Bearded Biomed

The AAMI BMET Apprenticeship Program

April 19, 2023 Chace Torres/ Josh Weatherford Season 2 Episode 19
Bearded Biomed
The AAMI BMET Apprenticeship Program
Show Notes Transcript

I am joined by a special guest at the Houston MD EXPO, Josh Weatherford. The first to complete the AAMI BMET Apprenticeship Program. I wanted to pick his brain on his experience going through it and had him share what others could expect. Renew Biomedical has taken on the task of helping bridge the gap in helping run the pipeline of new Biomeds into the field. I commend them on making this another option for someone like Josh who didn't have many options due to not having a Biomed program in Tennessee. Josh welcome to the field brother and I look forward to seeing all you accomplish!

I hope you enjoy the conversation and if you are listening wondering if this can be an option for you check out the link below.

https://www.aami.org/HTM/bmet-apprenticeship

Watch the video podcast on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLisOVWzYA0rq9UrYCz7fU7HNBjXgwc8DG

Chace Torres:

please Gentlemen, welcome back. I am your host beer to biomed. And I am live at the MD Expo, I am joined by a special guest. Now, the reason he is special is because he just completed something no one else has ever done. You're the first in the world. What I mean by that is, this gentleman just completed the AMI apprenticeship program for the biomed field. And I think this will benefit a lot of people interested in possibly pursuing the field to get a snapshot of what it's like to go through the program. And, of course, I think we all want to hear why you were interested in getting into the field to begin with. So first, I'd like to introduce Josh Weatherford, aka the first completey welcome, appreciate you sit down,

JOSH WEATHERFORD:

man, no problem, appreciate the opportunity. So yeah, like I said, Josh Weatherford my name, I work with new biomedical. And I was given the unique opportunity to participate in this and some of my background helped me to expedite to the Pentagon, but it's been a privilege.

Chace Torres:

So for those that aren't familiar with the program, what is actually the process you had to go through to enroll and get, you know, start doing the program. So the program started with Amy's new CBT certification that they rolled out roughly two years ago. So the program itself is two years after completion of the CBT. So with that new program requires you have that certification, you also have to have the C bet, and an IT fundamentals certification and then also the two year track for the program. In addition to the search, you have to have passed ended anatomy, anatomy and physiology class as well as a college math credit. Okay, so actually, that's not too far out from what a traditional biomed curriculum might be through a college program. So for those of you that might be interested in pursuing it, whether you don't want to go through the pipeline, or if you want to do college program biomed is inherently need to have some form of electrical theory training. Nowadays, with software integration of dang near every device having some network compatibility, having the fundamental understanding of network connectivity is, you know, kind of a basic necessity nowadays, anatomy and physiology. Now normally when I mentioned that to people asking about the field that like why do I need to know that? Well, for one, you're working in tandem alongside other medical personnel, nurses, doctors that are trying to relay an issue or something they're experiencing, and their medical device, and you got to know how to talk to talk with them, you got to know what they're talking about. And also kind of want them to know that you're competent. And know the medical lingo linguistics. But besides that point is a lot of the medical devices that we service, you have to have a working knowledge of the heart and lungs. I mean, when you're measuring blood pressure, you are working on ventilators. You have I mean just a manner of just different devices that calling you to have a general understanding of anatomy. And what that device is trying to do. How is the EKG pulling its signal from you know, your RA, your LA, your LL and your RL, like I got those four, and then of course, your V one through your V six. So this this is good, because if you guys do not want to go through the traditional, you know, sit in a class do the back kind of curriculum, I would assume obviously, you're still trying to get the same level of training, but you did it give you more freedom the way it was structured,

JOSH WEATHERFORD:

like it did so especially since I'm from Jackson, Tennessee is where we're located. There's not a bomb program located anywhere really near that that, you know, I could enroll in. Plus, this was offered more as almost an on the job type training because you get exposed in the field when a biomedical actually has a CBT sponsored class. So you start there and then you're put into class and you can go through it for that certification. That helps you along.

Chace Torres:

So let's look at it from this aspect to when anybody is pursuing higher education or pursuing a career field. Number one thing we all look at is how much is it gonna cost me 100% Because let's be frank some of the Have schooling out there is your I mean, you know, you hear doctors and other kinds of professions out there they're paying off their college for the majority of their life. So good thing about the biomed field is it's actually your return on investment comes very quickly. You know, I'm not going to go through the different prices of different colleges and what they offer. But I guarantee you, it's probably a quarter, if not less than what most programs might cost you in the medical field. Now, you did say the cabinet was sponsored by the company that onboard you. Right?

JOSH WEATHERFORD:

Right. So we actually have a we call it our training academy. It's a big conference room setup. And Richard is our instructor for that He basically took me source content and adapted it into a teachable class format. So text will spend three to six hours a week in that training for the CBT and then pass. The Seba and the ATI are more self study type things, but the company does provide the study resources for those.

