By K. Richard Douglas
Those who train military fighter pilots often say that if the fighter is shot down, the value of the pilot far exceeds the jet. They mean that beyond the obvious value of a human life, but also because of the amount of investment the military makes in a fighter pilot.
The training that produces an elite aviator is extensive and significant.
This kind of career development produces some of the best pilots in the world and has been the subject of movies and books. The top gun training program for Navy pilots is widely known. This type of investment in advancing the skills produces an invaluable product.
Ongoing training and education are components of career advancement within the HTM profession as well. Training allows a biomed to increase their value to the department and allows the department to keep more service in-house. More specialized training can put a biomed on a career path into leadership.
With the exodus of older biomeds as many retire, there remains the challenge of continuity of staffing levels, maintaining crucial knowledge and developing replacements for departing leadership.
All of these challenges fall within the realm of succession planning. While often challenges for department managers and directors, the evolving nature of retirements and new staff and management openings provide opportunities to HTM professionals for career advancement and goals.
The career ladder for a biomed is motivating because it can take a determined individual from a BMET 1 to a vice president. Training and experience coupled with career goals could take a BMET 1 to a vice president, but for those who want to continue to work with their hands, there are career paths that lead to specialized roles or cybersecurity positions.
HTM professionals who are interested in adding education opportunities, degrees, certifications or specialty endorsements may be able to find funding for that education internally.
In their presentation at the May 2025 HTM Mixer Denver; “From Job to Career: Building Your Future in HTM,” David Scott, CBET, and Brad Kaiser, CBET, asked attendees if their employer offered tuition reimbursement.
The presenters said that biomeds may be able to get education reimbursement through their employers to advance their careers.
“I always recommend young techs to use tuition reimbursement. If you have it where you work and are not using it then you are missing out a money that could be given to you. There are now online degrees you can get from the convenience of your home. Another way is advanced planning. By working with a supervisor/manager to identify areas of opportunity and plan ahead to get training for that opportunity. If you plan ahead enough it can usually be worked into the budget for the next year,” Scott says.
Kaiser also says that a good starting point is to work with a supervisor or director.
“During one-on-one sessions and annual reviews, it would be wise for a tech to discuss the benefits of the training, potential money it could save the dept, how it will increase uptime and other ancillary benefits,” he suggests.
The presenters say that another way for a biomed to advance their career is through certification. Scott offered some special insights in this area.
“Of course, I’m going to say the AAMI CBET instructor-led review that I do. This review is a new take on the old CABMET CBET Review I did for years. It was purchased by AAMI in 2019. I went along with the purchase. I instruct this review along with Don Armstrong. I always tell people to look at the outline that’s in the handbook. It’s never too early to start studying. It’s not an easy test and many people fail it,” Scott says.
He says that AAMI has other resources like the “CBET Smart Practice.” This is a bank of over 900 practice questions.
“These resources from AAMI all cost on top of the cost for the test. ($425) CABMET has a free CBET Study Check/CBET Study Flashcards – CABMET (https://cabmet.org/cbet-study-check). It has crossword puzzles and flashcards, depending on what you like best. It can be done on your phone so you can study a little whenever you have some downtime on the go. It is not all inclusive and is under development and will improve in the future. I feel like the review that Don and I do gets people headed in the right direction, but people still need to put in the work,” Scott says.
He says that the review helps people identify weak areas that require additional study.
“Most people usually have one area they know more about than other areas. For me, it was anatomy and physiology. Others, it might be electronics or IT. It’s important to know the make-up of the test and the percentages that are asked in category of the test. Fifty percent of the test is medical devices as related to patient care and reasoning and problem solving. The CBET test is broad based and covers all aspects of BMETs’ work and knowledge to do the job. It’s very easy working in HTM to get in a silo and only know the areas you work in. That’s why it’s important to look at the outline and understand what will be covered on the test,” Scott adds.
How can people be more comfortable about stepping outside their comfort zones and embrace new skills to enhance their careers?
“The only way to progress in this field is to challenge yourself. Start small and then expand. Shadowing a senior technician is a gateway to knowledge and experience working on more difficult modalities. Also, express this desire to grow to your leadership team and work with your leaders to develop an action plan. Keeping a record of your growth can empower you to realize how far you’ve come,” Kaiser says.
Growing Future Leaders
In a presentation from the 2025 Southern California MD Expo, Scott teamed up with Naka Piohia, network team leader, biomedical engineering, for the presentation “Effective Leaders Develop Their People.” In that presentation, Piohia and Scott laid out the importance of succession planning into some of its key elements. A few bullet points are:
Organizational stability: succession planning is essential for maintaining stability within an organization during transitions in leadership.
Risk mitigation: effective succession planning helps mitigate risks associated with losing key leaders, ensuring a smooth transition.
Knowledge transfer: it ensures the transfer of critical knowledge and skills from outgoing leaders to future successors.
Employee engagement: succession planning supports employee engagement by providing career development opportunities and career paths.
The presenters said that leadership should be aware of which internal employees may be candidates for manager roles. As part of an annual appraisal review, leadership should be asking staff if promotion into manager roles is the career path that they are pursuing.
Also, some members of staff may not be interested in leadership roles currently because of extenuating circumstances but may be open to opportunities in the future.
Piohia says that leadership should not overlook the tech 1 and tech 2 members of the team who might have management experience from prior jobs that might prove valuable.
