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Work conditions
The work environment for medical equipment technician is sometimesstressful. It is essential to note that the technician does not knowwhen a machine such as MRI machine or the Ultra sound machine canbreakdown and therefore he or she is always alert and on call. Thetechnicians are meant to work for eight hours a day and thistranslates to forty hours per week. Some of the machines that thetechnicians repair are life-saving machines and therefore thetechnician is under immense pressure to repair the machine. Theenvironment that the technician is working in can sometimes be thewards where there are patients (Dòˆsseland Wolfgang 98). This implies that the technician will be exposed todiseases and might be at risk of contracting diseases. The major workenvironment for the technicians comprise hospitals, large clinics andhospitals. More often than not, the technicians will work inengineering firms or service firms for the machines they repair.
Job description
The job of a medical equipment technician comprises various dutiesand activities. The technician is tasked with the responsibility ofensuring that medical equipment that are used for diagnosis andtreatment of various diseases are working and producing the expectedresults. In other words, the technician is tasked with theresponsibility of assembling, installing, calibrating, testing andrepairing the medical equipment in hospitals, medical centers andclinics. In maintaining and repairing the machines, the techniciansmay use screwdrivers, but sometimes they need specialized computersoftware to troubleshoot problems and repair the machines. Anotherduty of a technician is to service the equipment in hospitals(Chatterjee and Aubert 122). Such equipment may include x-raymachines, blood pressure transducers, electrocardiographs andspirometers. The medical equipment technicians are also give the roleof testing the safety of the equipment that are used by medicalpractitioners and patients in hospitals. This is meant to ensure thatthe patients and the healthcare practitioners are safe from anyelectrical or mechanical harm from the equipment.
The job of a medical equipment technician also entails consultationswith the medical staff to ensure that the medical equipment arefunctioning properly. The technician must acquire little medicalknowledge, as well as learn medical terminologies in order tocommunicate effectively with the medical staff. Besides the coreduties of a medical equipment technician of installing, testing andrepairing the equipment, the technicians are also tasked with theduty of training the medical practitioners on how to use some of themachines. It is evident that some of the machines such as the MRImachines are extremely complex to us and therefore there is need forthe technicians to train the people who will be using the machines(Wilson 117). The technicians may also train the medical staff onvarious ways of detecting when the machine is likely to break downand ask for repair or check-up. The technician may use demonstrationsto train and guide the healthcare staff. The technician is alsotasked with the duty of assessing and approving the purchase ofequipment in hospitals and large clinics. This is done through thetechnician assessing the effectiveness of the machines beingpurchased. Lastly, the technicians in hospital and or in clinics andmedical centers prepare reports that highlight the effectiveness ofthe machines that they have. More often than not, the technician aresupposed to prepare the reports annually and deliver them to therelevant health departments.
Salary and benefits of a medical equipment technician
In the United States, technicians earn an average of 21 dollars perhour. It is essential to note that most of them work full time or 8hours per day. This translates to approximately 45,000 dollars peryear. However, it is vital to state that there are some technicians,especially the ones who work for the federal government, who earn upto 75,000 dollars per year. Technicians who own their own repair andmaintenance firms may earn more than this since they acquire contractand offer employment to the fresh graduates (Bischoff and Kim 105).The technicians receive a number of benefits among them being sickleave and retirement plans. Additionally, the technicians areentitled to life and health insurance. However, for technicians whoown their repairing firms, they are required by law to cater fortheir own retirement plans and their health and life insurance.
Requirements for the job
One of the key requirements for the job of a technician in themedical field is an associate degree in biomedical engineering. Abackground knowledge in engineering or electronics can also enablesomeone to work as a technician. Although certification is nonecessary for one to be employed as a technician, it is essential tonote that the US Certification Commission certifies technicians (Mary85). In-service training is extremely vital for the job and employersmay be seeking for technicians with previous in-service experience.Students who have a college diploma in biomedical engineering arealso considered as qualified for the job. Little knowledge inmedicine where one is required to learn a few medical terminologiesis necessary. This is due to the fact that the technician will beinteracting with the medical staff while training them.
Works cited
Mary, Susan. Exploring Tech Careers. New York NY:Ferguson, 2014. Print.
Bischoff-Drexel and Kim A. Nir. Career Information Center.Mission Hills, Calif: Glencoe, 2015. Print.
Wilson, Michael. Job Analysis for Human Resource Management:A Review of Selected Research and Development.Springfield, VA: United States. National Technical InformationService, 2011. Print.
Dòˆssel, Olaf and Wolfgang,Schlegel. World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, September 7-12, 2009, Munich, Germany.Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 2009. Print.
Chatterjee, Shakti, and Aubert, Miller. BiomedicalInstrumentation Systems. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar CengageLearning, 2010. Print.