News

AAMI Secures Key Accreditation Role

AAMI Secures Key Accreditation Role

Mon Aug 31 2015By AAMI

 

 

An influential accreditation board has selected AAMI as its lead member society for bioengineering technology and similarly named programs, such as those for biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs).

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredits college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology.

In practical terms, this means that AAMI will now be the professional society that sets guidelines and assists in accreditation efforts for both associate and bachelor degree college bioengineering or biomedical engineering technology programs. Additionally, AAMI will provide evaluators to visit colleges to determine if their programs meet the criteria for accreditation.

AAMI had been seen by many in the field as a more logical fit for this role than the previous lead society, which was the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). The latter is primarily an engineering organization, rather than an organization for BMETs and other technicians in the healthcare technology management (HTM) field. BMES supported efforts for AAMI to become the BMET lead society.

“This is an exciting development, as it will help enhance AAMI's commitment to HTM education and the future of our profession,” said Steve Yelton, an educator and a member of AAMI’s Board of Directors.  “AAMI currently is involved with certification of BMETs, core competencies for college programs, and guidance in career planning and strategy. This will complete the cycle with AAMI becoming involved in assisting in the accreditation of college programs.”

“We are very pleased that the ABET Board of Directors saw the value of having AAMI as a member society, and that they saw AAMI as an ideal fit for the lead society role,” said AAMI President  Mary Logan.

The new ABET role for AAMI falls in line with work that began through its “Future Forums,” events at which HTM leaders gathered to discuss and debate how to best advance the field. The work includes the promotion of increased standardization of the field, the development of BMET core competencies, a more clearly defined career ladder, and the identification of training and education gaps.

Logan noted that the new role should benefit all BMET programs, regardless of whether they are ABET accredited. “This provides an opportunity for AAMI to share best practices and to disseminate useful information with educators, regardless of accreditation,” she says. “Additionally, we’ll have an opportunity to update the ABET competencies for BMETs to reflect the core competency work that AAMI has led. This standardization can set an example that all BMET programs can follow.”

AAMI’s new role as an ABET member society in no way requires BMET educational programs to become ABET-accredited. Some programs choose to become ABET-accredited, while others do not because of costs and other factors.

The news about AAMI’s new role with ABET is well-timed, as AAMI’s Core Competencies for the Biomedical Equipment Technician document is being revised and updated.

 

This article was originally posted on AAMI.

 

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