By K. Richard Douglas
Biomeds spend a lot of time around patients who are being treated by clinical staff to make them healthy again or to keep them alive. One biomed in Indiana lives in this world, but also has the responsibility of assisting with those who aren’t so fortunate.
Earl Morris Jr., BMET, is a one-man biomed shop for Harrison County Hospital in Corydon, Indiana, and the deputy coroner for the county coroner’s office.
Morris had his interest sparked in the biomed profession from an early age.
“I have always wanted to help. I remember when I was in the hospital when I was in the second grade, [and] while there, the biomed techs came by and did preventative maintenance on the machines in the room and I talked to them and they answered all of my questions, and I thought, I want to be like these guys,” he remembers.
Morris obtained an associate degree from the College of Biomedical Equipment Technology. He also had two years of on-the-job training while he was in school.
While he has retained the same title as a biomed, he has held other positions. Morris worked in the IT field before entering biomed.
“Since I have been in the biomedical world, I have only had one title and that is BMET. During my working career, I have held the title of Deputy Coroner, MDI (Medicolegal Death Investigator) certified. During my information technology career, I have been a Systems Administrator, Level 2 Support and Desktop Support,” Morris says.
Wearing Two Hats
Morris faces some unique challenges as a one-man biomed shop and a deputy coroner.
“I think the challenges that I have encountered have been diagnosing equipment; most of the time I receive equipment with a note that says ‘broken’ or ‘doesn’t work.’ I also found that time management can be a big challenge as you have to prioritize what is the most important to what is just important; as everything is important. I have been assigned some special projects which include security cameras and maintenance/service contracts in the hospital,” he says.
Beside repairing and maintaining medical equipment, Morris has the difficult job in the coroner’s office.
“I am also one of the county coroners; my official title is Deputy Coroner. I am also MDI certified, which stands for medicolegal death investigator. Some of the challenges with this job are controlling your emotions as you are handling very sensitive issues, as this is the most important thing that can happen to any one person. I am very fortunate that the hospital that I work for also allows me to take calls during the day when the coroner is in a meeting and or on vacation,” Morris says.
Morris adds that his coroner career has helped him in many ways, as these people are strangers and he is coming in at their time of need and asking the tough questions about the individual who has died.
“If I can do that, I can surely be able to talk to the admin team at my hospital, which I believe makes the biomed portion operate a lot smoother, as you have great communication,” he says.
He says that as a one-man biomed shop, his routine is somewhat unique, as he is able to diversify what he wants to do each day.
“I am not tied to one type of equipment that I have to work on, as some of my fellow biomed techs have told me that they have specific people for specific types of equipment. The only challenging portion of being solo is the conversation about how you think or someone else may go about to tackle a bed or any other type of equipment. I mean it’s the way I figure it out to be, but on the other hand, I have found out a lot of ways not to do something, and the next time, it will be easier on myself to complete certain tasks,” Morris says.
He says that before biomed, he was in the IT world for 15 years and then decided to try his hand at biomed, which is what he had studied in school many years earlier.
“I am learning something new every day at everything I do, whether it be the biomed world or the coroner world, it all can have lessons that can be applied to each aspect and make you a better person,” Morris says.
Away from his two jobs, Morris spends time with family and hobbies.
“I have a domestic partner. We have two children; one boy and one girl. Also, we have one dog, three cats and one hamster. I like to collect Funko Pops even though my collection is rather small; one day it may be large. I also like retro video games; I have an NES with over 60 games,” he says.
Morris is also an Assistant Cubmaster for the Boy Scouts of America.
Morris was recognized as one of TechNation’s 40 Under 40 for 2023. He also won a gold medal from Skills USA for his soldering ability.
It may be safe to assume that Morris is the only deputy coroner/biomed technician in the country. Working in these two professions requires broad-based knowledge and skills. He is serving his community well.
