Joe Nelsen developed his interest in medical equipment early in life, helping his dad with fixing equipment.

"What drew me is really easy. As a preteen my dad's dental office had problems with a dental chair and I was able to fix it, and I went on to fixing TVs, washing machines, and radios," he says. After considering different fields in the medical industry, Nelsen decided to pursue a vocation as an engineer in the field of cardiology. His childhood hobby of mechanics and electronics has paid off in a long career, and recently, DOTmed Certification.


Nelsen's company, JOJ-XRS of Gunter, TX, is a sole proprietorship X-ray service for portables, RAD, R/F, Tomography, remotes, C-Arms, and angio and cath labs. In his years of experience, Nelsen has observed that medical imaging engineering has changed in both the materials used, and in the technology involved.

"When I started," Nelsen told DOTmed News, "there was no such thing as moving pictures of the heart." He notes that now there are many new devices, because of generational evolution, including cardiology flat panel detectors. These replaced the TV cameras and image intensifiers that Nelsen worked on with GE up to the time of his retirement from the OEM about five years ago.

"After I retired, I always wanted to start my own business," Nelsen says. He had worked in broadcast engineering, including electrical design of TV antennas, before GE. His enjoyment of his work perhaps delayed his own business ventures, but he is now realizing that success.

Nelsen's main services are for legacy machines, an important niche to be filled. Nelsen makes sure his work is on a highly competent level. "I work on machines I can either train myself on, or already know."

Nelsen's other side of the business is in veterinary medicine. This comes from Nelsen's fondness for animals and the knowledge that vets have a harder time communicating with their patients. Nelsen understands this and says he wants to be a part of taking care of animals by providing the North Texas DVM population another option for machine services.

Case in Point

Nelsen explains a recent example of what he likes about his business. He had a three-day job troubleshooting a senior system where the manuals were not available. He first studied the architecture of the system, then how it worked, and then found what was wrong. Nelsen calls that the 'ah-ha' moment. "This is very cerebral, gate-chasing work," Nelsen says of troubleshooting. "Very labor intensive and intriguing. And very satisfying!"

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