Biomedical Equipment Certification
Become a Biomedical Equipment Technician
- Career Plan: How to Become a Biomedical Equipment Technician
Medical Equipment Technician Resources…
Credentialing is an important part of making yourself attractive to potential employees. As a biomedical equipment technician you can pursue CBET (Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician) credentialing through the International Certification Commission (ICC). Although you will need work experience to earn full status as a CBET, you can take the certification exam as soon as you finish an associate’s degree or military training program. Candidates who pass the exam are certifees-in-training. They are not allowed to call themselves certified, but they are allowed to provide documentation of their current status. There is an exam outline and other resources on the AAMi site.
The ICC also offers specialty certifications. You can become a Certified Radiology Equipment Specialist (CRES) or a Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist (CLES). Your biomedical equipment technician degree will make you eligible for these certifications once you have enough work experience. You will need to put in a substantial percentage of your work time in the specialty area over several years, though, so you may not want to take the additional exam right away. You might instead wait until you are using the skills regularly on the job or until you have reason to believe you will be given a position where you’ll be using them.
The Electronics Technicians Association (ETA) offers the Biomedical Imaging Equipment Technician certification. You’ll need additional education to service specialty equipment like this, but it can be very lucrative.
You may see positions posted as Biomedical Tech I, Biomedical Tech II, or Biomedical Tech III. It takes experience as well as formal education to move up the ranks. When you have the opportunity to take on additional duties with a current employer, both you and they are getting a service. You’re building skills beyond the entry level and making yourself more employable.
