specialist. BMET I is an entry level, where BMET Specialist is a highly specialized certification. Becoming a BMET professional is special because you are held on a higher level with others such as physicians, clinicians, nurses. You must be an expert and know your devices and their functions and be able to repair, calibrate and even instruct others on medical devices. As a BMET professional you are dealing with patients and their lives. You must be more than just a professional, you must be an expert and be ever-so careful and tenacious in your work habits that no errors can be allowed. No shortcuts are used and no device is modified in any way. A professional BMET must be a great communicator. In working with hospital or clinical staff, terminology is very important in the medical setting, therefore knowledge of terms used for medical devices is a must at all times. Reports and evaluations are required throughout the career of a Biomedical Engineering Technologist, so professional writing habits are needed as well. A BMET has now taken a new form, professionalism is essential when working directly with people. The Biomedical Engineering Technologist is not in a hospital basement working on equipment. He or she is on the floor of the hospital repairing or setting up a medical device. When working in the medical field, time is very important. Patients require the devices to work and repairs are needed as soon as possible in a professional manner.
The career of a Biomedical Engineering Technologist is quite important and the fact that they work directly with clinicians is something that is inevitable and in demand. The BMET will be working directly with physicians and clinicians while repairing and installing medical equipment. The BMET must have the trust of his clients. Working closely with doctors and nurses will build a relationship where their will know that the work performed will be the best available and that they can depend on the BMET to handle all the device situations. This has not always been the way BMET were known. The BMET was someone who was unseen, just a person who would repair the defective device and stay in an area away from the doctors and nurses. Now, Clinical Engineers work hand-in-hand with BMETs. The Clinical Engineers actually train and supervise the Biomedical Engineering Technician. Biomedical Engineering Technicians can go on to a four year degree in Clinical Engineering, if they wish to perform research or design of medical equipment. Many times a Clinical Engineer will be asked by a medical device company to design or modify a new medical device (Wikipedia Oct, 2013). This shows that the role of the Biomedical Engineer Technician has really changed. As technology changes so must the duties of the BMET.
“The acceptance of the BMET in the private sector was given a big push in 1970 when consumer advocate Ralph Nader wrote an article in which he claimed, "At least 1,200 people a year are electrocuted and many more are killed or injured in needless electrical accidents in hospitals."” (Wikipedia, Oct, 2013). Much has changed over the past forty years in the career of the BMET. Formerly in basement repair shops, the BMET is now on the floors of hospitals and clinics, military and the private sector. Their numbers are in greater demand as technology and medical devices increase in demand. More than ever, medical devices work with the assistance of computers and the BMET is trained in this area. All this came about within the past 40 years. Now, as the economy struggles to get back on its feet again, hospitals and clinics must maintain their budgets. The BMET will be used more than ever for repairs and maintenance of equipment instead of just purchasing new devices, which can be quite costly. “Cutbacks in spending and purchases of new equipment should work to the advantage of biomedical equipment technicians” (Croswell, 1995).
As advances are made in the incredible world of medicine so must the education of the Biomedical Engineering Technologist. The use of clinical-based education is necessary for the BMET, but also a hands-on learning as well. “It has been shown that task-based learning is most successful when associated with hands-on experience” (Majerick, 1991). It is responsibility of educators and colleges to maintain the integrity of the BMET, to keep up with the latest technology in medical devices. Students must be trained in mathematics,