By Steven J. Yelton
As a professor emeritus, I have the opportunity to pursue my love of the HTM profession and to see our profession from both sides of the desk. I teach HTM (Biomedical Instrumentation) classes at the college level and work in a clinical engineering department for a hospital network.
As I speak to students and HTM professionals, I hear questions pertaining to the position of CE-IT (Clinical Engineering-Information Technology) technician. This position requires a combination of Clinical Engineering knowledge, Information Technology knowledge and their inter-relationship within HTM. Although it is currently gaining much popularity, CE-IT is certainly not a new notion. Many years ago, an HTM director friend of mine came to me and said that we need to start training technicians who are very adept at both biomedical engineering technology and information technologies.
I thought that it was a great idea and certainly one that, as a program chairman of a biomedical program, I should investigate. We started discussing the intricacies of this “new” position. Should we try to train an IT person in biomed or a biomedical person in IT? Should this be an add-on to a biomedical program? What if current biomeds want to enhance their career with IT training?
These were all great questions and ones that we needed to answer. What came of these conversations was a program entitled “Biomedical Equipment and Information Systems Technology” at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. Looking back, it was relatively easy to cover enough IT for the biomedical technician to have an adequate knowledge of CE-IT to be successful. That was the goal of the program: produce a biomedical technician with information technology training also. As times have changed and technology has advanced, this training may not be as easy anymore.
There are positions for technicians working with CE-IT integration as well as engineers. The education, as well as positions held by these two professionals, is somewhat different.
“As we know, HTM and IT must work together as seamlessly as possible. We must work as a team when we purchase technology, design systems, assure information security and provide maintenance on these integrated systems.”
According to AAMI’s “Core Competencies for the HTM Entry-level Technician: A Guide for Curriculum Development in Academic Institutions,” in addition to their training in biomedical systems, electronics, digital and microprocessor systems, telecommunications, etc., biomedical technology students should attain training in the area of installation and maintenance of computer networks, security of networks, technologies such as Voice over IP, business communication systems, as well as training in the areas of HIPAA regulations, HL7 protocols, and device integration with the electronic medical record to name a few. This is considered basic IT knowledge needed by biomedical technicians today, not to mention the additional training needed of CE-IT technicians.
The typical CE-IT technician attains training in biomedical engineering technology at the associate degree level. In the past this person typically has started working in the HTM field and found a need to return to school for additional training in information technology. Many community colleges and universities offer this type of training locally. As an example, at Cincinnati State, biomedical students are required to take courses in computer networking as part of their curriculum, however some graduates may return to school on a part-time basis and pursue an additional degree in computer network engineering technology. These individuals found that even though it is typical for biomedical technicians to work with the CE-IT interface on a daily basis, additional training in the computer area is needed if they would like to attain a specialty in CE-IT.
Another route that many individuals take for additional training is through places such as Cisco Networking Academy (netacad.com). You can go to this website and type in your location to get a list of locations in your area that offer Cisco training. Also organizations such as AAMI, through AAMI University (university.aami.org) offer training in biomedical technology, electronics, as well as information technology.
Students may pursue additional certifications pertaining to the IT industry such as Cisco and Network Plus certifications. At this point, they have the ability to apply this general knowledge of IT to the HTM field, thus integrating clinical engineering and information technology.
Current students in biomedical programs are gaining interest in CE-IT through talking to professionals in the field or by talking with supervisors and colleagues while on cooperative education assignments. This is causing an interest for colleges to create programs in healthcare information technology. There are some health or health care IT programs in existence with more on the way.
The next step in the CE-IT position chain is the “CE-IT Engineer.” This is traditionally a person who possesses a bachelor’s degree (B.S.) in either engineering or engineering technology. In addition to having additional technical training, this person differs from the associate degreed technician in the area of management skills and often takes additional course work in project management, business management and accounting. The graduate who possesses this degree is also prepared to enter management level positions after some experience in the field.
As we know, HTM and IT must work together as seamlessly as possible. We must work as a team when we purchase technology, design systems, assure information security and provide maintenance on these integrated systems. The CE-IT technician is a great liaison between these departments and one of the few individuals who truly has an advanced understanding of both areas. This person will provide excellent customer service by using their expertise in both areas to solve sophisticated problems.
Steven J. Yelton, PE, CHTM, is a professor/professor emeritus at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College where he teaches biomedical instrumentation courses. He is a member of AAMI’s Board of Directors, AAMI’s Foundation Board of Directors, Vice Chair of AAMI’s Technology Management Council, Chair of AAMI’s HTAC committee and is a member of the ABET Board of Delegates.