Navy COOL Snapshot - Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET)

Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET)

Renewal Period: 3 years

The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), Certified Biomedical Equipment Technicians (CBETs) have knowledge of the principles of modern biomedical techniques and the proper procedure in the care, handling and maintenance of biomedical equipment. CBETs have experience in a wide range of electromechanical devices, computers, networks, and software used in the delivery of healthcare. Candidates must meet education and experience requirements and take a written exam.

More information can be found on the certifying agency's website.

Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET)

The following Navy Occupations provide training and/or experience that contributes to attaining this credential:

Personnel Category	Occupation	Occupation Type	Related As	Navy$	LaDR
Enlisted	HM - Biomedical Equipment Technician	Job	Most	Navy Bucks	E4 Pay Grade
Enlisted	HM - Dental Laboratory Technician, Basic	Job	Some	Navy Bucks	E4 Pay Grade
Enlisted	HM - Dental Laboratory Technician, Maxillofacial	Job	Other
Enlisted	HM-Hospital Corpsman	Rating	Most	Navy Bucks	E4 Pay Grade

The following civilian occupations are related to this credential:

	Civilian Job	Job Family	Bright Outlook	Registered Apprenticeship	Local Salary Info
	Medical Equipment Preparers	Healthcare Support	Bright Outlook	Apprenticeship	find local salary
	Medical Equipment Repairers	Installation, Maintenance, and Repair	Bright Outlook	Apprenticeship	find local salary

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Attainability:

Eligibility Requirements (View Details)

Credential Prerequisite
Experience: 4 years
Education
Training
Membership
Other
Fee

Note: This credential may have multiple options for a Service member to meet eligibility requirements. Requirements listed here are based on the minimum degree required. To view other options, see the Eligibility tab.

Exam Requirements (View Details)

Exam
Written Exam
Oral Exam
Practical Exam
Performance Assessment

Exam Administration (View Details)

In-person exam
Remote proctored on-line exam
Third-party test vendor

RECERTIFICATION SUMMARY

Renewal Period: 3 years

Continuing Education
Exam
Continuing Education OR Exam
Fee
Other

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI)

901 N . Glebe Road
Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22203

Phone: (703) 525-4890

Fax: (703) 276-0793
Email: aci@aami.org

Education/Training and/or Experience REQUIREMENTS

Candidate must meet one of the following minimum eligibility requirements for full certification.

Note: Candidates desiring full certification, but who do not yet meet the eligibility requirements (as listed), have the opportunity to apply through candidate status (Option #5). Successful candidates are given five years to meet the minimum eligibility requirements and be awarded full certification.

Option 1:

Candidate must have an Associate's degree or higher in a biomedical equipment technology program and two years of full-time biomedical equipment technician work experience.

Option 2:

Candidate must have an Associate's degree or higher in electronics technology and three years of full-time biomedical equipment technician work experience.

Option 3:

Candidate must have completed a U.S. military biomedical equipment technology program and two years of full-time biomedical equipment technician work experience.

Option 4:

Candidate must have four years of full-time biomedical equipment technician experience.

Option 5:

Candidate applying for candidate status must meet one of the following minimum eligibility requirements as of the application deadline:

Associate’s degree or higher in biomedical equipment technology program;
Completion of a U.S. military biomedical equipment technology program;
Associate’s degree or higher in electronics technology and one year of full-time BMET work experience;
Two years of full-time BMET work experience.

