High Scorers Share How to Ace Exam

If you are looking to take one of the exams offered by International Certification Commission (ICC) this year, the top scorers of 2013 have plenty of advice.

	Arnold Delapena

Early preparation is important for the 165-question tests, as several of the exam takers said. “Three months before the examination, I was already preparing myself for the fall certified biomedical equipment technician [CBET] examination,” explained Arnold Delapena, who has served in the U.S. Navy for 10 years and is a biomedical repair technician at the Naval Hospital in Guam. He tied for the highest score with two others—Jeffrey Hamburg and Travis Edwards.

Having recently graduated from the Navy Biomedical School in Fort Sam Houston, TX, Delapena said that basic theories and electronics were still fresh in his mind. He turned to his peers for help in other areas.

“Since I am the supervisor here in our Naval Hospital Guam biomedical repair shop, I recommended a mandatory study group during lunch time. I assigned topics for each of the five people taking the exam, and we’d discuss these subjects during lunch.”

As the test day approached, he tried other techniques. “A month before the test, I started spending two hours each day studying such areas as basic problem-solving. I used different approaches to retain the information, such as flashcards and PowerPoint materials.”

One of the most helpful techniques for him was question-and-answer sessions with coworkers. He also urged test takers to remain confident throughout the experience. “Have the confidence that you will make it, and when you are at the testing center, be calm, don’t be in a hurry, read the questions carefully, and use common sense,” he said.

	Jeffrey Hamburg
	Travis Edwards
	Jeffery See
	Matt Mizelle
	Danny Reddy

Hamburg, who recently joined the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in Columbia, MO, also used a study group to prepare for the CBET exam. Hamburg worked at the Capital Region Medical Center during his preparation. The study group was coordinated by the Healthcare Technology Management Association of the Mid-West.

“The study group utilized the online instruction provided by the Colorado Association of Biomedical Equipment Technicians [CABMET]. We gathered to watch the teleconferences, have dinner, and discuss the presentation. I found the interaction between biomeds of varying backgrounds and experience very helpful,” Hamburg said.

The study group sessions and a content list provided in the registration packet helped Hamburg pinpoint areas with which he wasn’t entirely comfortable. He researched and took notes as he studied. “Initially, it was an intimidating amount of information, but as I learned the material, I winnowed down the pile of notes. The last few days before the exam I only had a few pages left, and at that point, I resorted to memorization,” he added.

Edwards, a biomedical technician with the Medical Education and Training Campus (METC) at Fort Sam Houston, said he and others taking the test started their review 10 weeks ahead of time through a 12-course refresher program.

“Since METC is a biomed school, we have instructors who specialize in a wide range of equipment, and they have a lot of experience upon which they can draw,” noted Edwards.

Jeffery See, a field service engineer with GE Healthcare, credits part of his success with earning a high score on the certified radiology equipment specialist (CRES) exam to taking the CBET exam a year prior. As with Hamburg, he highlighted the CABMET study group as instrumental in his success. “We remotely teleconferenced weekly for two months through my local biomed group, the Healthcare Technology Management Association,” he said. “Our local study group met, and a biomed manager gave a very informative course on various imaging technologies.”

Several of the high scorers relied upon their experiences at work to help them with their exams. Matt Mizelle is a clinical lab specialist who works at the NorthShore University Hospital Systems in northern Illinois. He has worked in the healthcare technology field for almost 20 years, holding positions at Instrumentation Labs, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, and Bio-Rad. He now works with a group that services all of the mainframe chemistry, hematology, blood gas, and other core lab analyzers.

“As far as my preparation for the certified laboratory equipment specialist [CLES] test, I thought that with my extensive experience, I only needed to brush up in a few areas. So I studied for a few days and hoped for the best.” Mizelle works for ARAMARK Healthcare Technologies and his team was awarded the Tech Nation Department of the Year for 2013.

Meanwhile, Danny Reddy, a biomedical engineer at GE Healthcare, also relied on his experience in the field to achieve a high score on the CLES exam. “Working in a laboratory environment for GE Healthcare provided me with a hands-on learning approach. This allowed me to put everything in perspective and see some of the mentioned laboratory equipment in use,” he said.

Reddy added that after passing the CBET exam in the fall of 2012, he wanted to challenge himself with the CLES exam. “These certifications allow me to feel a level of confidence while doing my job,” he said, and encourages other biomeds to take the exams.

For more information on certification, go to www.aami.org/certification.