Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement:
A high school degree is a minimum requirement in this field, and a two-year degree from a community college is becoming the norm, even for entry-level positions. Course work typically includes training in math, analog and digital circuitry, and biological sciences. Certification through the International Certification Commission for Clinical Engineering and Biomedical Equipment Technology is available, and this credential can help to establish people in their careers. Technicians can gain certification as specialists through the Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist and Certified Radiologic Equipment Specialist programs. The Society of Biomedical Equipment Technicians is a specialty group that supports training and certification programs.

Job Outlook:
The more specialized and high-tech that medicine becomes, the more machines it uses. Those machines will be maintained and repaired by biomedical equipment technicians, whose career prospects look good well into the future. It is estimated that there will be approximately 13,000 electromedical and biomedical equipment repairers by 2005. In this expanding job market, people with the most experience and education will be the most in demand, but there will be room for people just getting started.

Sources of Additional Information: