Biomedical Equipment Technician
Field of Study — Science, Engineering & Diagnostic Instrumentation
Biomedical equipment technicians inspect, maintain, repair, calibrate and modify instruments and equipment used in medical therapy, diagnosis and research. Technicians may be involved in equipment operation, supervision and control.
Depending on their specialty, biomedical equipment technicians:
- install, inspect, maintain and test electronic, electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic equipment and instruments.
- disassemble equipment to locate malfunctions and repair or replace defective parts.
- re-assemble equipment and adjust precision components according to blueprints and written and verbal instructions.
- perform safety checks on electrical and radiation equipment.
- add to or change components to meet specific therapeutic or diagnostic requirements.
- train people to operate equipment safely.
- maintain supply inventories and parts and reorder items as needed.
- repair and maintain equipment used in radiology, nuclear medicine and patient-monitoring operations or airborne biomedical instrumentation.
Biomedical engineering technicians design, construct, develop, install and service biomedical and related equipment. Most biomedical equipment technicians work in hospitals and large clinics with other technicians and hospital or clinic personnel or with biomedical or clinical engineers and scientists. Some work for manufacturers in engineering, sales or service.
Educational Requirements
Students interested in becoming biomedical equipment technicians should prepare by taking challenging high school courses in science, math and electronics.
Employers often hire and train individuals who have a background in electronics; however, some prefer graduates of formal biomedical equipment technology programs.
Educational Institutions
Virginia Colleges and Universities
ECPI College of Technology, Northern Virginia Campus
ECPI College of Technology, Virginia Beach
Professional Associations
- Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation
1110 N. Glebe St.
Suite 220
Arlington, VA 22201-4796
1-800-332-2264
http://www.aami.org