Although Benjamin Franklin only attended school until he was 10, he was a big advocate for education and an avid reader. Franklin wrote in the Poor Richard’s Almanac, “Genius without education is like silver in the mine.”

Two-hundred and twelve years later, President John F. Kennedy brought Franklin’s assessment of institutional learning to a 20^th century audience when he said, “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource.” Kennedy used these words in a message to Congress on education in 1961.

That fundamental resource is also at the heart of the biomedical profession and must be nurtured with relevant information before a biomed is ready to step through the shop door. The biomedical technology programs at community colleges and technical colleges across the country must prepare their students for work at a hospital, OEM or ISO with the broad-based knowledge that the field demands.

Most of the programs offer a mix of anatomy and physiology, electronics, medical terminology and training on circuit analysis, microprocessors, imaging systems, medical instrumentation, operating systems, digital circuits, mathematics, physics and often writing and public speaking.

Communication and interpersonal skills are often included, recognizing the importance of dealing with clinicians and others on the job every day. Many schools offer a biomed option as an add-on to an electronic or electronic engineering course of study.

What’s equally important is that those same programs look ahead at the requirements of the profession five years from now and prepare their students for the equipment and software of tomorrow.  Often, they must accomplish this feat and include these assumptions to students within the span of a two-year program.

A survey of readers yielded a long list of favored programs. From the Biomedical Equipment and Information Systems Technology program at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College to the Biomedical Equipment Technology program at Texas State Technical College, there are many quality biomedical education curriculums to choose from, readers said.

Purdue University offers an associate’s degree (AS) in Biomedical Engineering Technology and a Biomedical Engineering Technology Bachelor of Science degree program (BS). Some coursework is available online through Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).

On the east coast, survey respondents mentioned the Biomedical Engineering Technology (BMET) program at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Fla. The program offers an Associate of Science degree. They also pointed to a program in Kentucky. Madisonville Community College in Madisonville, Ky., offers the Advanced Integrated Technology program, which offers an A.A.S. degree in Medical Equipment and Instrumentation.

In Ohio, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College offers a Biomedical Equipment and Information Systems Technology (BMET) program. “I am slightly biased, but I believe that Cincinnati State Technical and Community College is a great college. We have been involved in their biomedical co-op program for over 15 years and the program, I believe, is over 30 years old,” says Kevin Ferguson, Clinical Engineer at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

TechNation readers suggested the Electronics Engineering Technology program with the Biomedical Engineering Technology Option at Linn Technical College in Linn, Mo., which also offers an A.A.S. degree, as another favorite. Those readers also liked the Biomedical Engineering Technology-EET Option program at Portland Community College.

Western Technical College in La Crosse, Wis. provides students with the opportunity to earn an A.A.S. degree in Bio-Medical Electronics. One reader commented, “WTC has pumped out a ton of outstanding biomeds across the country.” Another program that was brought to our attention in the Midwest was the Biomedical Engineering Technology program at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Mich. The two-year program includes two years of coursework plus a two-semester internship according to the school’s website.

In the Sacramento area, biomed students have the opportunity to attend the Biomedical Equipment Technology program at American River College. The program is one of the few offered in the large state of California.

Learning through doing

One often repeated theme that provided value to a program in the eyes of students and instructors alike was the inclusion of “hands-on” training. Many see this as an invaluable component of a biomed training program and most of the programs we looked at included this practice in the curriculum.

Working on real medical equipment is an important aspect of many of the programs, as are internships. Those two components let the student experience a real-world measure of the profession. “We strive to include as much hands-on experience with actual working medical equipment as possible. Our programs include a mandatory internship at the end,” explains Roger Bowles, Department Chair and Professor in the Biomedical Equipment Technology program at Texas State Technical College. “Ours is a two year, Associate of Applied Science Degree in Biomedical Equipment Technology (program).”

“We also have a two-year associate of applied science degree in Medical Imaging Systems Technology. Graduates of the Biomedical Program usually are employed by hospitals or ISOs. Graduates of the Medical Imaging program are usually employed by OEMs. Our programs provide the basics in electronics, medical equipment operation and function, safety in the health care facility and troubleshooting techniques.”

“Without doubt, a biomed student benefits more from his/her internship experience than any other part of the program,” says Sonny Richards, Program Head/Instructor of the college’s Biomedical Equipment Technology program. “Without participating hospitals and supportive CE and biomedical managers, our students would not have an opportunity to experience real-life, day to day activities in a hospital environment. Our approach at SCC is to prepare students to become successful in their internships, which in turn will hopefully lead to a successful career.”

Dennis McMahon, CBET-R, Instructor of Biomedical Technology at North Seattle Community College says that their “220-hour internship at a local hospital, with reporting assignments” and “encouragement to take the ICC certification exam” are instrumental components of their approach. He adds that their program also provides “hands-on exercises with current or reasonably older equipment” and a “class site visit to a local hospital with a follow-up assignment” in order to provide students with real-world experience.

“We are a fledgling program that offers two core courses (an introductory broad-based, low depth, no lab review course, and an in-depth narrow-based (five or so device types) class with a lab” says Biomedical Equipment Technology Adjunct Professor Ted Cohen, MS, and CCE. “We also offer four Saturday “all-day” elective courses on: Networking medical devices, Ventilators, Ultrasound, and Intro to X-Ray (two Saturdays). We also have occasionally been able to offer an unpaid internship.”

The faculty perspective

Faculty in these programs may be the ones who have the clearest perspective on what elements of the program benefit the students most. That perspective can speak to the curriculum that the faculty member teaches or the teaching of biomedical technology in general. “The Introductory class teaches Electronics Technology students quite a bit about what a BMET does and the types of technology they work on, as well as an introduction to anatomy and physiology,” says American River College Professor Ted Cohen.

