CRITICAL CAREERS.

CRITICAL CAREERS. A new book looks at career opportunities in the field of medicalequipment service. When most people walk through a hospital, the beeps, alarms andother noises they hear just intensify the already uncomfortable feelingthat they have from just being there. And seeing loved ones loved onesnpl → seres mpl queridosloved onesnpl → proches mpl et amis chersloved oneslove npl connected toelectronic machines of every sort can cause even the bravest soul tobreak out in a cold sweat cold sweatn.A reaction to nervousness, fear, pain, or shock, characterized by simultaneous perspiration and chill and cold moist skin. (myself included). Obviously, the objective is to find the quickest way out, hopefullyby their loved one recovering as soon as possible, so neither they northe loved one has to come back. So it is seldom, if ever, that onewonders, "Just who fixes these lifesaving machines? What happenswhen the X-ray machine Noun 1. X-ray machine - an apparatus that provides a source of X raysapparatus, setup - equipment designed to serve a specific functionfluoroscope, roentgenoscope - an X-ray machine that combines an X-ray source and a fluorescent screen to enable direct doesn't work? Who makes sure that ventilator ventilator/ven��ti��la��tor/ (ven��ti-la-tor)1. an apparatus for qualifying the air breathed through it.2. a device for giving artificial respiration or aiding in pulmonary ventilation. is giving the patient the proper breathing rate and depth, and with theright amount of oxygen? Is the heart rate displayed on that monitoraccurate?" Because so few people know the answers to these questions, theprofessionals in the medical equipment service industry remain arelatively unknown, but critical, link in health care. And, due to theincreased attention given to "information systems" or computernetworking For the article on computer networks, see Computer network.Computer networking is the engineering discipline concerned with communication between computer systems or devices. careers by the media, counselors and even educators, thedemand for qualified personnel in this field is rapidly overpowering o��ver��pow��er��ing?adj.So strong as to be overwhelming: an overpowering need for solitude.o adwindling dwin��dle?v. dwin��dled, dwin��dling, dwin��dlesv.intr.To become gradually less until little remains.v.tr.To cause to dwindle. See Synonyms at decrease. supply. Estimates from the Occupational Outlook Handbook place the numberof "medical equipment repairers" at around 11,000 nationwide.However, very few of the professionals in the medical equipment serviceindustry use the title of "medical equipment repairers." Amore realistic estimate might be about 40,000 (and growing rapidly!). Infact, the job entails much, much more than just repairs. The medical equipment service industry is a challenging industry,but one that offers a very real sense of job satisfaction. And althoughthere are many types of careers in this field, the two most widely knownare biomedical equipment technicians A Biomedical Equipment Technician (BMET) is a vital component of the healthcare delivery system. Employed primarily by hospitals, BMETs are the people responsible for maintaining a facility's medical equipment and patient care equipment. and field service representativesfor medical equipment manufacturers. Biomedical equipment technicians, sometimes called biomedicalengineering Biomedical engineeringAn interdisciplinary field in which the principles, laws, and techniques of engineering, physics, chemistry, and other physical sciences are applied to facilitate progress in medicine, biology, and other life sciences. technicians, biomed techs, or just BMETs, typically work fora hospital or an independent service organization. They may work on manytypes of equipment, or they may specialize in only certain types ofequipment such as anesthesia machines, imaging equipment, dialysis dialysis(dīăl`ĭsĭs), in chemistry, transfer of solute (dissolved solids) across a semipermeable membrane. Strictly speaking, dialysis refers only to the transfer of the solute; transfer of the solvent is called osmosis. equipment or laboratory equipment. Biomedical equipment techniciansperform preventive maintenance The routine checking of hardware that is performed by a field engineer on a regularly scheduled basis. See remedial maintenance. preventive maintenance - (PM) To bring down a machine for inspection or test purposes.See provocative maintenance, scratch monkey. , safety inspections and repair on mostmedical electronic equipment in hospitals across the nation. But the jobdoesn't end there. They also train hospital staff on the safe andproper use of the equipment, investigate incidents involving medicalequipment and keep up with hazard alerts and recalls. BMETs also muststrive to remain current with their own skills and education astechnology changes. Field service representatives for medical equipment