Educational Requirements of a BMET

Historically, BMETs were on-the-job trained. However, as medical imaging equipment technology has advanced, so has the need for consistent, quality training. Today, most BMETs have earned an associate’s degree in medical imaging systems technology, electronics or an engineering-related field. A recent study by the Advancement of Medical imaging found that 62% of all BMETs went on to become voluntarily certified by the International Commission on Accreditation. ICC Certification for Biomedical Equipment Technicians (BMETs) is a formal recognition by the International Certification Commission for Clinical Engineering and Biomedical Technology (ICC) that individuals have demonstrated excellence in theoretical as well as practical knowledge of the principles of biomedical equipment technology.

However, the BMET continues to evolve and as it does, the educational requirements for working on medical imaging equipment have begun to increase as well. The BMET profession has begun to follow the path of many other professions both within and outside of the medical field where more and more education is required to obtain a job and/or advance within a job category. BMETs report that employers are beginning to require bachelor’s degrees for advancement to a supervisory level or in some cases to become employed as a BMET within some institutions. While this requirement may limit the job opportunities for some current BMETs, the good news is that with increased educational requirements comes the opportunity for higher salaries. Studies show that entrance salaries for BMETs range from $20,000-$30,000. However, senior and supervisory positions can command salaries as high as $80,000. The future appears bright for career growth in the area of medical imaging equipment maintenance and repair.

The Growing Demand for BMETs

Biomedical equipment technicians or BMETs represent a growing class of technically trained personnel whose primary responsibility is the maintenance and repair of medical imaging equipment such as x-ray, CT scanners, ultrasound, MRI, laser technology and so on. The career path for BMETs appears to be changing as rapidly as medical imaging equipment is changing.

First and foremost, the demand for BMETs is growing. This growth is fueled both by the growth in new medical imaging equipment and technologies that require BMET expertise and by the need for revenue by institutions that own medical imaging equipment. As institutions such as hospitals recognize that downtime on an important piece of medical imaging equipment affects revenue generation, there is pressure to add BMETs to hospital staff to assure that all medical imaging equipment is maintained in good order and that expensive service contracts are used as minimally as possible. The U.S. Department of Labor and the Association for the Advancement of Medical imaging predict that the number of BMET jobs in the US will increase 24% to 31% through the year 2010.

Laser X - New X-Ray Technology

Up until recently, the power source required to generate the appropriate strength laser beam for this application would be so enormous that it has been impractical to couple the use of lasers with X-Rays. However, researchers at the University of Colorado in Boulder have developed a method to generate strong laser beams from a “table top” size power source, effectively making laser X-Ray technology a practical reality.

The research team used a laser beam to release atoms from argon, a highly stable chemical element. The resulting emission of X-Rays was too weak to be useful. The team then hurled the atoms back into the argon, causing a larger, more consistent stream of X-Rays of sufficient size to be useful to be emitted. This “boomerang” technique is now being manipulated to generate a highly regular, very strong source of X-Rays, coupled with laser beams.

The technique is not yet ready for application in the clinical setting. Further research is necessary to extend the technique into the hard X-Ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Once that task has been accomplished, the commercial laser X-Ray will follow.

Recent Radiography Breakthrough

Although the X-Ray or radiograph has long been a fundamental medical imaging tool, this approach has always had the drawback that the images produced are indistinct, requiring extremely careful analysis and interpretation. Scientists have long searched for a way to enhance the quality of radiographic images.

Recent breakthroughs in the development of laser X-Ray capability have the potential to completely change the quality of radiographic images. The light generated by a laser source would be bright enough to create strong, distinct contrasts on radiographic images. Moreover, coupling the candlepower of a laser beam with X-Ray could improve resolution by a factor of about one thousand. Medical systems at this level of resolution could provide the technology to detect cancers and other abnormalities that cannot now be detected with current X-Ray technology.

Brief History of The X-Ray Imaging Equipment

X-Rays have been available for use as medical imaging equipment since around 1895 when Wilhelm Roentgen discovered that he could create images of internal body structures such as bones and some tissues by passing electromagnetic waves through the body. He labeled the phenomenon “X” because he did not initially understand the composition of the “rays”. Since that time, X-Rays have been the foundation upon which medical imaging technology and medical imaging equipment have been built.