The presenters pointed out that there are many important skills that biomeds can learn by being a part of a biomed association or becoming a part of the leadership of one of those organizations. They also pointed out that there should be areas where biomed staff can learn specialized skills as part of succession planning.
Some of the categories that those skills fit into include communication skills, product management, customer relations, project management, budgeting and forecasting and performance improvement.
Piohia says that executive professional development can include OEM factory training, tech-to-tech cross training, job rotation and mentorship and job shadowing.
Scott and Piohia say that assigning some of the duties of those taking PTO to another member of staff can test that person and highlight their ability to take on additional responsibilities.
Passing the Baton through Mentorship
Presenting at the 2025 MD Expo in Southern California, Douglas Redwine, regional director of biomedical engineering at Piedmont Healthcare and founder of R.E.D STEM & ARTS spoke about the need to foster cross-generational knowledge as experienced biomeds retire.
Redwine presented: “Passing the Baton: Strategies for Cross Generational Knowledge Transfer in HTM.”
He likened the handoff of the baton in a relay race to the handoff of knowledge from retiring biomeds to newer biomeds.
One method of achieving this goal is to create a mentor/trainee program. Redwine says that senior techs should understand their evolving roles as mentors.
“Designing an effective mentor/trainee program requires intentional planning, ongoing support, and a clear alignment with organizational goals. The first step is to provide mentors with well-defined expectations regarding their responsibilities and the desired outcomes of the program. It’s important that both mentors and trainees understand the overarching mission and how their relationship contributes to that vision,” Redwine says.
He says that equipping mentors with the correct resources is also critical.
“It includes access to training materials if applicable, dedicated time carved out of their schedules for mentorship activities such as rounding to visit customers and shadowing on troubleshooting projects, and ongoing support from leadership. Without proper tools and protected time, even the most passionate mentors can struggle to be effective,” Redwine says.
He says that structured follow-up is essential.
“Hosting periodic check-ins or feedback sessions with both mentors and trainees creates an opportunity to evaluate progress, identify challenges, and share successes. These conversations not only foster accountability but also help refine the program over time. A strong mentor/trainee program doesn’t just transfer knowledge, it builds confidence, leadership skills, and helps cultivate a culture of continuous growth within the HTM department,” Redwine adds.
He adds that every voice should be heard.
“Ensuring all staff members, including new hires, can contribute meaningfully to decisions and strategic planning begins with cultivating a culture of openness and inclusion. Leadership must be intentional about creating spaces where sharing ideas is not only welcomed but expected. This means going beyond traditional hierarchies and establishing platforms where every voice has the opportunity to be heard, regardless of tenure,” Redwine says.
He suggests that one practical approach is to ensure that information and updates are transparent and easily accessible.
“Internal newsletters, digital dashboards, team huddles and informal meeting luncheons can serve as valuable tools for keeping everyone informed and engaged. These forums also create opportunities for team members to ask questions, share insights, and feel part of the bigger picture,” Redwine says.
He says that within his own experience, he has found that technology can help bridge gaps and encourage participation.
“I’ve used tools like Mailchimp to send out virtual surveys, allowing team members to share feedback anonymously and candidly. By following up and sharing the results with the team, I not only highlight that their voices matter, but also foster an environment where feedback directly influences decisions. This kind of inclusive approach strengthens team cohesion, drives innovation, and helps ensure that strategic goals reflect the insights and experiences of the entire team, not just a select few,” Redwine says.
How can the older, experienced techs be motivated to engage in mentoring?
“Motivating seasoned technicians to take on mentorship roles isn’t always an easy task, but I tackle it by beginning with authentic, personal engagement. As a leader, I make it a priority to have one-on-one conversations with experienced staff where I share a clear vision for the need of mentorship and why their involvement is essential,” Redwine says.
He says he is certain to express to the senior techs how much he values their expertise.
“These conversations are about more than just assigning a task, but more so about inspiring purpose. I remind them of what it felt like to be new in the field – uncertain, hungry to learn, and looking for guidance. I often ask them to reflect on what they needed most at the start of their careers and then help them see how they can now be that anchor for someone else,” Redwine adds.
Potential Candidates
As biomed departments work to develop internal resources, there is a vast pool of potential new recruits that come out of diverse backgrounds according to Brian Bell, Ph.D., lead faculty for biomedical engineering technology at St. Petersburg College and founder of HTM Workshop.
He says that there are likely recruits across career fields.
“Army vets; not just BMETs, but also airplane mechanics, people who did electrical work, mechanical work, etcetera,” Bell says.
He says that other candidates can include career changers such as hospital nurse techs who want to work with equipment, cellphone repairers, etcetera.
And then, new to college students just starting out.
“My experience is one and two make up the majority of new BMETs but there are the occasional first time out of college students,” Bell says.
He says there is a need to partner together to replace retiring biomeds by recognizing that it is a team effort.
“Getting the word out, showcasing what a BMET does, telling friends and family. I would say most of my recruits are word of mouth,” Bell says.
With more and more baby-boom generation HTM professionals retiring every day, the needs to recruit and develop staff will both sustain the biomed profession and individual departments into the future. Utilizing in-house knowledge and talent, and fostering the next generation of leaders, are activities that must become a part of every biomed shop’s culture.
Presentations mentioned in this article may be viewed on the MD Expo playlist on www.TechNation.TV
