Some quick links:
1. What does it take to be a good Medical Thermographer?
2. The training
3. After the training

Become a certified Medical Thermographer

Thermal or infrared imaging traning. Some call it medical thermography but it really is all the same.

Whoever wants to work as a certified medical thermographer can follow a four-day training course at The Green Nurse. This professional training, in which theory and practice complement each other, is provided by Francine van Broekhoven. You’ll learn to use the infrared camera optimally and how to use the Total Vision software for optimal recording of anamnesis and images and to upload these images to specialized doctors for interpretation. You will also get familiar with explaining the reports of the doctors to your clients.

Note: Training is done according to the guidelines of the Institute for the Advancement of Medical Thermography.

What does it take to be a good Medical Thermographer?

The Thermographer

As a thermographer you can practice thermography in your own practice or at several locations. It is important that you have room for this in an agenda/calendar on which you can book clients. You must also be able to send confirmations of the appointment. You are also responsible for the location you have chosen, in the sense that the temperature must always be between 21 and 23 degrees Celcius, there must be privacy, a door must be able to be locked, there must be a waiting area where people can acclimatize , and the room must have enough surface area with a smooth/ equal back wall where the thermographic images can be properly made.

The thermographer is also responsible for the financial handling of the consultation. Do you use an ATM or do you let clients pay the consultation via an iDeal or with an invoice sent through the bank? The prices for your consultation must be listed on your website and together with a list of preparations must be sent to the client before the consultation takes place. The Thermographer is therefore also responsible for properly preparing the clients. Did your client went through the list of preparations that you’ve sent, people may not have received it or not read it, in the latter case you will have to reschedule the appointment.

It is important to take the thermal images according to the protocols. The training for this is meant to practice with models so that you know exactly how the camera should be in position to the client. The explanation to the client is also important here, because someone is not allowed to scratch their skin or wait while dressed for you to make the images. The way in which you fill in the anamnesis is also important. This will be uploaded to the interpreter together with the thermal images. The more accurate you are in this, the better the Thermography report can be made.

A good report stands or falls with the quality of the thermographer. A good thermographer makes the images exactly the same way every time, the reason this is so important has to do with the follow up. To be able to compare patterns properly, the way you position someone is important, otherwise you cannot compare patterns or temperatures in order to monitor a treatment plan.

Knowledge about basic patterns that we see is one aspect you should know. If someone shows abnormal temperatures or patterns you will have to ask additional questions that are mentioned in the anamnesis. An example of this is that hands must be green with 10 blue fingers. If we see so-called red gloves, then that is abnormal and you will have to ask questions about diabetes. This is not a form of diagnosis or the work of the interpreter, but knowledge of basic patterns within human thermography.

It is also important to have knowledge and experience of how to take a good anamnesis. Just stating that someone has a headache is not enough. Questions about since when, in which situation, what improves or worsens the headache, did you have an accident, what was the cause, did you have treatments, etc., make a good anamnesis. Remember that the person who is going to interpret your study is not present at the interview. So you will have to be very clear in your report.

Can you interact with clients or patients? Are you familiar working with them? Do you know where the priority lies in a consultation? It is important to put someone at ease and to provide peace and privacy. Not amicable but also not businesslike and distant are aspects that participate in the consultation. The clients are always very curious about the images you have made, and want to see them immediately. You would rather not allow this, or say that you are just the thermographer and leave the precision work of temperature measurements to the interpreter. If you would like to discuss the report with them when it returns, make an appointment with the client right away.

You can see that many aspects take time as described above. Time is therefore an important factor. It is not only the consultation that takes time. Also upload the report, send it to the client, read it and make the phone-appointment. Prepare the invoices and process them in your own accounting. Your website and social media and your e-mail where many questions are asked is another point that you have to take into account in your time planning.

If the report is going to be discussed with your client, it is important to be able to extract the essence. What are the most important things, what has priority for the client and where do you refer the client to? Knowing the report well and knowing that this is not a diagnosis, but you should also be able to explain a physiological examination to your client. Most important: what is the theme for your client to start working on? And that can be different then their complaints. The body shows you in the thermographic images.

Being a member of the Institute for the Advancement of Medical Thermography is a must. As a medical thermographer, you want to improve where you can, participate in the online discussions and attend the conferences. You only take your profession seriously if you join the most important group there is for thermographers.

The Interpreter will take your study and measure temperatures. This doctor or therapist has special software to do this very accurately and to make a report. The study to become a good interpreter is expensive and takes at least six months. (beside the fact that you must have been a thermographer with lots of experience) The reason is, that this is not a static training where everything is already fixed. It is dynamic and is subject to the latest knowledge about temperatures and patterns being seen. Thermography has now been done well since the turn of the century. This is because we got really good cameras available then, doctors were well trained to study physiology instead of imaging techniques for anatomy. And there were laptops and software on the market that made sharing knowledge possible. In other words, a technology in development.

