A U.S. national BMET Apprenticeship Program recently launched by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) has gained valuable new support through the College of Biomedical Equipment Technology and Fluke Biomedical. The backbone of hospitals and even laboratories, BMETs routinely service the medical devices that are needed to monitor patient health or record important data. Unfortunately, AAMI estimates that nearly half of the current healthcare technology management (HTM) workforce is over the age of 50. As more BMETs retire and the number of college programs to train new HTM professionals dwindles, health care systems will find it increasingly difficult to fill these crucial positions.
Thats why AAMI’s BMET Apprenticeship Program, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor, guides employer partners in training the next generation of HTM professionals. The program combines traditional education with up to 6,000 hours of on-the-job learning. Prospective BMETs are matched with program partners in their area, who provide them with training and paid work experience, and cover expenses for the requisite educational courses.
Now, the cost of supporting an apprentice may prove lower than employers expect!
Discounted Access to Exclusive College Courses
The College of Biomedical Equipment Technology is an online college that offers biomedical equipment technician (BMET) and healthcare technology management (HTM) training at the certificate and associate degree levels. The college is offering all participants in the Apprenticeship Program access to A&P and mathematics courses at a 20% discount for organizations taking on AAMI BMET apprentices.
“Typically, only students enrolled in their degree program can take those classes, but they are opening them up to any AAMI BMET apprentices,” explained Danielle McGeary, vice president of HTM at AAMI.
“We view the apprenticeship program as a unique opportunity to bridge a critically important gap in education and serve a segment of the workforce that might otherwise struggle to gain entry into an incredible career field,” said Dr. Richard L. “Monty” Gonzales, president of the college.
According to McGeary, “since the College of Biomedical Equipment Technology’s courses are entirely online, its support solves three potential problems our apprenticeship program’s partners may face.”
- Employer partners might not already have a relationship with a local community college for providing classroom learning.
- Employers/apprentices located in rural areas of the country are sometimes hours from a physical college, making it hard for apprentices to access the necessary classes.
- Not everyone can attend face-to-face school at night after working a 40-hour week, due to other commitments.
“With this new option, apprentices can do it all online at their own pace,” said McGeary, who serves on the college’s advisory board.
Free Industry Training
Support from Fluke Biomedical is covering another important corner of the BMET Apprenticeship curriculum. A manufacturer of biomedical test equipment and training software, Fluke is offering free advanced training courses to participating apprentices.
The courses add up to an estimated 22 hours of free training and count towards the “Medical Equipment Training from Industry Sources” requirement in the “Related Instruction” section of the new U.S. national apprenticeship program’s curriculum.
“Year one requires 30 hours of medical equipment training from industry sources, so this 22 hours of content will complete a majority of the requirement at no cost to organizations participating in the BMET Apprenticeship Program,” explained McGeary. “The content contains a lot of training around their biomed test equipment, which is perfect for the apprentices who are brand new to the field and need to learn about test equipment and electrical safety.”
“AAMI wanted to provide some quality free training options as we know budgets are tight for everyone right now,” McGeary added. “We are very appreciative of Fluke’s support.”
“It turns out the program was the perfect application for our immense library of educational content,” said Michael Raiche, senior portfolio manager for Fluke Biomedical. “What better way to influence the test and measurement market than to educate the next generation? It’s important that we all understand the clinical applications of medical devices, the risks if they fail, how to test them and share industry best practices.”
Nuvolo Sponsorship Program
In addition to help from Fluke Biomedical and the College of Biomedical Equipment Technology, AAMI previously announced the support of Nuvolo.
Through the Nuvolo Apprenticeship Sponsorship Program, the first seven health systems or stand-alone hospitals to enroll in AAMI’s BMET Apprenticeship Program by December 1, 2021 will be automatically eligible to receive up to $725 per apprentice for up to two apprentices. Additional program details can be found at connectedworkplace.nuvolo.com/apprenticeship-certification-program/
“Our apprenticeship program continues to grow with the support of these incredible organizations,” said McGeary. “I’m excited to see even more companies join our growing list of employer partners paving the way for the next generation of exceptional BMETs!”