Biomedical Equipment Technicians

The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation offers detailed information on the career of biomedical equipment technician on its Web site, https://www.aami.org.

You will have difficulty gaining any direct experience in biomedical equipment technology until you are in a training program or working professionally. Your first hands-on opportunities generally come in the clinical and laboratory phases of your education. You can, however, visit school and community libraries to seek out books written about careers in medical technology. You can also join a hobby club devoted to chemistry, biology, radio equipment, or electronics. Checking out YouTube videos will allow you to see technicians at work in various settings.

Perhaps the best way to learn more about this job is to set up, with the help of teachers or counselors, a visit to a local health care facility or to arrange for a biomedical equipment technician to speak to interested students, either on site or at a career exploration seminar hosted by the school. You may be able to ask the technician about his or her educational background, what a day on the job is like, and what new technologies are on the horizon. Try to visit a school offering a program in biomedical equipment technology and discuss your career plans with an admissions counselor there. The counselor may also be able to provide you with helpful insights about the career and your preparation for it.

Finally, because this work involves the health care field, consider getting a part-time job or volunteering at a local hospital. Naturally, you won't be asked to work with the biomedical equipment, but you will have the opportunity to see professionals on the job and experience being in the medical environment. Even if your duty is only to escort patients to their tests, you may gain a greater understanding of this work.