Biomedical Equipment Technicians

The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that employment for biomedical equipment technicians will grow by 13 percent (which is much faster than the average for all careers) from 2022 through 2032. Factors behind this growth include more demand for health care services (especially among those age 65 and older) and the increasing use of electronic medical devices and other sophisticated biomedical equipment.

The need for more biomedical equipment technicians in hospitals exists not only because of the increasing use of biomedical equipment, but also because hospital administrators realize that these technicians can help hold down costs. Biomedical equipment technicians do this through their preventive maintenance checks and by taking over some routine activities of engineers and administrators, thus releasing those professionals for activities that only they can perform. Through the coming decades, cost containment will remain a high priority for hospital administrators, and as long as biomedical equipment technicians can contribute to that effort, the demand for them should remain strong.

Job opportunities should continue to grow for the many biomedical equipment technicians who work for companies that build, sell, lease, or service biomedical equipment.

The federal government employs biomedical equipment technicians in its hospitals, research institutes, and the military. Employment in these areas will depend largely on levels of government spending, which may be reduced under current federal and state government budgetary restraints.

In the research area, spending levels may vary; however, in health care delivery, spending should remain high for the near future. A significant factor in the greater demand for delivery of healthcare services is the aging population. As people get older, they usually need more medical care. With the expected increase in the number of older adults and with people living longer, health professionals are ordering more medical tests that use new, complicated equipment that requires repair and maintenance by biomedical equipment technicians.

Technicians with associate's degrees in biomedical equipment technology or engineering who are willing to relocate to rural areas (where there is a shortage of technicians) will have the best employment prospects.