The Difference Between the A.S. BMET and the Military BMET

The difference in preparation that these two sets of education bring to a position is essentially depth and breadth of experience. The military BMET education process is roughly equivalent to that of the A.S. degree although typically much broader because it includes setting up field hospitals. As a result they get more hands on experience with the power generation and distribution. Beyond that the military BMET will have many more hours of experience working on a wide variety of equipment ranging from sterilizers to X-ray systems as a result of several years of experience in the position. Navy BMET’s are probably the best prepared members of this group. Navy BMET’s are required to be hospital corpsmen before they can take the BMET training. As a result they have an insight into the medical professional’s needs which no current A.S. or B.S. BMET curriculum can or will ever match. This insight is particularly important because it can greatly increase their ability to empathize and communicate with the medical professional. Graduates of military BMET training can and do get A.S. BMET degrees through the continuing education arm of Aims Community College.

Although there are exceptions military BMET’s should obtain a B.S. degree to take maximum advantage of their head start in experience. Bachelor’s degrees are generally required for Clinical Engineering related managerial positions. In civilian hospitals managerial positions in the Clinical Engineering or Biomedical Engineering Departments can be held by people with a bachelor’s degree in Business, BMET or Clinical Engineering.

See Explanation of What a BMET does and

The Rise of the B.S. Biomedical Engineering Technology Degree