By K. Richard Douglas
Although North Dakota and Minnesota have been ranked in the top 10 for quality of life, for those who have a cold intolerance, they may not be the best choices. January can be downright intolerable.
The Dakotas are a part of the U.S. region known as the Northern Plains. Biomeds in that region have to be rugged and be able to deal with snow and ice as well as medical devices.
Serving those biomeds in the Northern Plains and beyond is the North Central Biomedical Association (NCBA). The group’s website states, “The NCBA is an organization of BMETs, Clinical Engineers, students, and other Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) professionals.”
The NCBA serves the HTM community in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa. The organization was officially started in 1989 by Neil Greninger, Deborah O’Leary, John Roth and Jim Skipper, according to President Michael Walker.
By 1990, the groups’ numbers had grown nearly five-fold. Three years later, NCBA held its first conference.
In addition to education, one of the association’s primary goals is to help replenish the diminishing numbers of biomeds in the region.
“Currently, the focus is on finding enough qualified workers to support the growing need, due to baby boomers retiring and contracts being brought in house. The schools are not turning out enough students to support the need. Many different ideas are currently being kicked around on how best to fill the void,” Walker says.
The association hosts regular meetings to keep members engaged. The group will make use of technology to further allow participation.
“NCBA meets quarterly at different hosting sites. Typically, the hosting sites have been hospitals or schools that offer HTM programs. Our last outing was with a supporting HTM vendor. We are looking to increase our visibility and attendance with members by offering online participation, thus keeping HTM engaged throughout the year (as opposed to just the yearly seminar),” Walker says.
NCBA has awarded scholarships as a tool to help bring new biomeds into the field.
“NCBA has had a scholarship program from time to time over the years,” Walker says.
He says that last year, the group was able to award “scholarships again due to the generosity of our vendors wanting to give back. These scholarships will be awarded by a written essay on why they want to be a biomed.”
With the diminishing number of colleges and technical schools offering biomed curriculums, many HTM associations have tried to connect with these institutions or involve students in association activities.
“I would not say we have a special relationship with any specific school. We welcome any and all schools that are interested in NCBA and HTM. We do try and cultivate relationships with schools to support employing their students upon graduation, as this is a common goal (need and supply). The students we see most at our NCBA event are from Winona State College Southeast, Dakota County Technical College, [and] Western Technical College,” Walker says.
The Show Must Go On
While some groups had conference or symposium plans put on hold because of the pandemic, the NCBA still brought biomeds together for an event last year.
The group held its 2021 conference at the Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria, Minnesota.
“The annual NCBA Conference is hosted each September somewhere in Minnesota. This three-day event brings HTM vendors, students, and hospital leadership together under one roof. We offer seminars, meals and outings such as (karaoke and golf). It’s a great opportunity to bond and network with people in the HTM industry,” Walker says.
He says that toward the end of the conference, the association offers a vendor show that allows everyone to get a look at new equipment and to meet local and national vendors.
“This conference is a great venue to network, learn and engage,” Walker adds.
He says that the 2021 event was “a bit smaller than in the past” since so many hospitals are still battling COVID-19 concerns.
“We had great keynote speakers, excellent meals, and outings such as golf and karaoke. Seminars typically included Joint Commission changes, AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation), tips on interviewing for hospitals, and vendor-related training. We also held our business meeting where we elected new officers such as vice president, treasurer, secretary, etcetera,” Walker says.
He says for 2022, the group will be moving to Southeast Minnesota for its conference.
“Treasure Island Casino is on tap for late September (keep your calendar open). We want to keep building this organization to its full potential,” Walker says.
As mentioned earlier, the focus of NCBA has been a central focus of many HTM associations; to find new biomeds to replace the departure of retiring baby-boom-aged biomeds.
“So, this is really an all-hands-on-deck multifaceted approach at this point. Most hospitals are struggling to find enough trained employees to hire. The approaches to this are many,” Walker says.
He says that some hospitals are offering to pay current employees to change careers if they meet a certain skill set. Also, some hospitals are working with on-the-job training to get people into the field
“Others are trying to get kids right out of high school to mentor into roles. The NCBA will continue to have ongoing discussions with schools on how to grow their student rates. AAMI has an HTM in a box link that tries to get kids involved early (middle school, high school, college),” Walker says.
During the cold winters in the central portion of the country, the rugged HTM professionals who brave the winters, have a unifying association to keep them educated, informed and their departments staffed.
The NCBA only slowed down slightly during the pandemic as it helps bring more HTM professionals into the field in the years to come.