Where can a schoolboy go to study if he does not want to be a doctor,
but dreams of working in the medical field?
This site began with a question I asked myself.
The question was very simple and read as follows: «What medical schools in the world can a graduate from Russia apply to after graduation?
It arose after I ran across the sites of the best private clinics in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and saw that in the medical vacancies quite often mentioned the advantages in hiring if the applicant has a foreign medical education.
Now, six months later, I already understand that basic medical education in any developed country of the world is about the same.
Whether you come to Russian or European continental universities for six years program, whether you study in Western European countries according to three years bachelor + three years master, whether you go through general medicine year in France, where they take everyone, in order to pass the exam for the second year, where there are 10 times less places than in the first year, or whether you take a difficult single exam to enter medical institutes of Germany or Austria (oh, Vienna!) — at the end you get approximately the same knowledge.
Regardless of the country and language of education, you will learn biology and biochemistry, pass medical physics and Latin, spend a year or two in anatomy, and gallop through all the major diseases.
Yes, university curricula will be different, but in any case it will be in any country roughly a similar set of subjects that you will need to master.
The difference, and a huge one, will start later, in residency.
The interesting thing about my little project is that before, 25 years ago, no one in the world, not even Bill Gates, had the opportunity to learn all the information that I, a very average 9th grader, can now gather.
To collect it and share it with those to whom it is important and interesting.
But as I make the site, I have other questions that I think will be of interest to other students, and that, even in today’s Internet-perfumed world, are hard to find answers to.
One of them became the title of this article.
Where can a schoolboy go to study if he does not want to be a doctor, but dreams of working in the medical field?
It would seem to be a simple matter.
Open the website of the conditional First Med and look at the professions that you can enter.
WOW! Biochemist, Biophysicist, Medical Cyberneticist!
Sounds nice. But personally, I have absolutely no idea what these people do, where they work, who they work for, and how much they earn.
Universities have been preparing them for the last decade, but there are practically no vacancies on Headhunter, only laboratory assistants for small salaries.
Was it worth going to one of the best universities in the country to work as a laboratory assistant for 60,000 a month?
Wouldn’t it have been better to enroll in Medical Medicine and get a much more versatile profession as a doctor?
Maybe I’ll try to figure it out—later, next year. NOT a promise.
As part of the question I asked, it is much more interesting to look at the near-physician professions that are not conspicuous, but without which modern medicine cannot exist.
And that, of course, is engineers. Engineers and technicians.
It is they who invent the most complex Medical Devices, it is they who ensure their operation, it is they who, in fact, make possible the existence of modern hospitals, which, without all these incredible inventions, would not be far removed from the Nickelbroker Hospital (series, I recommend you watch).
I found a directory of applicants to specialized secondary educational institutions at my dad’s place in 2003.
Twenty years ago there were technical colleges in Moscow that trained in the specialty «Installation, Maintenance, and Repair of Medical Equipment.
This specialty no longer exists.
There is «Installation, Maintenance and Repair of Biotechnical and Medical Apparatuses and Systems», which, however, is not very popular.
In Moscow, I found it only in the Moscow State Educational Complex.
At first glance it is amazing discovery — in the capital of a vast country, the largest city in Europe, 1 college prepares 50 people a year.
A quarter of a person for each Federal medical institution in Moscow.
But if you think about it, you can find a rational explanation.
First, the name of the specialty is just a name.
Wouldn’t someone who graduated from college with, for example, a degree in «Development and repair of electronic components» or similar qualifications fix a tonometer? Fix it.
Well, secondly, with a term of study on the basis of the ninth grade in 3 years and 10 months, of which two years takes a school program, how much will such a technician learn?
Will he understand not only the structure, but even the very principles of operation of the most complex MRI or X-ray tube machines?
Technology is becoming more and more complex, and it seems that there is nowhere to go without higher education.
In order to get to the bottom of this issue, I, as usual, wrote several letters.
First, to the technical colleges and colleges in Moscow. The second is to institutes and universities. And the third to the main hospitals in Moscow.
The third letter was the most difficult. I know very little about medical engineering — it is really some kind of secret profession, much more mysterious than the profession of a doctor. If you can’t hide from YouTube videos with the rules of massage or even surgery, then videos about repairing the Hitachi Iris Vento MRI machine in the garage are still to be found.
So I’ve been thinking for quite a while about what questions to ask the Chief Physicians.
Clearly, even without my letters, these are really-unrealistically busy people.
As usual, I do not expect to get many answers, and certainly that I will get answers to all the questions I have asked — there are many.
But if the busy people I am addressing have some time, and they do answer me, I will publish their answers here.
Text of the letter to Technical Schools and Colleges:
Specialty in the development, maintenance and repair of medical equipment and devices
Hello
I’m Egor Kugno, a 9th grade student of school 2107 in Moscow.
I have a small website dedicated to Medical Education in Russia and abroad
https://kugno.ru/
I mostly write about getting medical specialties, but the medical field requires other talents
In particular, someone needs to design, operate, and repair equipment for operating rooms, intensive care units, and hospital wards.
I know that earlier in Moscow, on Prospekt Mira, there was a college where you could get a specialty in repairing medical equipment.
This college was closed 10 years ago, but as I understand it, similar specialties, though under different names, are in other colleges and technical colleges in Moscow.
