By K. Richard Douglas
Two important priorities for many working people are to enjoy the work they do and to live in a place that is familiar, where family and friends might live. Unfortunately, the nature of the job market and opportunities often conflict with at least one of those priorities.
That was the case with Tim Stark, currently a field service engineer with Siemens Healthineers. Stark had spent 17 years as an in-home TV repair technician, so he had a firm grasp of electronics. He also had subsequent experience repairing appliances. When the TV repair business was closing its doors, a friend of Starks, who was involved with a hospital group, suggested he might make a good imaging engineer repair tech.
“About three years ago, I was working as an appliance repair technician. I was on Facebook, struggling, and asking for help to find work in the imaging engineer field, as I wanted to switch careers. Struggling to get my foot in the door anywhere, I then, decided to spend $5,000 of my own money and a weeks-worth of PTO to attend Phase 1 at RSTI,” Stark says.
He says that at about the same time, he had also completed his associate degree in electronics.
“After that class and degree, it was still a struggle. Then, I applied for that one job where someone was willing to take a chance on me, but I would have to move five hours away for this position in Iowa. I decided to take the position. I became very good at my position, working mostly on Samsung imaging equipment (mobiles and rooms),” Stark says.
He says that after close to two years, he applied for a job back in his hometown area in Wisconsin with Siemens Healthineers.
“I got the job. My job I was leaving for Siemens Healthineers did not want me to go. They offered me raises and begged me to stay, as I was doing such a good job. I wanted to go back home though, even though I loved the job and the people I worked with, and mostly the VAs I worked in,” Stark says.
Stark has been with Siemens Healthineers since January of 2023.
“So now I work with Siemens Healthineers in nuc med as a CT/PET/SPECT repair tech in Wisconsin. Just thought I would share this story if anyone is going through what I did a few years back. I always knew I would be good in imaging; just needed that one person to take a chance on me,” Stark says.
Prior to working as an imaging tech, Stark had already taken steps to get formal training in electronics.
“I slowly started night school back in the fall of 1995 on a two-year degree in electronics hoping to get a job in fixing consumer electronics (stereos, TVs, etcetera),” Stark says.
By 1997, work obligations conflicted with the night school schedule.
“So, after that semester I hung up school. [Fast] forward to 2013; I could tell that my TV repair job was coming to an end soon as the writing was on the wall. I knew I needed to go back and finish my two-year electronics degree as I was going to be out of work soon. I started back, finishing my degree at night as my in-home TV repair job had slowed down quite a bit,” Stark says.
It was about the time that he had taken the imaging training that he also finished the electronics degree as well.
You Can Make It
During all of the career growth and detours, Stark still recalls some of the challenges that prevented him from getting a biomed degree years before.
He says that the challenge was “coming into this (imaging) field from appliance and TV repair standpoint, with no real imaging background experience other than what I learned at RSTI and a night school two-year electronics degree.”
“I could not go into a two-year biomed tech program as it was offered only during the day and my job was during the day and the classes were offered at a school that was over an hour away. I wish the two-year electronics associate degree was treated as close to the same as a biomed tech degree during the interview process,” Stark says.
When not working and training, Stark’s pastimes don’t stray too far from his work.
“I enjoy taking things apart to see how they work and then putting them back together. Working on installing accessories and updating my truck and other toys I own,” he says.
Stark has a 21-year-old daughter and other family in the area where he lives now. The round trip, careerwise, was worth it.
Stark says that if anyone takes anything away from his story, it should be that if you are looking to switch careers, and have a good mechanical and electrical background that has not been in the medical field, you can make it in this field, just don’t give up on it; just keep trying.
“Someone will give you that chance and then go do the best job you can. Treat your customers with respect, as they are on deadlines just like you are, and you will get the same back from your customers/accounts,” he says.
This one tech’s experience is proof that setting a goal and knowing what you want will eventually lead you there.
