by
Lisa Chamoff, Contributing Reporter | August 19, 2015
From the August 2015 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
As a company, we’ve brought in an intro to X-ray and intro to CT training course to bridge that gap,” Jeremy Probst says. “We feel that’s going to be a growing space in the next several years.” Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute in Hudson, N.C., offers future biomeds a foundation with a biomedical equipment technician program that ends with an associate’s degree in applied science.
John Noblitt, biomedical equipment technician program director at Caldwell, says students take courses in physics, math, safety and standards, along with medical instrumentation. There’s also an imaging course, which provides exposure to X-ray machines, and a 320-hour hospital internship where students work as a biomedical equipment technician with supervision by a more experienced technician.
Most graduates go to work in the hospital setting. However, some graduates have accepted positions working for manufacturers as field service technicians, with a few accepting positions in the imaging technologies service industry. “If you come out with any two-year degree, you’re basically going to be starting out on a lot of the portable equipment, such as defibrillators and electromechanical devices, doing safety testing,” Noblitt says.
“After employers see promise, then they may send you to X-ray school. An OEM like GE or Philips usually requires a couple of years of experience before offering employment. However, a few students over the years have accepted positions such as these by OEMs.”
Back to HCB News
