Biomed Roundup

Abstract

The president of the Colorado Association of Biomedical Equipment Technicians (CABMET) provided an inside look at his association's successful certification study group program and offered tips for others interested in forming study groups of their own during the second annual Biomed Society Roundtable. The roundtable, sponsored by AAMI's Technology Management Council (TMC) was held in Baltimore, MD, during AAMI's Annual Conference.CABMET President David Scott, CBET, singled out several important points to consider when organizing a study group:Scott provided the following example of a November CABMET study group schedule:Scott told roundtable participants that he also encourages people in the study group to form smaller groups to study outside of the formal study group sessions. These groups might be made up of co-workers or other neighboring hospital biomedical equipment technicians.More than 30 years ago, the North Carolina Biomedical Association (NCBA) began holding a small, half-day annual meeting for its members. That initial meeting has since blossomed into a three-day annual symposium that is one of the most well-attended biomed society meetings in the country.How has NCBA been so successful at attracting participation among its members? At the Biomed Society Roundtable, held in Baltimore during AAMI's Annual Conference, Glenn Scales, CBET, shared some ideas.Scales, a founding member and two-time past president of NCBA, told the group that “You have to understand who your customers are and what their needs are. Your members are customers, and they have needs.”Scales noted that NCBA implements a “track” program for its annual symposium, with educational sessions on information technology (IT), imaging, specialized technologies, and entry-level topics.Scales also pointed out that NCBA has worked hard to nurture its younger members over the years to prime them for leadership positions. “There will be burnout if the same people do everything all the time. You have to develop your younger talent.“Biomeds don't often have a chance to develop leadership skills. Biomed societies give them the chance to do so. Leadership doesn't only have to come from the top—anyone can demonstrate leadership.”The meetings held by the California Medical Instrumentation Association (CMIA) and its chapters have been known for delivering quality content to CMIA members for years. At the Biomed Society Roundtable hosted by AAMI's Technology Management Council (TMC), CMIA past chair Paul Kelley, CBET, shared some thoughts on how to ensure that society meeting programming is top-notch.Kelley noted that it's critical to secure speakers who provide useful information with minimal sales pitches. “At work I get paid to listen to sales pitches. Give me something I can take back to my workplace.”CMIA has established written vendor policies, so it's clear to the vendors what the boundaries are when they give presentations at CMIA meetings.Other tips Kelley offered during the roundtable include: