By Danielle McGeary
Many healthcare technology management (HTM) departments are struggling to find the right people to fill their open positions and dealing with the frustration that comes with being short staffed. Do you wish you could do more to help solve this problem, but are short on time and don’t know where to start? We have all been there, and you certainly are not alone!
To help address this challenge, AAMI has created a series of canned presentations that anyone in the HTM field can use to plan a fun HTM career presentation for any age group. We call it: “HTM in a Box.”
HTM in a Box doesn’t actually come in a box – it’s an online set of presentations developed by AAMI that contain a strong and consistent message about the HTM field. No matter what age audience you plan on presenting to, AAMI has you covered. Three presentations are included:
- Elementary and middle schoolers
- Junior high and high school
- College-aged students and adults
We’ve also created two HTM career brochures, one for younger children and the other for high school ages and above. We will happily mail you copies – just email me at dmcgeary@aami.org to request your copies. AAMI also has a slew of other resources available to make your HTM outreach even easier, all available for free at www.aami.org/HTMinaBox. You don’t need to be an AAMI member to use HTM in a Box or any accompanying resources.
The website also contains talking points to help you better prepare for your presentation, a pre-written script to use when reaching out to organizations and schools via email/phone to ask for presentation time, a video about the HTM field and a list of all current HTM specific academic programs by state.
Now is a great time to show your HTM pride by telling others about this amazing career path. While we are all busy, it is important that we work together to help solve our workforce challenges – in particular, ensuring that a new generation will be ready to take up the mantle when many of the field’s most experienced HTM leaders and BMETs begin retiring.
Promoting our field does not need to be a grand effort. It could mean setting up a table in your hospital’s lobby during HTM Week to show off your department to hospital staff, volunteers, families and patients. This display can have a lasting impact, as many hospital staff members may not be aware of the important role of HTM in the hospital. When we take the time to explain and educate, people begin talking and the results can be huge.
Other ideas include visiting local community colleges and universities to educate students about this field. That’s where the HTM in a Box tool comes in handy. I encourage you to focus on those general electronics, IT and biomedical engineering majors and to ensure they know that HTM is a rewarding and sustainable option for them. For instance, biomedical engineering majors need to know before graduation that they can be a clinical engineer working in a hospital instead of working in lab or in an industry R&D environment.
Danielle McGeary is the Vice President, Healthcare Technology Management, AAMI.