An Essential Pipeline
Within the Healthcare Technology Management field, BMETs bring critical expertise in medical device maintenance to healthcare providers, as the role is responsible for routinely servicing the medical devices that are needed to monitor patient health or record important data. Unfortunately, AAMI estimates that nearly half of the current HTM workforce is over the age of 50. As more BMETs retire and the number of college programs to train new HTM professionals dwindles, healthcare systems will find it increasingly difficult to fill these crucial positions.
"As the first ten apprentices complete their first year, we will have at least ten more start the program each successive year. This gives us the opportunity to have a consistent flow of new apprentices participating in and completing the program on an annual basis," said Nelson.
Fortunately, the national BMET Apprenticeship Program is helping to address this by providing valuable training opportunities with industry leaders such as Crothall HTS, with no cost to the apprentice. What's more, the cost of supporting an apprentice may prove lower than employers expect.
For example, Fluke Biomedical is offering 22 hours of free training for apprentices, which counts towards the program's "Medical Equipment Training from Industry Sources" curriculum. And the College of Biomedical Equipment Technology is offering apprentices exclusive access to their Anatomy & Physiology and Mathematics classes at a 20% discount for apprentice employers.
"Our Apprenticeship Program continues to grow with the support of these incredible organizations," said McGeary. "I'm excited to see even more companies join us in paving the way for the next generation of exceptional BMETs."
Sheila O'Donnell, vice president of Crothall's Technical Resource Group summed it up by saying, "Crothall HTS is so appreciative of the groundwork that AAMI has laid to enable us to launch its BMET Apprenticeship Program. Tremendous thought and planning have gone into all aspects of the program including curriculum, registration requirements with the Department of Labor, and marketing tools. We believe now is the time to invest and develop new talent for our industry and Crothall HTS."
About Crothall Healthcare
Crothall Healthcare is a Compass One Company that provides specialized, high-quality, innovative, and responsive support services exclusively to the healthcare industry. Crothall is the market share leader in Environmental Services (EVS) and serves many of the Top 100 Hospitals throughout its almost 1,200 healthcare service teams in 47 states. Crothall has been consistently recognized as one of Modern Healthcare's Best Places to Work and Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania since 2013. A division of Compass Group USA, Crothall has almost 25,000 team members. Its HTS division is ISO 13485 certified since 2019, and EVS division is CIMS and CIMS-GB certified by the ISSA since 2009. Core services include: Healthcare Technology Solutions, Environmental Services, Patient Transportation, Patient Observation, Facilities Management, Ambulatory Services, and Sterile Processing.
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