Designing a biomedical engineering technology program for the future.

Abstract

Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology 297 Integrating biomedical instrumentation, electronics theory, and information systems technology into a Biomedical Engineering Technology Program is the challenge that we are facing in the industry. The BMET graduate is now expected to understand computer networking as well as the traditional fields of electronics, chemistry, physics, speech, anatomy and physiology, and biomedical instrumentation. At Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, we set out to address student and employer needs by redesigning our Biomedical Equipment and Information Systems Technology major. We determined that we needed to upgrade student training in information technologies. We also found that we needed to market this field as a challenging and fun career. We made a commitment to information technology (IT) education at Cincinnati State, which is consistent with the information technology initiative in the state of Ohio entitled “itWORKS.OHIO.” 1 The Ohio initiative, a broad-based educational response to the state’s need for a skilled IT workforce, is a collaboration of business, industry, and educational institutions that provide IT training. Our commitment made it much easier to provide the IT training required in the biomedical program. We were able to utilize courses currently in place for other programs within the college, which made the changes much easier to justify from a purely financial standpoint. BMET programs tend to be relatively small in size and costly to run. Justification of a program like this requires cooperation throughout the college and within the local biomedical community. The need for a BMET graduate well versed in IT— including computer hardware and software, computer networking, and applications in addition to the traditional topics—has enabled Cincinnati State Technical and Community College to make significant changes in the Biomedical Electronics Engineering Technology program over the last few years. The changes took place at a time when Cincinnati State experienced a 5% enrollment decline in its Biomedical program recently. This decline also precipitated the discussion and eventual changes to the program. Changes were made in the curriculum, course content, and even the name of the program to better reflect what was actually being taught in the course of study. The program will become a major discipline of the Electronics Engineering Technology Program this fall. It will remain part of the Electrical Engineering Technology department (the BMET major is currently experiencing a 5% upturn in enrollment and jobs).