Helping the Next Gen BMET: What the Field Can Do to Support Students and the BME Pipeline

If you're reading this, there's a good chance you remember the first time someone took a few extra minutes to show you how something really worked. Maybe it was how to test a vent, how to calm down an anxious nurse, or how to navigate hospital politics. Whatever it was, that moment stuck. Today, I teach students a year in a 3-year Biomedical Engineering Technology program. And while we cover a lot in the lab/classroom, what really shapes a student is their time in the field. That’s where YOU come in.

The HTM field is aging. We need a pipeline of smart, motivated, and prepared young BMETs. But they need support. They need mentorship. And they need a chance to see what this career actually looks like. Here's what I've learned, and what the field can do to make sure we don’t lose the next generation.

Why Internships and Co-ops Are More Critical Than Ever

a) Real-World Pressure, Real Growth

Internships simulate field chaos: devices break at the worst times, staff are short-tempered, and documentation matters. That pressure helps students turn knowledge into intuition.

b) Building Confidence, Not Just Competency

Many students are nervous about taking initiative. Field work teaches them how to speak up, ask good questions, and trust their training. It’s also where they learn how critical their role is to patient care.

c) Hiring Advantage for Everyone

Departments that offer co-ops get a long term interview. Students who intern can get hired back full-time. It’s low-risk, high-reward for both sides. Plus, it’s easier to train a tech who already knows your systems.

Easy Ways Experienced Techs Can Mentor Without Burning Out

a) Invite Them to Shadow You

Let them follow you through a shift. Narrate your thought process. Say out loud why you're skipping that PM today or why you're double-checking that alarm setting. It's like a live podcast, and they soak it up.

b) Share the "Why," Not Just the "How"

Students can read manuals. What they need from you is judgment. When do you bend a protocol? When do you push back on a vendor? When do you call IT instead of fixing it yourself? That kind of decision-making can’t be Googled or GPT’d.

c) Don’t Teach Everything

Mentoring doesn’t have to be exhausting. Just pick one small thing per day to show or explain: a trick for lead wire inspection, how you organize your cart, or why you like a certain tool. Small lessons add up fast. Everyone is different as well so one student may benefit from extra help on tool use, another may need help with an ESU tester.

What I Wish Every HTM Department Knew About Today’s Students

Our students are not the same as the ones who trained a decade ago and that’s not a bad thing. They bring fresh energy, a digital-first mindset, and values that align with modern healthcare.

a) They Value Purpose Over Perfection

Many of them chose BMET work not for money, but for meaning. They want to help people. They care about patients. Show them how your work protects lives, and they’ll be all-in.

b) They Need Feedback to Grow

Today’s students grew up with instant feedback. That doesn’t mean they’re soft, it means they’re wired for quick learning loops. Give them short, constructive feedback, even casually, and they’ll improve fast. Positive (and negative) feedback will pay dividends with this generation.

c) They’re Watching Everything

How you talk to nurses. How you label your bins. How you handle stress. They’re learning from you even when you’re not "teaching." Take pride in that and do not be the hospital “Cranky” person that always complains about things we may not be able to change.

In 10 years, some of my students will be leading departments. Others will be on standards committees or training new BMETs themselves. What we model today becomes their foundation tomorrow. If you work in HTM, you are already a mentor. You don’t need a title. You just need to care enough to share a bit of what you know. That’s how we keep this field strong. Thanks to everyone who’s ever answered a student’s question, let them tag along on a call, or helped them through a tricky diagnosis. You may have changed someone’s life and never even realized it.