Chace Torres:

So my question to you is, when you're not doing that three to six hours of curriculum, what are you doing in between that you're on the bench getting training? Hands on, right, exactly, most valuable type of training, which to be fair, depending on what college program you're going through, some people might cite that, okay, maybe they're not getting the full craft component of it. A lot of what goes through on in our field when it comes to being a technician is experience. Being in I've been in the field 15 years, I still learn how to work on something all the time. There's, there's too many modalities out there. There's too many different failures, circumstances, things that can occur that you didn't experience prior. And the thing is, when you are on the job, learning how to do things, you start picking up things, okay, I've seen this before. So you can besides obviously troubleshoot it better, you get to the point to where if you see a certain error, or a certain light flash or a certain function go a certain way certain pressure reading, you know exactly where to go, because you've already experienced it before. So that leads to lower downtime. So the equipment makes the customer happy, which improves patient care and patient safety, which is why we're doing this, since you have completed the program, which was just recently, a couple weeks ago. What all I've dove into medical device wise, the whole journey

JOSH WEATHERFORD:

where I work, we deal with a lot of we do ventilators, infusion pumps and turbulators patient monitors, EKG machines. So pretty much the whole EMS gamut. So we do a lot of transport type, ambulatory. So that also involves stretchers to

Chace Torres:

ambulatory is kind of a special beast, because, you know, you can have, of course, the regular EMS vehicles, but you can also branch into that the heat the Helio transports, which I don't know if they'll have experienced or not, but it's kind of it's kind of a logistical nightmare, sometimes catching up with the choppers because they're like, We are going to land within this window. And by the way, they never meet that window but you have to make sure you meet that window. Get everything pm in that chopper and then get the hell out of the way so they can get off to the next place. They gotta go.

JOSH WEATHERFORD:

Yeah, that can very easily turn into just sit and wait until they

Chace Torres:

Yeah. Now there's there's been times where like, Okay, be here this time, but something happens where they need to take care of the patient first. You know, you're not waiting there a couple extra hours and you attended to. But it is what it is, is part of the job. It is. So what's next what's, what are you looking forward to, you know, going forward in the career field now.

JOSH WEATHERFORD:

So I've got the CBT I have the C bet. My next stop is going to be the CACM. Yeah. Which I'm actually actively in management now. So I'm already working towards ticking off those year requirements to take that fingers

Chace Torres:

trying to outdo us all it sounds like well,

JOSH WEATHERFORD:

well rounded, you know,

Chace Torres:

the just recently, we are filled as work. Angela Bennett, she's actually they've put together a CHD of study courts that I'd probably recommend you look into if that's that's the case. I have my ch TM I will tell you it is unlike any tests you've ever taken before. Right because it's all financials it's all people management, its regulatory NFPA it's all you know, all the fun book, book stuff. Is there any kind of specialty device or anything do you think you'd get into? It sounds like you're leaning more towards getting into management from what it sounds like.

JOSH WEATHERFORD:

I am but I'm definitely a techie person at heart I like to have hands on The knowledge behind the operation so that theory, I really enjoy that type of thing. So I don't think that I'll ever stop learning new things. Right? I do want to get into more of the management role. Yeah.

Chace Torres:

Right on right on. So I still consider myself a general biomed. But I've splashed and dabbled in a couple other specialties, like I've, I've done CRM, PMS, I've done anesthesia, PMS repairs, a little bit of the bulk sterilizer. I don't particularly like those boilers are just atrocious. I think from a manager standpoint, you don't need to know how to work on everything. Nobody can specialize in everything. But when you're managing a team of technicians that are working on those things, it's good to at least be aware of, you know, their circumstances, and maybe some of the things they're getting into, because you could say something that can help them resolve the issue. But I think from a manager standpoint, just being able to communicate effectively, and understand all the different pieces of a biomed team and what they're, they're required to do, this is going to, of course, enable you to supervise them better, and give them support.

JOSH WEATHERFORD:

And you're also going to entrust to them to you know, not only know what they're doing, obviously, because there's your specialist for the roles, but they're they're going to be able to teach you things along the way that you're obviously like no, because you don't work in it every single day. That'll help you gain knowledge and also empower them to grow themselves.

Chace Torres:

So you're famous now, something like that. I'm still trying to get there someday. I guess before we cap off this welcome to the field. Is there anything you want to sign off with any kind of like special message for the field? Hey, I'm here.

JOSH WEATHERFORD:

I'm here. Definitely my main goal on this, aside from any aspirations is always patient first. Right? So that's should be any Obama's goal. 100%

Chace Torres:

I appreciate you being here. Welcome to the fray. People always ask me how do you do everything that you describe in the field? I like to tell them that besides passion. The other thing that I like to implement is strategic drinking.

JOSH WEATHERFORD:

You got to let it out somehow right. Hence my modelo.

Chace Torres:

Yeah, appreciate you. Welcome to the field, sir. Yes, sir. I appreciate you be around the expo and be with a beard