“The second core course gives them hands-on lab experience with patient monitors, ESUs, infusion pumps, defibrillators and a few other products. The internship provides hands-on experience and they get to complete documentation and be part of the BMET team. The electives give them a feel for where they could go specialty-wise after they gain some real BMET work experience. We feel that overall, this prepares them for a BMET entry level or paid intern position with a minimum amount of school time.”

“Enthusiasm for the medical equipment field from the first day of class” is one of the characteristics that benefits a biomed student most according North Seattle Community College’s McMahon. He adds that social skills and communications skills are high on the list also. Other skills that are desirable include “understanding of the theory, then practical experience with shop skills, functional verification, troubleshooting and repair,” McMahon says.

The importance of good customer service skills is not lost on the program offered through Stanly Community College in North Carolina. In addition to hands-on training on ECG, defibrillator, ventilator, IV pumps, ESUs and physiologic monitors, the programs students get a dose of those skills that extend beyond maintenance and repair.

“We also focus heavily on what life in a hospital is like, how to respond to different situations, understanding and utilizing medical terminology, as well as good customer service skills,” says Stanly’s Richards. “These skills are universal, but we teach our students how to apply them specifically in the medical field.  Feedback from our graduates indicates that they feel very well prepared to enter the hospital environment upon graduation.” The program at Stanly offers an Associate in Applied Science degree. (A.A.S.)

An evolving profession

College biomed programs are not only preparing biomedical professionals for the demands of potential positions in hospitals, OEMs and ISOs today, but must look down the road at the needs of tomorrow. Curriculums must be tailored to meet those needs as well. “Two of our paid instructors, KaMan Liu and myself, are both on the AAMI committee working on developing a standardized BMET curriculum, so we are watching that closely and keeping the ARC administration informed as that group makes progress” says Professor Cohen of American River College.

“Our advisory committees steer our curricula,” says Bowles of Texas State Technical College. “They are composed of employers of our students. We meet once a year and discuss changes in the field and suggested changes in the curricula to meet the needs of the profession. We (the faculty) also keep up with changes by reading trade related journals and attending regional and national association meetings.”

An evolving profession where technology charges ahead requires a fluid educational approach. Some changes that have been instituted in the North Seattle Community College program include “more specifics about changes in established technology (e.g.: measurement of additional parameters with SpO2; or the integration of nurse call systems with other equipment and paging systems), more emphasis on troubleshooting, less troubleshooting to the component level and more IT,” McMahon says.

Stanly Community College’s Richards explains, “The major change in recent years has been to incorporate computer repair and network training into the program.  Based on recommendations from our participating hospitals and partners, we have crafted our program to allow students to not only learn the basics of hospital equipment operation and maintenance, but also to allow them to manage this equipment at the system level.  Feedback from CE Directors in the area has been very positive as the trend toward integration continues.”

The employer view

The news from the employer side is also quite good. Employers report that their experience with graduates of these programs is positive and the students were provided with the right training.

“I had the opportunity to hire two Texas State Technical College (TSTC) biomed graduates in 2011” says Carol L. Wyatt, MPA, CBET, Manager of Biomedical Technology Services for Baylor Health Care System. “They are exceptional technicians! I believe credit starts with a curriculum that provides a solid foundation. It’s the instructors that bring passion to the profession. It’s the students themselves that go beyond the classroom walls by getting involved in the TSTC Biomed Club and travel to Dallas every other month to attend North Texas Biomedical Association meetings. All these factors shape biomed students into exceptional biomed techs.”

Steven Matowik, CBET, Biomedical Services Supervisor, Information Technology Division at the Yuma Regional Medical Center in Yuma, Ariz., likes Spokane Community College in Spokane, Wash. “We have hired seven graduates as technicians since 1985,” he says.

Of those seven graduates, Matowik says that one is still working for the medical center, one left to go on to become the Biomedical Department Director at St. Mary’s Hospital in California, one went to work at Toshiba as a MRI/CT specialist, one became self-employed and a couple others now work for an ISO and for another hospital. “All were well prepared to go to work. (The) program has also added (a) computing/networking section.”

“Two of the last three biomeds hired here at my hospital are graduates of North Seattle Community College,” says Jeff Schweer, CBET at the Clinical Engineering Department of Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Asked about the prevalence of career-changers that he sees coming out of community or technical college training programs, Schweer replied, “Both of our recent hires were. We’re seeing a lot of that. I would say that half the students I’m seeing in the programs right now. There are not a lot of 20-year-old kids. There are a lot of 30 or 40-year old people that had related skill sets.”

Many students in these programs come here as career-changers. Biomed is proving to be a good second career choice in economic times that have seen downsizing and layoffs in many industries. Training provided by actual working technicians is a benefit to the student that is not often found in the classroom.

“We, (HSS) have been doing a partnership with STI (Southeast Tech Institute) for years now,” says Brian Ehrichs, a biomed manager with HSS in Denver. “We have hired one or more techs each year that I have been with HSS. The quality of biomed techs coming out of STI is nothing short of outstanding.”

“Students have found that biomedical technology is a solid field to enter, in terms of continued employment, advancement opportunities and benefits. Over the past four years, enrollment in the biomedical program has increased by several hundred percent,” says Richards from Stanly’s program.

Knowledge is the difference between being prepared to be a biomed and stumbling through the shop door unprepared. The nation’s community college and technical college programs have heard the call.

Benjamin Franklin added a twist of humor to another quote about the importance of education; “A learned blockhead is a greater blockhead than an ignorant one,” he said. Borrowing from Proverbs, Forbes Magazine put these words at the top of their editorial page beginning with the first issue; “With all thy getting, get understanding.”