Could you please tell me:
1. Is it possible to obtain a specialty in the development, repair, and operation of medical equipment at your college?
a) Can I get a specialty in repairing large medical equipment, such as MRI machines?
b) Is it possible to major in complex medical technology, such as X-ray machines or ophthalmic instruments and microscopes
2. How much demand for such specialists is there on the labor market, and where do they go to work?
Are these people hired by maintenance companies, hospitals, and manufacturing companies?
3. What are the salaries of graduates in these professions?
If you do not mind I will publish your answer on my site.
It is interesting to my readers, and you will be a little, but advertising.
Sincerely, Egor Kugno.
Text of the letter to Institutes and Universities:
Specialty in the development, maintenance and repair of large medical equipment
Hello
I am Egor Kugno, a 9th grade student of Moscow School 2107.
For the last two years I have been studying in pre-medical classes in order to enter Medical Classes, a project of the Moscow government for early professional training.
I would like to learn more about education, which would allow me to work in large hospitals or hospitals, but not to treat people, but to repair equipment — hospitals are now overflowing with it beyond all limits.
And I’m not talking about blood pressure monitors, of course, but rather about oxygen machines in operating theatres, anaesthesia equipment, intensive care room support systems, surgical robots — from simple laparoscopes to Da Vinci systems, as well as X-ray machines and MRI complexes.
Please tell me if it is possible to study at your university to be familiar with functioning of such systems and be able to repair them?
Thank you
Egor Kugno
Text of the letter to Hospitals:
Maintenance and repair of medical equipment in hospitals in Moscow
My name is Egor Kugno, I am a 9th grader at school 2107.
I make a small website about medical education in Russia and abroad,
https://kugno.ru/
I write to various universities and publish their answers about the possibility of medical education for Russians
https://kugno.ru/obuchenie-na-vracha-v-rossii-i-za-rubezhom-perepiska-s-inostrannymi-universitetami-ministerstvami-obrazovaniya-i-organizaciyami-kuriruyushchimi-priem-i-perevod-studentov/
I myself am going to be a doctor, that is, initially I made this site for myself.
But as I write articles and publish answers from universities, I realized that my site could be useful to other students as well — not everyone lives in Moscow, not everyone has the opportunity to visit Moscow clubs, so to start I tested several services online preparing for exams OGE and EGE (three articles on the home page), and the summer will try to make a comprehensive reference course to prepare for the Olympiad in Chemistry
https://kugno.ru/kak-podgotovitsya-k-olimpiadam-po-himii-podbor-materialov-i-opisanie-processa/
I myself am in a pre-medicine class-it’s a great idea of the Moscow government for early specialization,
But everything that is done in pre-medical and medical classes in Moscow schools is aimed specifically at medical specialties.
But nobody has paid attention to engineering and technical personnel in hospitals and hospitals.
And in fact — how much will the best surgeon in the country do if his patient does not receive anesthesia?
Will a burn surgeon treat much of the wound surface if his electric dermatome breaks down?
Anyway, I decided to do a little justice.
I contacted some technical colleges in Moscow and asked them what specialties a young man who wanted to do medical apparatus could get.
I also wrote to several universities in Moscow on the same subject, and I am gradually processing the answers.
But so far I haven’t done the most important thing — I haven’t asked those people who work in hospitals and hospitals about those who provide trouble-free operation of apparatuses.
This letter is intended to remedy this situation a bit.
I will ask some questions, and I would be very happy to get some answers.
Just a reminder — I publish answers for the readers of this site, so don’t give me any classified information.
That said, if you don’t have much time, please do — perhaps your answers will someday bring some really motivated, passionate handymen to your hospitals and hospitals.
My questions are quite simple-as this topic is new to me, so if you think a question I haven’t asked needs to be covered, please feel free to do so.
Part of my questions are based on a TV series I recently watched about Theranos, where scientists were trying to make a portable blood analyzer to predict disease.
If any of your employees would like to talk about the intricacies of their work-no problem, have them write me an email, and if they want to, I’ll be happy to publish it.
Questions:
1. Who maintains the medical equipment in your hospital?
Are they engineers on staff, or engineers and technicians from outside service organizations? Or does all equipment only work as long as it has a warranty — and is serviced by the vendor?
2. Who maintains complex and expensive equipment, e.g. MRI or X-ray machines, especially when they run out of warranty?
Are they written off, sold to the regions, or do hospitals service these complex machines themselves?
Is there a UNITED service for such equipment in Moscow, some kind of Trust Mosobslmedtekhnika?
3. If you hire engineers and technicians, are there any colleges or universities that you cooperate with?
Are there any vacancies for such specialists?
4. Do you think this kind of work is promising? Would you send your children to study in such professions?
5. What are EXAMPLE salaries for engineers/technicians in such jobs?
6. What do Engineers/Technicians need besides diplomas to maintain complex equipment?
Do they need additional refresher courses in each area, such as Optics (to repair/maintain Ophthalmic devices) or Gas work (to maintain ward gas feeders, and repair/maintain Narcology equipment)?
7. Are there any such advanced training courses or trainings now, given that most manufacturers have unfortunately left the Russian market?
8. Does the trainee or the hospital pay for such courses?
9. Are there any opportunities for such specialties (maintenance of electronic equipment, optical systems, nuclear units, etc.) to receive targeted training from your institution?
These are the main questions.
Thank you
Regards,
Egor Kugno
This article is written, but there are no answers yet.
I will publish the answers if there are any.
Other articles on Moscow Medical Universities→
This article in Russian→