In this episode of the Training Impact Podcast, host Jeff Walter sits down with Bill Ryan, the Director of Technical and Clinical Education at Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG, a Swiss-based manufacturer of femtosecond lasers and diagnostic systems used in refractive and therapeutic eye surgeries. From LASIK flap creation to corneal transplants, these devices demand technical mastery—and Bill is the person behind ensuring that mastery happens.

With decades of experience in medical laser technology, Bill walks us through his fascinating journey from electronics engineer to building a sophisticated, multilayered global training infrastructure for Ziemer’s distributors, internal service teams, and even end-users like doctors and clinical staff.

🚀 How Training Became a Strategic Differentiator at Ziemer

Bill’s foray into training started with a practical need: no one was writing the service manuals. Over time, that tactical involvement grew into a strategic mission—to develop a training ecosystem that met rigorous regulatory standards, adapted to continuous product evolution, and supported global users across cultures, languages, and job functions.

He explains how regulatory shifts in Europe forced medical device companies like Ziemer to move beyond “butts-in-seats” training to trackable, measurable, and version-specific certifications. In response, Bill built a system using LatitudeLearning’s LMS to ensure real-time tracking of:

• Who received training
• When it occurred
• What version of the product or procedure was involved
• Who delivered the training
• Whether the trainee remains certified when products or procedures evolve

This led to one of the episode’s biggest insights: Dynamic Certification. If the software or product changes, your certification may automatically expire until you re-train. It’s not just forward-thinking—it’s compliance-critical.

🌍 Building a Training Program That Scales Across Borders

Ziemer’s learning audiences span internal service engineers, distributor technicians, product managers, and medical providers across five continents. Bill discusses the balancing act between creating robust technical training for those installing and servicing the devices—and efficient application training for doctors using the devices in real-world procedures.
For example:
• Service and Application Support staff are required to maintain certification via structured LMS paths.
• Doctors and clinic staff are encouraged to complete self-directed eLearning ahead of on-site training, which can reduce classroom time and improve retention.
• Sales and product managers have access to learning materials, but certification is optional unless their role requires technical or application-level interaction.

He also dives into the challenges of global adoption, noting how different regions respond differently to online training. In some countries, pre-training is expected; in others, cultural norms or operational constraints make eLearning adoption slower. His takeaway: adoption requires not just a training system but a marketing mindset.

🔧 Tools, Tactics, and AI Innovation

When it comes to content creation, Bill’s a powerhouse. He uses tools like:
• Articulate Storyline (now enhanced with multilingual AI translation)
• Camtasia and Snagit for creating didactic video content
• Virtual avatars and AI-powered tools like HeyGen to scale course production while keeping a human feel

His next frontier? Blending virtual spokespeople into Storyline-based modules to create a more engaging learner experience—while reducing production and update time dramatically.

And speaking of updates, the AI-enabled translation and modular video creation help Ziemer stay responsive to product updates, compliance changes, and evolving learning needs—all without overhauling entire training modules.

🔄 Toward a Fully Integrated Learning Culture

While his focus began in the service department, Bill sees the bigger picture: training isn’t just for compliance—it’s a business enabler. He advocates for breaking down departmental silos to centralize and optimize all learning across the company—whether it’s HR onboarding, QA compliance, or clinical insights.

The end goal? A unified training ecosystem that makes it easier to scale, track, and optimize learning across the entire organization.

🎯 Final Takeaway

Bill Ryan isn’t just building courses—he’s engineering a global learning ecosystem for high-stakes medical technology. From dynamic certifications and multilingual content to regulatory compliance and cultural adoption, Ziemer’s training program is a blueprint for how to make learning a strategic pillar of product success.

To learn more about Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG and their innovations in refractive surgery and laser technology, visit: https://www.ziemergroup.com