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 equipment 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 BMET

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.

Medical Imaging for Early Detection of Diseases

One of the major benefits of medical imaging is the early detection of diseases. Breast cancers are spotted early on through mammogram. Even without having to touch a patient, doctors and medical practitioners are able to see a detailed view of a broken bone through x-ray. Changes in the internal organs and blood vessels are recognized through ultrasound. These are but few of the firsthand advantages of medical imaging. The whole human body is explored and new approaches for diseases are opened for treatment especially at their fundamental stages.

Mammography, CT Scans and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are some of the most common medical imaging methods readily available to patients nowadays. These methods are routinely used throughout hospitals and health laboratories to detect cancer, heart diseases and other internal body complications. More complicated and expensive methods are electron microscopy, fluoroscopy, nuclear medicine, photo acoustic imaging, positron emission tomography (PET), projection radiography, tomography and ultrasound.

Medical Imaging for Cancer Detection

The January 16, 2007 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a study by researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York that uses molecular MRI to gain insight into the correlation between inflammation and heart disease. Researchers developed a synthetic material, gadolinium–diethyltriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) that is able to track down and attach to white blood cells imbedded in arterial walls. The DPTA allowed the MRI visualization of the white blood cells, providing the ability to actually count the number of cells and assess their stability. Researchers found a positive correlation between the number of white cells imbedded in the arterial walls and the likelihood of subsequent heart attack. The initial research was conducted on mice. Further research will be conducted on larger animals and if successful, the research will move to human clinical trials.

The search for better, more efficient and more specific medical imaging “tagging” media is the hottest new area of research in molecular magnetic resonance medical imaging. Recently, researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley have reported on research involving a new medical imaging technique for MRI that can detect molecules 10,000 times lower concentrations than conventional MRI techniques. The method, called HYPER-CEST, for hyperpolarized xenon chemical exchange saturation transfer, hyperpolarizes atoms with laser light to enhance their MRI signal, and then places the atoms into a nano-scale cage biosensor which is made specifically for a particular protein target. This medical imaging method is expected to be particularly useful in detecting cancer cells at the very earliest stages of cancer presence.

What is Molecular Magnetic Resonance Imaging?

Magnetic resonance medical imaging, based on the principles of nuclear magnetic resonance, produces an image of the NMR signal in a thin slice through the human body. Images taken sequentially build a three dimensional picture of anatomical structures.Magnetic resonance medical imaging is the diagnostic tool of choice for visualizing the brain and spinal cord as well as evaluating soft tissue.

Molecular magnetic resonance medical imaging brings the level of visualization and analysis to the cellular and molecular level. At this level, it is possible to track and evaluate cellular functions that can provide never-before-available insight into the nature of the disease process. For example, there has long been an established connection between inflammation and heart disease. However, the medical imaging tools to measure inflammation related to the heart have simply not been available at a fine enough level of measurement to fully explore the connection.

King of Medical Equipment

In its drive to become King of the Medical Equipment industry, Philips Healthcare Services has acquired six companies since its inception in 1998. So, has Philips arrived at the royal industry castle yet? Some believe so. In fact, prior to the last two acquisitions, Palo Alto’s “growth consulting” company Frost & Sullivan seemed to think so. In 2004 Frost & Sullivan announced they were awarding Philips five, count them, FIVE awards for “technology and services innovation and industry leadership”. Philips was recognized for making distinguished contributions to the cardiac resuscitation and medical imaging industries and for providing leadership in these market segments.

Was Frost & Sullivan just looking for a spot at the royal court or were these legitimate kudos? Probably the later. F&S conducted interviews with many market players along with their customers and suppliers, and reportedly did extensive research into the medical equipment technology field.

One of the five awards included the regent-like titles of “Medical Imaging Company of the Year”, “New Care Setting of the Year”, and “Medical Imaging Technology of the Year”. The other two were for Technology Leadership and Services Innovation Leadership.

The response of Jouko Karvinen, president and CEO of Philips Medical Systems, to the awards sounded like the equivalent of an industry coronation speech. He stated, "We proudly accept the Frost & Sullivan Awards as an independent validation of Philips business and technology leadership…. These five awards are further indicators that Philips continues to set the industry standard for developing innovative products that help treat patients and save lives.”

Royal Philips. Long live the King!

Philips Electronics’ Acquisition Frenzy

In 2001 was a watershed year as Philips shifted into high gear by bringing on two more companies and their product lines – Agilent and Marconi Medical. By procuring Agilent Technologies’ Healthcare Solutions Group of Massachusetts, Philips catapulted past GE Medical as the leader of the ultrasound sector. Philips absorbed Agilent’s expertise in the areas of diagnostic cardiology, automated defibrillators, patient monitoring, and point of care diagnostic systems.

Marconi Medical Systems of Ohio, formerly Picker International, was already a big player in its own right among major global CT suppliers. With Marconi, Philips gained cutting-edge multi-slice CT technology along with cardiology, oncology and PET/CT imaging applications. These two acquisitions in one year landed Philips in the top three for the entire medical equipment industry along with giants Siemens and GE Medical – some say as number two.

In 2005, the growth continued as Philips bought Stentor, Inc. of California, provider best-in-class picture archiving and communications systems (PACS). This move allowed Philips to help its clients successfully manage the voluminous amounts of imaging data created by its medical scanners. Then, the following year, the growth continued as Philips adopted Witt Biomedical Corporation, the largest independent supplier of Cath Lab monitoring and reporting systems.

In its drive to become King of the Medical Equipment industry, Philips Healthcare Services has acquired six companies since its inception in 1998. Each of the six has expanded Philips’ offerings to include a total of ten medical imaging modalities, from CT to MRI to x-ray, along with defibrillation and cardiac monitoring equipment as well as image and information management solutions.