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Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET)

Healthcare technology management professionals that desire a CBET certification are expected to have experience in a wide-range of electromechanical devices, computers, networks and software used in the delivery of healthcare.

Overview

Overview

Generally, candidates 4 desiring for this certification may work for medical device manufacturers, hospitals, clinics, home healthcare providers, medical device repair companies, regulatory bodies/agencies, and software manufacturers – such as EMR or device integration providers.

CBET candidates typically perform some of the following duties on a daily basis:

  • Test and calibrate medical devices (preventive maintenance)
  • Troubleshoot medical devices in a clinical setting and/or bench/depot setting (corrective maintenance)
  • Manufacture software, parts or devices for use in patient care
  • Ensure compliance with all regulatory processes necessary (i.e. CMS, FDA GMP, etc.
  • Manage medical software/hardware systems (i.e. PACS Administrator, Integration Specialist, Alarm Management, RTLS Systems, etc.)
  • Perform corrective and preventive maintenance on steam systems
  • Educate the proper use, care and maintenance of medical devices
  • Review technical manuals
  • Document any and all maintenance and repairs and maintain records of maintenance activities
  • Troubleshoot medical device networks

Candidate Eligibility

Eligibility

Full Status
  1. Associate degree or higher in biomedical equipment technology program and two years’ fulltime BMET work experience; OR
  2. Completion of a U.S. military biomedical equipment technology program and two years’ fulltime BMET work experience; OR
  3. Associate degree or higher in electronics technology and three years’ full-time BMET work experience; OR
  4. Four years’ full-time BMET work experience.
Candidate Status

Applicants desiring full certification, but do not yet meet the eligibility requirements (as listed above), may apply through candidate status. Successful candidates are given five years to meet the minimum eligibility requirements and be awarded full certification. To test as a candidate for any of the certifications, an applicant must meet ONE of the following minimum eligibility requirements as of the application deadline:

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

Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET)

  1. Understand the functions, abnormal functions, and interactions of the physiological systems (e.g., Respiratory, Gastrointestinal, Nervous, Circulatory, Musculoskeletal, Endocrine).
  2. Identify components and function of the major organs (Heart, Lungs, Liver, Kidneys, Brain, Gallbladder, Pancreas, Skin, Blood).
  1. 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.
  2. Understand the purpose and usage of various power conditioning, distribution, and storage systems (Transformers, Batteries).
  1. 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]).
  2. Identify and troubleshoot PC hardware and networking components (wired and wireless) with use of appropriate diagnostic tools (e.g., cable tracers, cable testers, PING).
  3. Understand the interrelatedness of computer applications.
  4. Understand and apply the fundamentals of network configuration.
  1. Understand physiological concepts as applicable to healthcare technology (e.g., PEEP sphygmomanometer, manometer, Korotkoff sounds, Einthoven’s triangle, 10-20-10 EEG pattern).
  2. Understand normal function, use, and underlying technology of test equipment (electrical safety analyzer, defibrillator analyzer, electro surgical analyzer, physiologic simulators, DVM, meters).
      3. Monitoring Equipment
    1. Understand normal function and underlying technology of monitoring systems (e.g., EtCO2, ECG, EEG, non-invasive blood pressure, invasive blood pressure, pulse oximetry, fetal monitor, respiration).
      Diagnostic Equipment
    1. Understand normal function and underlying technology of laboratory equipment (e.g., centrifuges, water baths, analyzers, cryostats, microtomes).
    2. Understand normal function and underlying technology of imaging devices (e.g., Ultrasound, Radiographic/Fluoroscopy).
    3. Understand normal function and underlying technology of diagnostic equipment (e.g., otoscope, ophthalmoscope, audiometer, uroflow meter).
      Therapeutic Equipment
    1. Understand normal function and underlying technology of infusion equipment (e.g., feeding pumps, infusion devices, syringe pumps, PCA pumps).
    2. Understand normal function and underlying technology of life support equipment (e.g., defibrillators, anesthesia machines, ventilators, balloon pumps, external pacemakers).
    3. Understand normal function and underlying technology of therapeutic equipment (e.g., infant warmers, ultrasound therapy, hypo/hyperthermia, aspirators, SCD, Bilirubin light.
  1. Identify and resolve fault conditions of modules/subsystems including power supplies.
  2. Prioritize repairs of medical devices based on level of risk and/or urgency.
  3. Differentiate between a device error and a use error (User Training, Applications) to determine appropriate action.
      4. Monitoring Equipment
    1. Differentiate between an issue with a localized monitoring device on a network and a systemwide problem. 18
    2. 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
    1. Identify the fault conditions and apply appropriate corrective action for laboratory equipment (Centrifuges, Water Baths, Analyzers, cryostats, microtomes).
    2. Identify the fault conditions and apply appropriate corrective action for diagnostic equipment (otoscope, ophthalmoscope, audiometer, uroflow meter).
      Therapeutic Equipment
    1. Identify the fault conditions and apply appropriate corrective action for infusion equipment (feeding pumps, infusion devices, syringe pumps, PCA pumps).
    2. 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).
    3. Identify the fault conditions and apply appropriate corrective action for operating room equipment (electro surgical generators, video equipment, tourniquets, sterilizers, warmers).
  1. Understand and apply NFPA99 to the use of medical equipment.
  2. Interpret information from safety data sheets, apply PPE, and identify standard hazard symbolism and signage.
  3. Identify blood-borne pathogen hazards, follow universal precautions, and determine appropriate infection control procedures.
  4. Apply expectations from relevant accrediting organizations (Joint Commission, DNV, CMS, etc.) as applicable to healthcare environments.

The CBET exam is a three-hour closed book exam consisting of 165 multiple choice questions.

Candidates will have access to a simple calculator during the exam. Cell phones, iPads or other electronic devices that have internet capabilities or cameras are not allowed into the testing room.

Candidate performance on the exam is evaluated using a criterion-referenced method. This is a method where candidates are evaluated against a predetermined standard (cut score) rather than relative to each other. Your peers, the ACI Board, and its committees set this standard by evaluating the difficulty of each test question against the expectations for what an entrylevel professional should know and be able to do. They use a common method for evaluating items and determining the passing standard (modified Angoff method).