I am currently a student at Vincennes University(USA) studying Biomedical Equipment Technology.
I have always had the desire to help people, especially medically. After finishing high school I was interested in a career that would allow me to make a difference in the lives of people. At first I thought about pursuing medicine but felt that it was not quite my calling. I wanted a career in the medical field but not the one that involve blood. While browsing the University of South Africa (UNISA) brochure , I became enlightened about Clinical Engineering (CE) which is called Biomedical Equipment Technology (BMET) or Health Technology Management (HTM) in the US.
The Clinical Engineering program sparked my interest, and I decided to research further. After gathering much information and learning more about what clinical engineers do from AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation), ACCE (American College of Clinical Engineering) and CEASA (Clinical Engineering Association of South Africa) and networking with BMET professionals on networks such as LinkedIn , I became certain that this is truly the right program for me. This is the career opportunity that I have always been seeking. I will be able to work closely with patients and medical staff directly, but only handling equipment and maintaining state of the art healthcare technology in hospitals and clinics.
While studying at UNISA, I learned two most important things about BMET; first, electronics is more meaningful when it is saving lives, and second, good communication skills are of utmost importance. Visiting South African local hospitals on assignments gave me exposure to many different types of medical equipment and taught me that there is more to being a Biomedical Technician than just working on the medical devices. It also involves learning a lot about the human body and how it works and training healthcare personnel on cutting‐edge medical equipment. Unfortunately, UNISA is a Distance learning Institute, and I was not able to get hands‐on experience. It is the strong desire to gain more hand‐on experience that led me to broaden my horizons in a country that has so much to offer. I am delighted and looking forward to spending the next few years at Vincennes University, soaking up the latest advancements in medical technology.
Choosing to pursue a degree in Biomedical Engineering Technology is definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made. Personally, I feel that becoming a Biomedical Engineering Technician will be a very rewarding path for me throughout the course of my near and distant future.
According to Engineering World Health (EWH), nearly 40% of critical medical equipment in developing countries like my country Zimbabwe is in need of repair or replacement. Donated and purchased equipment sits idle due to the lack of skilled Biomedical Engineering Technicians who can install, maintain or repair it. As a result, physicians are hampered in their ability to deliver care and communities are left vulnerable. Therefore, I think that pursuing such a career will equip me to make huge contribution in improving the African community's health quality conditions.
I know that all of my goals will remain dreams if I do not complete my BMET degree. Therefore, I am committed to working hard and looking for opportunities that could help me make my goals a reality. I would sincerely appreciate your consideration in helping me with this exciting endeavor.
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