From the Desk of: Nathan Carter

College of Biomedical Equipment Technology

BMET 2304 Week 1 Challenge Questions
Tuesday, April 2, 2024

BMET 2304 WEEK 1 CHALLENGE QUESTIONS:

1. Seeking an entry-level Biomedical Equipment Technician for service and repair of

medical equipment within a rural healthcare network. Typical duties include performing
and documenting required preventative maintenance and electrical safety testing of
medical equipment and electronic devices (under direct supervision of an experienced
technician,) cleaning and staging equipment for clinical use, and assisting other
technicians with troubleshooting and repair of this equipment. Candidates are required
to communicate professionally with clinical staff, send and respond to emails and phone
calls, and assist in scheduling downtime for equipment maintenance as well as keeping
detailed documentation of all maintenance and repair procedures. No experience
required, but clinical background, electronics familiarity and troubleshooting skills, and
customer service experience is preferred. Candidates must at least have a high school
diploma (or equivalency,) clean driving record, be able to pass a background check, and
submit to a drug screen upon completing the initial interview.
2. BMETs usually work either in hospitals, or any other clinical healthcare setting. Typical
employees would be general biomedical equipment technicians, or equipment
specialists working for equipment manufacturers in a specialized field for specific types
or models of equipment. These BMETs are sometimes known as Field Service
Representatives (FSR,) or Field Service Engineers.
3. An in-service meeting is generally held between staff members of a clinic or hospital,
and sometimes a certain department(s.) The purpose generally centers around
specialized training with new incoming equipment, equipment updates, software
applications, procedures, or policy updates. Usually the in-service meeting is called to
order by the supervising member of the department, but it can be held by a service
department such as I.T. or Biomed. The departmental staff, supervisor(s,) administrative
staff, Human Resources, I.T., and Biomed may also have representation (or complete
involvement in attending or administering functional training.) At times, the equipment
manufacturer may send a qualified representative to administer and reside over the
training course. There is also usually a sign-in required, and post-training signatures for
each member are recorded for documentation. Employees may be required to attend
 the in-service before being authorized to use the new equipment or processes in the
clinical setting.
4. Preventative maintenance (or “PM”) procedures are completed by BMETs on all
patientcare equipment at least annually (sometimes more often, depending on the
specific device requirements) for the purpose of ensuring equipment condition,
accuracy of functionalities, equipment safety, and that equipment meets requirements
set forth by standards for medical equipment such as NFPA 99 (National Fire Protection
Agency – Healthcare Facilities Code,) IEC 60601-1, AAMI 60601-1, or others (depending
on the device classification and it’s intended use.) Some aspects of PMs include visual
inspection of devices to ensure there are no cracks or breaks in the enclosure, missing
screws or other required parts, and integrity of the power cord and connection ports
among other things. Electrical safety testing is also a key component of medical device
PMs. These procedures are required to be documented once they are completed, and
the devices must carry a label stating the type of procedure performed, identifying the
technician who performed the procedure, the date of the procedure, and the next date
the procedure is due to be performed.
5. A typical day for a hospital-based, entry-level BMET might look something like this: the
technician would typically check the work order system to identify equipment that is in
need of urgent correction and pull it out of service for evaluation by the biomed
department (in order of urgency.) From there, the entry-level BMET might assist others
in performing repairs or PMs, keeping a daily log of activities performed. The BMET 1
might also be responsible for cleaning equipment (to include wiping down enclosures,
cords and cables, changing filters, and replacing worn or frayed power cords that no
longer meet compliance specifications. Once any routine checks and duties are
completed, the BMET 1 will report to his/her supervising technician and assist in
completing other duties as assigned (which might include cleaning and/or organizing the
shop/work area.)
6. Some advantages of working as a Field Service Representative might include higher
wages/better compensation, traveling to diverse locations, better benefits, a company
vehicle and fuel card, paid travel and eating expenses, and the ability to work
independently. Some of the disadvantages of these positions might include many
overtime hours, late nights/early mornings, long stints away from home (for those with
families,) unfamiliar locations, lack of immediate assistance from other technicians, and
traveling alone most of the time.
7. Certification is not required to obtain a position as a BMET, and in many cases is purely
optional. Although it’s not required by healthcare standards, many hospitals and
healthcare organizations do prefer their BMETs to already have some sort of technical
certification before hiring them. Some of the benefits of having a certification are an
increased amount of experience in the field, having more training in the various
technologies that are utilized within medical equipment, and higher starting pay (with a
higher top-out potential.) It also sends a message to the potential employer that a BMET
 is a trained professional in his/her field. Some types of BMET certification offered by
AAMI are: Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET,) Certified Radiology
Equipment Specialist (CRES,) and Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist (CLES.)
8. Although not required by any governmental regulatory agency, Joint Commission
inspection is especially important to hospitals because this inspection is required in
order for a hospital to be allowed to process Medicare and Medicaid payments, which
make up a very large portion of a hospital’s revenue stream.
9. I have joined AAMI as a student-member, and have also subscribed to the monthly print
publication “TechNation Magazine.” There are many benefits to joining organizations
that are specifically aimed at HTM and BMET professionals. Some such benefits include
having access to information about new equipment technology as it’s being introduced
into the field, being granted the opportunity to attend conventions and network with
other HTM professionals to grow your professional network, having the opportunity to
attend many different device specific training courses and webinars, getting discounts
on testing and analyzing tools and equipment from partnering vendors, and being able
to obtain pertinent literature and study material for certification examinations, and
generally staying “in the loop” of current standards development and implementation.