BMETs Now Need More Education - By: Jesse Fisher

Biomedical equipment technicians or BMETs represent a growing division of people who are technically trained whose biggest responsibility is the maintenance and repair of medical imaging equipment like a CT scanner, ultrasound, x-ray MRI, and so on. The job outlook for BMETs seems to be brightening as fast as newimaging equipment is coming out.

The need for BMETs is growing. The rise is due to the growth in new equipment used for medical imaging and technologies that require BMET expertise, and, by the necessity for income by institutions that have medical imaging equipment. As institutions like hospitals recognize that downtime on a piece of imaging equipment affects income generation, there is pressure to add BMETs to hospital staff to ensure that all imaging equipment is maintained in good order so that expensive service contracts are used as little as they can be. The U.S. Department of Labor and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Imaging (AAMI) predict that the number of BMET jobs in the US will rise 24% to 31% until the year 2010.

Historically, BMETs were trained on the job. But, as medical imaging equipment knowledge has increased, so has the need for consistent, quality training. Today, most BMETs have got an Associates degree in medical imaging technology, electronics or an engineering-related study. Not too long ago a study by the AAMI found that 62 percent of all BMETs went on to voluntarily become certified by the International Commission on Accreditation. ICC Certification for BMETs is an academic acknowledgement by the International Certification Commission for Clinical Engineering and Biomedical Technology (ICC) that individuals have shown excellence in theoretical as well as practical knowledge of the principles of biomedical technology.

The BMET function continues to evolve and, as it changes, the requirements dealing with education have started to grow as well. The BMET profession has started to walk the path of many other professions both in and out of the medical field where increasingly more schooling is required to obtain a job and/or excel inside a job field.

BMETs report that employers are beginning to make one have bachelor's degrees for advancement to a higher level or in a few situations simply to become employed as a BMET inside some institutions. While this requirement might limit the job options for few BMETs serving right now, the great news is that increased educational requirements creates the opportunity for higher income. Studies have determinedshown|found out} that entrance pay levels for BMETs range from $20,000-$30,000. However, senior and supervisory jobs can get salaries as high as $80,000. The future appears good for future salary growth in this field.

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About the Author

Jesse Fisher enjoys writing articles for his clients including Transamerican Medical, a company that buys and sells Philips Medical equipment and parts. See also the Medical Imaging News site. (You may republish this article online IF all links are kept intact.)

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Jesse-Fisher/48874

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