What does it take to scale a medical device training program across borders, roles, and regulatory frameworks—without sacrificing quality?
In Episode 12 of the Training Impact Podcast, we sit down with Bill Ryan, Director of Technical and Clinical Education at Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG, to explore how a world-class medtech company reimagined training to meet the evolving demands of global service, clinical excellence, and compliance.
From outdated certification models to real-time automation, Bill shares how Ziemer has turned its training program into a strategic asset—one that powers product adoption, audit readiness, and brand integrity around the world.
Bill Ryan brings decades of experience in medical device education, having worked with multiple global manufacturers before joining Ziemer. His background blends technical service, clinical application support, and instructional design—making him uniquely qualified to design training that works in both the OR and the field.
At Ziemer, a Swiss-based leader in ophthalmic laser systems, Bill oversees a complex training operation supporting internal technicians, distributor partners, clinical professionals, and product teams. And as he tells it, the challenges they’ve faced are common to many L&D leaders in regulated, multilingual, high-stakes industries.
One of the key takeaways from the episode is how Ziemer has moved away from the old model of one-time certification.
“You used to come to classroom training, take a test, and you were certified—forever,” says Bill. “But that’s not good enough anymore.”
As software updates and hardware iterations become more frequent, Ziemer needed a way to tie certification to product version. Using the LMS, Bill built a dynamic system where certification automatically expires when procedures change—triggering new training assignments and ensuring that only qualified people are in the field.
This kind of version-aware certification not only reduces risk, it gives quality assurance and service leadership real-time visibility into who’s compliant—and who isn’t.
Before integrating AI tools, translating training into multiple languages was one of the biggest bottlenecks in Ziemer’s training operations.
“It used to take months to localize a course,” Bill shares. “I’d build the English version, send it out for translation, wait for corrections, and then build five separate versions of the same course.”
With Articulate Storyline’s built-in translation capabilities, Ziemer can now generate multilingual courses in minutes, dramatically reducing time to launch and improving consistency across markets.
This has been a game-changer for supporting Ziemer’s global distributor network, where learners may speak German, Spanish, Chinese, or French—but all require the same high standard of training.
Another insight from the episode is how Ziemer has turned its LMS into a compliance engine.
Bill has configured the system to track training history, certification status, and version alignment—automatically revoking outdated certifications and reassigning updated modules when procedures change.
“It’s not just a training site—it’s a tool for monitoring the field,” Bill says. “It helps our quality department and our service managers stay ahead.”
This automated oversight reduces audit stress and ensures Ziemer’s global team is always aligned with the latest standards.
Ziemer’s program also aligns closely with Stage 3: Skill Development from the LatitudeLearning Training Program Roadmap—featuring clearly defined learning paths, certification logic, multilingual access, and blended delivery.
Each learner type—technician, applications specialist, clinical user, distributor—has a tailored experience that reflects their responsibilities and regulatory requirements. The result is a program that’s not just scalable, but personalized, dynamic, and audit-ready.
If you work in L&D, medtech, or any regulated industry, this episode is packed with practical insight on building a training program that actually works—at scale, in real-time, and across borders.
🎧 Listen to the full episode now:
👉 Training Impact Podcast – Episode 12. Training Precision: How Ziemer Ophthalmic Raises the Bar for Medical Device Training
📘 Explore the companion case study:
Global, Scalable Training at Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems
🌐 Learn more about Ziemer at: www.ziemergroup.com
Whether you’re managing a partner network, onboarding clinical staff, or modernizing your compliance process, this story is a must-hear. Ziemer’s journey proves that with the right tools and mindset, training can become your most powerful lever for global growth and operational excellence.
Let us know what resonated with you—and share it with someone who’s tackling similar challenges.
—
Jeff Walter
Host, Training Impact Podcast
Founder & CEO, LatitudeLearning
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