Danielle McGeary: Our BMET Apprenticeship program was recently acknowledged by the U.S. Department of Labor as a permanent national program. All the paperwork is signed, we have more than a dozen employer partners, and we’ve already graduated our first BMET. We’ve also heard from more than 800 individuals interested in becoming BMET apprentices, but there are still not enough participating workplaces to train them all.

That’s why we need help from the community to spread the word: By participating in this apprenticeship program, your organization will have access to AAMI’s approved and DoL-recognized training guidelines, as well as free and discounted resources to ensure your apprentices are trained to a national standard of excellence. We’ve found that many employers are able to easily enhance their existing in-house training program to meet the requirements of the program. It is bonus value for any organization already looking to train up new technicians, especially as the healthcare technology management field continues to suffer a generational skill gap and unfilled positions across the United States. This approach allows new BMETs to be trained consistently and to a minimum competency level.

HCB News: We're used to hearing that there is an unmet need for BMETS. Has that situation changed at all over the last year?
DM: This problem is driven by two factors that are not changing any time soon, the rapid evolution of healthcare technology and a wave of retirements among BMETs in senior positions. Post-pandemic burnout also hasn’t helped with that second problem. Our 2021 survey of the healthcare technology field showed us that nearly half the current healthcare technology management workforce is approaching retirement.

Across the U.S., we’re seeing job openings for BMETs not getting filled for months at a time even while colleges are being forced to drop their BMET programs due to budgetary constraints. Last year, our Technology Management Council even determined that 19 U.S. states don’t have a single HTM academic program. The AAMI BMET Apprenticeship program can help close the skill gap, but this is a problem the community—educators and employers alike—need to come together to solve. One of the biggest gaps is that the average person does not know our field exists and today’s youth will not choose to go into a career they have never heard of. It is everyone’s responsibility to get out there and promote the field and AAMI’s has many free resources to make this easy to do. You can check them all out at www.aami.org/HTMinaBox

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