GROWING TREND OF FEMALES ENTERING THE BIOMEDICAL EQUIPMENT TECHNICIAN PROFESSION

Traditionally viewed as a male occupation, the biomedical equipment technician profession is seeing a growing trend of females entering the field. Madisonville Community College s (MCC) Biomedical Technology Systems (BTS) program is part of this growing trend. In recent years, BTS Program Coordinator Joey Jones has seen increased interest and enrollment of female students who have become successful technicians and department supervisors. BTS female graduates from MCC s program are now working in hospitals such as Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, Indiana, and Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. Other female graduates have accepted biomedical equipment technician positions in larger cities such as Minneapolis, MN and Austin, TX where their achievements have led to promotions to higher level positions within their respective Clinical Engineering Departments. Their success is not surprising as many females naturally have the traits of attention to detail, drive, determination, timeliness, and professionalism that are desirable for a biomedical equipment technician.

Madisonville Community College has the only public Biomedical Technology Systems college program in Kentucky and Tennessee. The program prepares students to repair, maintain, test, inspect, and manage all types of medical equipment and systems, both general and advance in design and application. Employment opportunities are available with hospitals, clinics, dialysis treatment centers, ambulatory care/surgical centers, diagnostic medical imaging centers, home medical equipment companies, and medical equipment manufacturers. To accommodate busy schedules, the BTS classes are online and only require students to complete onsite lab activities one day per week.

And the good news is that employment of medical equipment repairers is projected to grow 30 percent from 2012 to 2022 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics) resulting from greater demand for healthcare services and the use of increasingly complex medical equipment. An individual with an associate s degree in biomedical equipment technology should have some of the best job opportunities. US News and World Report lists medical equipment repairer as one of the best healthcare jobs to pursue for 2015. Plus, Money Magazine lists the biomedical equipment technician career among an elite group it is calling 'The Five Best Jobs You ve Never Heard Of.

Got questions? Give BTS Program Coordinator Joey Jones a call at (270) 824-1759 or e-mail him at joey.jones@kctcs.edu.

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