We can illustrate the difference nicely with the following example. Here you see two images of thermal hands. The overlay is visible on one image. This is an example of the thermal image being taken. The image next to it is without overlay but with circles and temperature measurements. This second is the beginning of a report resulting from the thermographic study.

The equipment and the thermography room

Only with modern and high-quality software and camera and the correct interpretation service will you be able to help clients properly to gain insight into their physiology. Flir A615 is the best choice and together with the Total Vision software (from Med-Hot) it also has an FDA approval. The software is necessary to make images accurate and to upload and save the study easily. The software must connect to the software of the interpretation service, otherwise it is not possible to create a report.

What are the requirements of a thermography room?

• The back wall must be smooth, equal, as in a photo studio. No other things should be in the view than the part that you want to have, so just image the body and nothing else in sight.
• To get a clear / accurate image it is important to have no artifacts, no spotlights or halogen lighting, no drafts. A bookcase or a window is a so-called “arti-fact”. It not only disturbs, it also has temperatures other than the body, and as such the camera will also measure those temperatures.
• Floor covering or a bath mat is desirable, as the client should not sit on a hard floor with bare feet. The risk of shivering is counterproductive on thermography. Underfloor heating is not permitted. It can warm the feet and it gives an artifact in the image at the dorsal feet image.
• The thermography room should ideally have a temperature between 20-23 degrees Celsius.
• The temperature of the room should be such that the physiology of the client does not alter the client to shiver or sweat.
• A change of room temperature during the examination should be done gradually so that the patient’s physiology does not change and all parts of the body can adapt uniformly.
• The room temperature should not change more than 1 degree Celsius during the course of the study.
• The humidity of the room should also be controlled such that humidity cannot build up on the skin and sweat or vapor levels can interact with infrared radiated energy from the patient.
• The room must be able to be closed with a lock on the door so that there is maximum privacy.

TRAINING CONTENT:

Online training (5 days):

Day 1 is theory, day 2 till 5 we do training on models and end with examination.

Benefit of online training:

1. You learn to do thermography in your own practice.
2. Invite your own clients in for a thermogram. They get to know it.
3. Less training fee then on site training.
4. No traveling costs.

What you need before the training starts:

1. Medical practitioner or basic understanding with certificate of medical training. Para medical or therapists.
2. Camera; Flir A615 or A500, A700. Software; Total Vision.
3. Manual stand Manfrotto. Blanket, stool and mattress. hair bands and elastic bands.
4. Room with a temperature between 21° C and 23 ° C.
5. Room should have privacy. If you do privacy screening then use a room divider around your pc.
6. Details for your practice can be found online.
7. The training will be done with the use of Zoom.

Costs of this training is €1750,- ex VAT

On site training (5 days):

Day 1 is theory, day 2 till 5 we do training on models and end with examination.

Benefit of on site training:

1. You learn to do thermography with trainer next to you.
2. We invite our clients in for a thermogram.
3. Option to train more people.
4. More personal, after training dine together and have the option to ask more questions.

What you need before the training starts:

1. Hotel reservation. Training will be in Terheijden near Breda.
2. Medical practitioner or basic understanding with certificate of medical training. Para medical or therapists.

Costs of this training is €2250,- ex VAT

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In the training we use Total Vision software. This is the only thermography software which enables you as a thermographer to make excellent studies and is especially important for the follow studies you do. Thermography reports need to be compared to previous ones and so Carol Chandler created this software for her own practice. She trained physicians in the past 15 years to make the right interpretations of the studies made with this software. It’s all about temperature measurement. This software is easy to use in practice. The software makes it possible to upload the history and images to physicians for interpretation.

THE CAMERA: We only work with the best cameras approved by the FDA and CE are for medical use. This camera offers the highest quality and translation into the software. Ask for the correct information by sending us an email. We can make you an offer for the FLIR camera and Total Vision software for the best price.

REQUIRED FOR TRAINING Basic medical college degree. Medics, Paramedics and therapists practicing in complementary medicine will experience an advantage in working with thermography in their practice.

AFTER THE TRAINING

After the training you will be able to make quality images of your clients coming into your practice. You can upload images to the doctors of Physicians Insight that provide your images with a good report. Discuss this report with your client and point out the recommendations of the physician. After the training, we will provide guidance. We are able to look at yourstudies on distance by Teamviewer. Together we can refine your skills. Please check the YouTube video on the right, where you can get a firstimpression of how medical thermography works and is different from a regular diagnosis.

A fresh-up or update training on Zoom.

This is very personal because everyone needs to have their own questions answered and is also screening with different experiences. So have your answers ready and make an appointment for this tailormade fresh-up or update training on Zoom. First hour is €150,- and every extra hour just €100,- (excl VAT)

If you want to have a morning or join in with a group please contact Francine about it and ask for a quotation.

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