A desire to serve, educate and advance the HTM/biomedical industry continues to fuel J.C. Newell in her quest to provide a solution that will fill a gap that she sees widening as more and more baby boomers retire from the profession and the next generation is tasked with maintaining more advanced technology.
A veteran with an educational background, Newell teamed up with like-minded individuals, Lisa Thomas and Douglas Redwine, to launch B.R.I.T. Technical Institute (Biomedical, Radiology, and Information Technology) to serve those interested in biomedical, radiology and information technology. The institute is conveniently and centrally located in the thriving Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan area.
“Our goal is to provide comprehensive, quality post-secondary education to equip students to enter the growing Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) and IT job market,” Newell explains. “Certificate programs will be offered for the first two years per a Texas Workforce Commission requirement. These offerings will target individuals who have already attained an associate degree and are looking to enhance their skills and education. Once we have fulfilled our two-year requirement, we plan to add associate degree programs to our catalog.”
Newell says the organization could have certificate programs in anything, including customer service, but the goal is to serve the HTM community. She says that offering certificate programs geared specifically toward HTM professional will grow B.R.I.T. Technical Institute’s reputation and strengthen its bond with the community.
One-year certificate programs offered by B.R.I.T. Technical Institute are Biomedical Equipment Technology, Radiology Equipment Repair Technology, Information technology-Medical Device Integration and Information Technology-Cybersecurity. Grants and scholarships to help offset the cost of the education and help with relocation and childcare are all part of the plan. The cost of the certificate programs is very competitive.
More than 20 people have already expressed an interest in attending classes at B.R.I.T. and becoming the next generation of HTM professionals who will be more advanced technicians.
The initial concept had B.R.I.T. Technical Institute as a not-for-profit education facility, but due to the high costs of equipment and other obligations a decision has been made to be a for-profit organization.
“So, to ensure that we can infuse fresh new talent into the HTM workforce, reducing the gap of entry-level technicians in the HTM field, while reducing the gap caused by baby boomer retirements, we are opening up 30 percent of our organization for investment,” Newell says. “Our goal is to infuse $500,000 into this venture. We would like to invite you to join us in this endeavor, so that we may alter the perceived course of HTM today.”
For more information about the B.R.I.T. Technical Institute, including educational programs and investment opportunities, can be found online at www.redwell-ed.org.
