challenges and exciting triumphs, for the original foundation committee, and then the new Executive Board of the Society.  I leave the post with a lifetime worth of great memories and a sense of tremendous accomplishment. We have created a healthy and vibrant organization where nothing existed before.

The International Certification Commission provides formal recognition for Clinical Engineering and Biomedical Technology. Certification as a Biomedical Engineering Technician or Technologist (CBET) demonstrates excellence in theoretical as well as practical knowledge of the principles of biomedical equipment technology and the underlying physiologic principle, and the practical, safe, clinical application of biomedical equipment. His/her capabilities may include installation, calibration, inspection, preventative maintenance, repair, modification, design and development of general biomedical and related technical equipment, and in equipment control, safety and maintenance. It also demonstrates a strong commitment to your professional career.

The cornerstone for ACCES was laid in November of 2006. We began with a meeting of interested CE professionals hosted in Moncton. This visionary group became the foundation team which launched regional discussions in 2006. These conversations evolved and grew through 2007. The 2008 spring conference in Newfoundland was followed by our incorporation as the Atlantic Canada Clinical Engineering Society in the late summer of 2008.

The Atlantic Canada Clinical Engineering Society (ACCES) officially came to exist in April 2008. 

As ACCES’s first president I am pleased to have the opportunity to recognize the efforts of the many volunteers who worked behind the scenes for those first 18 months before our official launch. Without their support and vision this would not have been possible.  I would especially like to thank the team in Moncton, and particularly Paul Auffrey for his dedication and determination which launched and continually delivered the Moncton Biomedical Conference for more than a decade.