By Steven J. Yelton, P.E., AAMIF
As I write this column for the February 2024 issue, we are beginning our holiday break for 2023. When we return to school in winter for what we call our spring semester, we will also begin preparation for our new 2024 school year which begins in September of 2024. The reason I mention this is that I feel it’s a good time to revisit the need and the benefits of the Industrial Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee).
I have mentioned that our program remains relatively small but solid for the past 30-plus years. In order to make the program more efficient, it was made a major off of the electronics program. We do still maintain an HTM specific advisory committee. This committee has been instrumental to the success of our program. Without the support of our advisory committee not only their time but also donations of equipment, hiring of students and graduates and donation of supplies, we would not have survived over the years.
As I read Joie’s December 2023 column “HTM Hot Topics Going into 2024,” it just reinforced the need for industrial advisory committees. She mentioned topics such as: Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, AR/VR, Right to Repair and staffing struggles. I believe she is right on track. As I read these, I realize that we are going to have to train the next generation of HTM technicians to meet these challenges.
From the standpoint of the college and the employers, we need to work together to adequately get this information out. I rarely have a conversation with my advisors without most of these topics being mentioned. As a side item, many of the advisors and I meet on a monthly basis. These are informal except for a couple of times a year when we have “official” meetings. These meetings allow us to bounce ideas off of each other. This isn’t always college related. It gives the rest of the group time to share ideas and concerns with each other from their workplaces. The advisory committee meetings are beneficial to the advisors as well as the college for many reasons. These reasons include, but aren’t limited to, idea exchange and staffing help.
I rely on advisors and employers to help teach many of these emerging hot topics. We often meet at a local hospital where HTM professionals volunteer their time to meet with our students and talk about these items. They make equipment and expertise available to us.
We have had a cybersecurity program and courses at the college for many years, however there are only a limited amount of HTM related topics available in these classes. The use of the committee members is paramount in importance for the HTM students. Some of our local hospitals have hired HTM cybersecurity technicians. These technicians have had extensive training and experience in related cybersecurity topics and are willing to share this experience with our students. Unfortunately, the amount of cybersecurity training is limited in the standard HTM courses.
I would like to mention the benefits that the Industrial Advisory Committee members tell me that they realize. These members find our meetings to be a forum for them to discuss issues and solutions with members from other hospitals as well as related businesses. We are a tight knit group in Cincinnati, and this group helps each other in many ways. We feel that we provide an advisory committee of sorts for the HTM managers in the area. I find it very enlightening to listen to the conversations that occur in our meetings.
In working on the development of the educational standard within AAMI, it was decided by members of the working group that an advisory committee should be utilized by all HTM programs no matter their level. It is also required of programs that are interested in attaining accreditation from the Technology Accreditation Commission for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (TAC-ABET). When a program is being reviewed for accreditation, they must show minutes from their industrial advisory committee meetings. They must also show where they have used the input from their committee in the development of their courses as well as their curriculum. It is also advised that when the program evaluator from TAC-ABET visits the program, a meeting is scheduled for the evaluator to meet with advisors usually without program personnel present. This is all done to make sure that the advisors are utilized properly.
In conclusion, it is not a secret that I am a big fan of advisory committees of all types and they have enhanced my career. Many of my advisors have become close friends over the years.