Written Exam

Anatomy & Physiology (12%)
- Understand the functions, abnormal functions, and interactions of the physiological systems (e.g., Respiratory, Gastrointestinal, Nervous, Circulatory, Musculoskeletal, Endocrine).
- Identify components and function of the major organs (Heart, Lungs, Liver, Kidneys, Brain, Gallbladder, Pancreas, Skin, Blood).
Public Safety in the Healthcare Facility (14%)
- Understand and apply NFPA99 to the use of medical equipment.
- Interpret information from safety data sheets, apply PPE, and identify standard hazard symbolism and signage.
- Identify blood-borne pathogen hazards, follow universal precautions, and determine appropriate infection control procedures.
- Apply expectations from relevant accrediting organizations (Joint Commission, DNV, CMS, etc.) as applicable to healthcare environments.
Fundamentals of Electricity & Electronics (10%)
- Understand and apply foundational electronic theories as they apply to voltage, resistance, current, resistors, active and passive devices, transducers, capacitors, and inductors including the utilization of schematics.
- Understand the purpose and usage of various power conditioning, distribution, and storage systems (Transformers, Batteries).
Healthcare Technology and Function (25%)
- Understand physiological concepts as applicable to healthcare technology (e.g., PEEP sphygmomanometer, manometer, Korotkoff sounds, Einthoven’s triangle, 10-20-10 EEG pattern).
- Understand normal function, use, and underlying technology of test equipment (electrical safety analyzer, defibrillator analyzer, electro surgical analyzer, physiologic simulators, DVM, meters)
- Monitoring Equipment - Understand normal function and underlying technology of monitoring systems (e.g., EtCO2, ECG, EEG, non-invasive blood pressure, invasive blood pressure, pulseoximetry, fetal monitor, respiration).
- Diagnostic Equipment
  - Understand normal function and underlying technology of laboratory equipment (e.g., centrifuges, water baths, analyzers, cryostats, microtomes).
  - Understand normal function and underlying technology of imaging devices (e.g., Ultrasound, Radiographic/Fluoroscopy).
  - Understand normal function and underlying technology of diagnostic equipment (e.g., otoscope, ophthalmoscope, audiometer, uroflow meter).
- Therapeutic Equipment
  - Understand normal function and underlying technology of infusion equipment (e.g., feeding pumps, infusion devices, syringe pumps, PCA pumps).
  - Understand normal function and underlying technology of life support equipment (e.g., defibrillators, anesthesia machines, ventilators, balloon pumps, external pacemakers).
  - Understand normal function and underlying technology of therapeutic equipment (e.g., infant warmers, ultrasound therapy, hypo/hyperthermia, aspirators, SCD, Bilirubin light).
  - Understand normal function and underlying technology of operating room equipment (e.g., electro surgical generators, video equipment, lasers, tourniquets, sterilizers, warmers).
Healthcare Technology Problem Solving (25%)
- Identify and resolve fault conditions of modules/subsystems including power supplies.
- Prioritize repairs of medical devices based on level of risk and/or urgency.
- Differentiate between a device error and a use error (User Training, Applications) to determine appropriate action.
- Monitoring Equipment
  - Differentiate between an issue with a localized monitoring device on a network and a system-wide problem.
  - Identify the fault conditions and apply appropriate corrective action for monitoring systems (EtCO2, ECG, EEG, non-invasive blood pressure, invasive blood pressure, pulse oximetry, fetal monitor, respiration).
- Diagnostic Equipment
  - Identify the fault conditions and apply appropriate corrective action for laboratory equipment (Centrifuges, Water Baths, Analyzers, cryostats, microtomes).
  - Identify the fault conditions and apply appropriate corrective action for diagnostic equipment (otoscope, ophthalmoscope, audiometer, uroflow meter).
- Therapeutic Equipment
  - Identify the fault conditions and apply appropriate corrective action for infusion equipment (feeding pumps, infusion devices, syringe pumps, PCA pumps).
  - Identify the fault conditions and apply appropriate corrective action for therapeutic equipment (infant warmers, ultrasound therapy, hypo/hyperthermia, aspirators, SCD, Bilirubin light, defibrillators, external pacemakers).
  - Identify the fault conditions and apply appropriate corrective action for operating room equipment (electro surgical generators, video equipment, tourniquets, sterilizers, warmers).
Healthcare Information Technology (14%)
- Understand and apply protective standards and regulation for protected data (HITECH, Medical Device Data Systems [MDDS], IEC 80001 – Application of Risk Management for IT Networks, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA], Manufacturer Disclosure Statement for Medical Device Security, Digital Millennium Copyright Act [DMCA]).
- Identify and troubleshoot PC hardware and networking components (wired and wireless) with use of appropriate diagnostic tools (e.g., cable tracers, cable testers, PING).
- Understand the interrelatedness of computer applications.
- Understand and apply the fundamentals of network configuration.

Exam Preparation Resources

There are a number of resources available to help you prepare for the Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET) examination:

Best Sources

An additional resource is O'Reilly Learning Safari Books Online, a searchable digital library that provides online access to thousands of books, training videos and conference sessions. See the Educational Resources section on the Related Sites page here on COOL to learn how to get free access.

Testing Information

Exam Administration
Credential exams may be administered in-person at a testing site, proctored on-line remotely, or have options for both. If an exam is administered through a test vendor, the third-party test vendor box will be checked. The following test administration options apply to the Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET) credential where checked:
- In-person exam
- Remote proctored on-line exam
- Third-party test vendor

For more information on the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) testing process, visit the agency website.

Third-Party Test Vendor Information
Testing for this credential is handled by the following vendor:

Kryterion

The test centers are located in the U.S.

To find out more, use the following links on the Kryterion website:

RECERTIFICATION

Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET)

Renewal Period: 3 years

The Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET) credential has the following recertification information:

To recertify, CBET certification holders must earn at least 30 continuing education units (CEUs) during the three-year reporting period, document the CEUs with supporting documenting in the ACI CEU Journal, and submit the completed journal with the renewal payment prior to the renewal date. For more information see the AAMI Recertification page and the ACI Certification Candidate Handbook.

Additional considerations for the Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET) include:

For military candidates, special arrangements can be made for testing on a Military base. A written request must be sent to the Professional Testing Corporation with the name, address, phone number, and/or e-mail address of the Education Center on the base at least eight weeks before the examination date. Further details can be obtained from AAMI Candidate Handbook.