Any biomed technologists here?
I am thinking about going to school for biomed technology. I was just wondering what Reddit knows about it. U.S. News and World Reports lists it as a position that will grow over the next 10 years. Does that sound right to Reddit? Also, I will be attending Medvance Institute in Baton Rouge. It is a for-profit school, so I am a little wary. Does anyone have some info about Medvance or if their graduates are hired/respected?
edit: Thanks for the help guys. Here is a little more about my background. I am 27 and hold a bachelor's in Mass Comm. I have worked at several newspapers and magazines around the Gulf Coast during the past 6-7 years. I am recently unemployed, the job market in the journalism field is bone dry, and honestly, I don't think I want to continue on that career path. Biomed seriously interests me, but I need to get in the game quick. I don't have time for another bachelor's, much less a graduate degree. I need a job, or the fastest way to one.
reddit friggin' rulz. I got a phd's response on my question. Where else could you get that on a Saturday afternoon?
Posted May 8, 2010, 3:46 PM UTC · edited
Before you dump a lot of $ into a for profit, get all your basic electrical and electronic stuff out of the way at a JC or a Votech. Once you have an electro-mechanical base then shop around for specific training in biomed.
I have certificates in electro-mechanical, , Nuclear Medicine, Gamma cameras, Positron emission tomography (PET), Medical imaging, Computed Tomography (CT), Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), Magnetic Resonance Imaging instrument (MRI scanner), Physiological monitoring, Computers, Information Technology, Patient Monitoring, and Cardiac Diagnostics.
I got those as I went along. Sometimes I paid for those myself or they were paid for by my employer. I have other degrees and diplomas, so I usually managed warehouse and shop operations while putting in as much bench time as I could sneak in.
The most important point here is that there are cost savings and eventual debt avoidance factors by getting your base training from public education venues. Once you have something equivalent to an AA in electromechanical subject matter, someone will hire you to start in their shop setting up equipment for eventual delivery to a hospital or diagnostic center. There are lots of small bio-med certified contractors that are looking for part time and per-job help (you) who have a clue about what they are doing.
I have found for profits like Medvance better at getting you in debt than providing great credentials. That is just my experience.
Completely agreed with "I have found for profits like Medvance better at getting you in debt than providing great credentials." I used to work as an education contractor at an Air Force Base and saw a TON of these guys who had screwed up and gone that path, and an ex-girlfriend of mine fell for it too--now she's 30k in debt to get a job that only pays 30k a year. Try to find a community college that offers an Associate's--check especially with your local teaching hospitals for this sort of thing (not a lot of people think to look there for education, but a nearby medical school/teaching hospital was the only place I found to become a nuclear medicine tech). Good luck.