The past year or so I have been hearing more and more employers as well as clients, seeking HTM service talent, inquire to and in many instances request “certified” professionals. Is the Healthcare provider industry now becoming more knowledgeable of and possibly recognizing the importance of the critical work and patient safety assuring resource HTM service professionals are engaged in and provide direct impact too? Is this the paradigm shift towards greater recognition and realization of the HTM service professional’s visibility as part of the patient care delivery team?
Healthcare as an industry requires certification or licensure in almost every area that either interacts with the patient or has a direct line in administering diagnostic or treatment delivery to the patients served. Both state and other accrediting agencies require certification or licensure in such areas as nursing, respiratory, radiology and the list goes on and on. It is mind boggling to think those providing service and calibration to medical devices either life support or other are not required to hold a license or certification in this healthcare delivery support field.
As puzzling as this historic dilemma is, that being the non- accreditation requirement of service professional’s in this industry, it is not overall surprising. Let’s face it, up to about 24 months ago our profession was circulating around about 15+ different “names” that individuals in the field associated themselves with as an identifier when explaining what exactly they did for a job!
Certification classifications within the HTM service industry have existed for many years and are not widely pursued by most individuals working actively in the field. Simple reason, no requirement or little incentive to drive them to this level of status. The HTM service profession’s “next generation” is definitely increasing in trending towards attaining “certification” status via national organizations such as the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and the Electronics Technician Association International (ETA). I believe this trend is a direct result of better formal undergraduate educational programs and the integration of Information Technology (IT) into the HTM service profession. Certification in the IT field is more prevalent and recognized as a differentiator among talent.
The time may be closer now than ever that federal or state accrediting agencies will mandate licensure of those individuals providing service and maintenance to medical devices. A closing thought on this week’s topic, my barber who “cut’s my hair or what is left of it is licensed and certified by that profession’s appropriate regulatory agency. I believe one of many driving reasons is to assure safety to the public that is served. Wouldn’t it be an awesome concept to have all HTM service professional’s certified appropriately in a reciprocal way?
1 Comment
I see this as a trend that “career” service professionals seem to be embracing more than just “clock punchers.” Here in the Fort Wayne, IN area we have been trying to motivate our peers to get certified, but the response in almost unanimous against, citing a lack of motivation or reciprication of compensation from hospitals in the region. “Why should I get certified?” Professional growth, proving and IMproving oneself no longer seem motivation enough.
I paid for my CBET myself. I did it for ME, regardless of whether my facility recognizes it or not.