manufacturersusually only work with equipment made by their employer that is eitherunder warranty, under contract for repair with a hospital or clinic, orisn't feasibly maintainable by BMETs in a hospital environment.These "FSRs" are sometimes called customer service engineers,field service engineers or field service technicians, and may coverseveral hospitals or several hundred hospitals as part of theirterritory. These medical equipment service professionals are an unassumingbunch and don't usually draw much attention to themselves, eventhough they can, and do, perform seemingly heroic acts and "savethe day" when equipment malfunctions at critical moments. Theyenjoy a unique career in which health care is directly tied tohigh-tech, but no patient contact is required. It isn't alwayseasy, and stress is sometimes a part of the job. However, the majorityof these professionals will tell you that the high level of jobsatisfaction they experience is seldom experienced in other careers. The increasing shortage of qualified technicians in this field,especially biomedical equipment technicians, is reaching a criticalstage. As Department Placement Officer and Senior Instructor in theBiomedical bi��o��med��i��caladj.1. Of or relating to biomedicine.2. Of, relating to, or involving biological, medical, and physical sciences. Equipment Technology Department at Texas State TechnicalCollege-Waco Texas State Technical College of Waco is a public college that was founded in 1965. It is located in Waco, Texas, in McLennan County. The average tuition is $5,500. The undergraduate to faculty ratio is 30:1. It has an undergraduate total of 4,129 (as of 2005). , I am constantly getting phone calls and e-mails fromemployers trying to fill positions. Entry-level BMETs have never had somany opportunities, and the gap between supply and demand just continuesto widen. Starting pay for entry-level BMETs is rising also. For thepast year, all of our graduates have started at $30,000 or more peryear, and that does not include "on-call" and overtime pay. The commonly accepted entry-level requirement for BMETs is anassociate's degree as��so��ci��ate's degreen.An academic degree conferred by a two-year college after the prescribed course of study has been successfully completed. in biomedical equipment technology with aone-semester internship internship/in��tern��ship/ (in��tern-ship) the position or term of service of an intern in a hospital. internship,n the course work or practicum conducted in a professional dental clinic. or "co-op," usually provided in mosttwo-year programs. There are about 40 technical and community collegesin the U.S. offering this program, and many are experiencing difficultyin their recruiting efforts due to the lack of knowledge about the fieldand increasing competition from the computer career fields. The militarytrains its own technicians at its own excellent technical trainingschool for those wishing to pursue a military career. Due to the lack of information about this career field available tothe general public, and especially to career and technical educators whoplay a major role in helping college-bound students decide on a careerpath, I have written a book outlining career opportunities in themedical equipment service field. This book examines the role thesetalented individuals play in our health care system; the requirementsfor entry (including a list of schools offering biomedical equipmenttechnology programs and what to look for in these programs); interviewswith key people in the industry; certification opportunities(voluntary); and an abundance of resources including Web sites,equipment manufacturers, and resume/interview tips. This book, titledCritical Careers: A Guide to Opportunities in Medical Equipment Service,will be a valuable tool in helping individuals decide if this is thecareer for them and will provide a definite advantage to those decidingto enter the field. It is available at www.criticalcareers.com orwww.upstreampress.com. Roger A. Bowles is a senior instructor in the biomedical equipmenttechnology department at Texas State Technical College in Waco, Texas For the Branch Davidian siege in Waco, Texas, see .For other uses of "Waco", see Waco (disambiguation).Waco (pronounced: /ˈweɪkoʊ/) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. .He is also a certified biomedical equipment technician, earningcertification from the International Certification Commission in 1993,and has worked in the biomedical equipment service and management fieldfor more than 10 years. Bowles has an AAS in biomedical technology Biomedical technology involves the application of engineering and technology principles to the domain of living or biological systems. Usually biomedical denotes a greater stress on problems related to human health and diseases. , a BSin applied science and technology with a specialization in biomedicalelectronics and an MS in applied technology, training and development.