DiaSorin donates state of the art lab machine to Biomedical Equipment Technology program

Liaison® XL diagnostic machine can run 180 lab tests an hour

When you go to the doctor's office, you need to be confident that your test results will be delivered quickly and accurately. Medical laboratory testing equipment makes such results possible. And Biomedical Equipment Technicians make sure that the equipment runs perfectly. 

Students in the Biomed Equipment Technology program at Minnesota State College Southeast now have the opportunity to train on diagnostic equipment donated to the college by DiaSorin. Based in Italy, DiaSorin operates globally in laboratory diagnostics. The company develops, produces, and markets testing devices and equipment that enable doctors worldwide to accurately diagnose medical conditions.

"We were happy to donate one of our flagship laboratory devices and install it in MSC Southeast's lab. We hope that this contribution can better prepare students to enter the diagnostics job market," said Jennifer Theisen, an HR executive at DiaSorin. "We already have a great partnership with Minnesota State College Southeast. We have had several interns from the school and were pleased to place graduates of the program in full-time positions."

"This is high end lab equipment from a worldwide company," said Marc Kalis, an instructor in the Biomedical Equipment Technology program. "Having it in our lab will be a good marketing tool to show prospective students what they will be working in our program. DiaSorin will use it for a recruiting tool also, because they need technicians."

The Liaison XL allows med lab techs to run multiple tests on a continuous basis. "The med lab techs can load in samples, and the machine automatically adds the correct reagents and incubates them for the correct amount of time," explained Marc Kalis. "This machine has the capability to run 180 tests per hour, and it can run more than 100 different types of tests."

A key step in operating such equipment is making sure it is properly calibrated. The Liaison XL will alert the operator if it requires service. If a machine isn't performing correctly, a trained biomedical equipment technician will perform diagnostics and make necessary adjustments and repairs. 

"Not only did DiaSorin donate and install the Liaison XL, but they will also send us a trainer to show us maintenance and repair procedures in detail," said Marc Kalis.

"We are very grateful and excited for this donation. Partnerships and support from world class companies like DiaSorin allow us to provide the highly trained technicians our communities need," said Chad Dull, MSC Southeast Vice President of Academic Affairs. "Biomedical Equipment Technology is a vital and important program that meets the needs of our community and provides our students with a family supporting wage. MSC Southeast is committed to providing world class education and training to our students and this donation allows us to do just that."

Biomedical equipment repair is an up-and-coming occupation that is in high demand. The number of job openings is expected to outnumber qualified applicants, due in part to the increased demand for health care services and the increasing complexity of the medical equipment used in hospitals and by private practitioners. 

For more information about the program at MSC Southeast, see Biomedical Equipment Technology.

Photo caption: Biomedical Equipment Technology students gather around the new Liaison XL machine donated to the college by DiaSorin.