The academy was created shortly thereafter with financial assistance from the Tennessee Department of Labor, and with a curriculum AAMI had just developed for its fledgling BMET Apprenticeship Program. “It couldn’t have worked out better,” Taylor says. “Most of the things that we wanted to do dovetailed perfectly with what AAMI wanted to do as well.”
Bridging the Gap
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The association’s goal with the program, agrees Danielle McGeary, CHTM, AAMI Vice President of Healthcare Technology Management, is to provide anyone who wants to enter the field with the hands-on experience required to get started. “It could be someone who’s ready for a career change, or it could be someone just out of high school. This is intended to bridge that gap to get them the training they need to be successful.”
Employers who take part in the program, McGeary adds, benefit from having entry-level workers on their payroll they can train to their particular equipment and service specialties. “When they’re finished, if you want them to stay, they’ll already be up to speed—they won’t need retraining.”
ReNew Biomedical, Taylor notes, already has five apprentices enrolled in its academy. And while its collaboration with AAMI began more than a year ago, its status as the first partner in the BMET Apprenticeship Program was only finalized this spring when they successfully met the program’s various requirements.
“To be honest,” Taylor says, “our involvement is self-serving—we’re a business that needs trained biomeds. At the same time, though, programs like this are for the greater good of the future of HTM.” He encourages other employers who may be interested in apprenticeships to contact them to hear more about their experience. “We see it as a great opportunity, and we’d love to get others to join the program with us.”
About AAMI
AAMI is a nonprofit organization founded in 1967. It is a diverse community of more than 9,000 healthcare technology professionals united by one important mission—supporting the healthcare community in the development, management, and use of safe and effective health technology. AAMI is the primary source of consensus standards, both national and international, for the medical device industry, as well as practical information, support, and guidance for health technology and sterilization professionals.
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