GI Technician Education
ROLE OF ENDOSCOPY TECHNICIANS
Endoscopy technicians, also known as Gastroenterology (Gl) technicians or Gl endoscopy technicians, play an indispensable role in an endoscopy unit. They primarily assist physicians with all endoscopic procedures, provide accessories and are responsible for maintaining and cleaning medical instruments and equipment. They may also help to stock supplies in the endoscopy department, handle and dispatch biopsy specimens, and ensure that the work areas are kept clean.
Students enrolled in this program will learn how to assist in a variety of endoscopic procedures. They will learn how to monitor patients during the procedure and care for them after the procedure. The training will also include understanding of how endoscopes and image acquisition works. Principles of disinfection and sterilization of medical instrumentation and equipment, and infection control principles will be rigorously taught. Other topics covered in this program include medical terminology, basic anatomy, some surgical instrumentation, and sterile processing environments.
This certificate course is an on-the-job clinical internship certified by the Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy of India (SGEI), and World Endoscopy Organization (WEO). This 1-year course is organized as an interrupted contact program, involving 4 modules. The first 3 modules will be 2-days in duration, The final (4th) module will be of 3-days duration. The 4 modules will involve an aggregate of 72-hours of training. The first 3 modules will be 2-days in duration and will be conducted at a regional center close to the work-place of the student. The 4th module will be held at Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG), Hyderabad. During the course, the student will receive didactic lectures, self-read material, assist in procedures at the centers at which the student is primart y attached, and learn from doctors, and senior endoscopy technician peers. In addition, he will be exposed to different industry led innovations, and also learn from industry leaders in the field. The details of the skillset acquisition are detailed in the curriculum brochure.
The candidate should be more than 18-years of age at the time of application. The minimum admission requirement is that the candidate should be a 12th standard graduate in any stream, preferably with science subjects, or 3-year minimum working experience as an endoscopy technician. Recommendation from an SGEI member is mandatory.
Enrolment shall be based on decision/consensus by the committee members. Recruitment shall be once a year.
The course duration shall be 1-year, with four contact sessions every 3 months.
10-15 seats per center.
The course will be held in regional center of excellence, having adequate case volume, committed to impart raining. Nodal experts will be identified as experienced and endoscopists of repute from a well-connected region, who volunteer to involve themselves in teaching and training the technicians from their geographic region. The SGEI subcommittee for endoscopy technician training will decide the regional centers and the nodal experts. Your center will be allocated by SGEI.
Attendance is mandatory for all 4 modules. If the student misses any module, he will have to attend the same module at an alternate site at his own expense. Missing one or more modules will disqualify the student from final certification. Each module will begin with refreshing the skills learned in the previous module. There may be a multiple-choice examination at the beginning and/ or end of each module. There will be a final examination at the end of the course. Upon successful clearance of the examination, the students will receive an accreditation certification from SGEl and WEO.
The number of practicing Gastroenterologists in India are close to 3000. Every year there are around 150 new Gastroenterologists (DM and DNB graduates) and Hepatology graduates complete their training and start practice. Endoscopy technicians have job opportunities with this increasing pool of Gastroenterology and lepatology physicians in India. There are over 6000 endoscopy centers in the country. Established clinics and hospitals will also continue to hire endoscopy technicians as the number and complexity of the procedures increase.
The curriculum will include a combination of classroom learning, labs, and hands-on clinical training. This will include theory or didactic teaching sessions, as well as practical experience with endoscopes and equipment, procedural assistance, and patient handling. During the course, special sessions may be arranged with ancillary departments including microbiology and infection control, pathology, anesthesiology, and information technology (IT) departments of the hospital for comprehensive learning. In addition, attempts will be made to involve the industry leaders to familiarize the student with available equipments in the market, and keep him up-to-date with cutting edge technology.