As AI becomes increasingly embedded in healthcare, supporting BMETs through training and trust-building is key to successful adoption.
By Rob Moorey Â
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance and the healthcare industry incorporates more AI-powered technology into its workflows, health systems should ensure clinical engineering teams are comfortable and confident with AI. Successful organizations will not attempt to replace their human workforce with AI but will use it to make humans’ jobs more rewarding, fulfilling, and efficient.Â
By fostering a culture of continuous learning and providing access to resources and training, health systems can empower biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs) to confidently manage AI-driven technologies, optimize device performance, and enhance patient care and safety.
Making BMETs’ Jobs Less Stressful and More Rewarding
Many healthcare technology management (HTM) professionals are eager to learn how AI will impact their roles as it becomes more prevalent throughout the industry. As this new technology continues to roll out, health systems should ensure BMETs understand that AI will ultimately make their lives easier at work.
A recent survey of C-suite healthcare executives found that 83% said enhancing employee efficiency is the biggest opportunity for AI in their organization. AI has the potential to help BMETs solve problems quickly. By analyzing large amounts of historical data, AI-powered technologies can rapidly identify the most likely source of an issue and provide detailed instructions on how to address it and what parts will need to be ordered. This can reduce or eliminate the time BMETs spend troubleshooting a medical device. Still, human expertise is needed to verify AI’s findings and make the necessary repairs.
The use of AI in predictive maintenance also shows huge promise for health systems. If a specific part needs to be replaced, AI-powered systems could warn BMETs that there is a high probability another part on the device will also fail within a certain amount of time. This gives technicians time to order and replace both parts simultaneously instead of working on the device twice. This leads to less equipment downtime, reduces the number of emergency calls to BMETs, and can improve technician, clinician, and patient satisfaction. Â
AI can also lessen the technician workload by assisting with paperwork and other repetitive tasks. From writing work order summaries to recording equipment test results, AI can take on these time-consuming responsibilities while reducing human error. When BMETs spend less time on these necessary but tedious tasks, they’re able to focus on the fulfilling parts of their job.
Health system leaders should clearly communicate these benefits to their clinical engineering teams.
Building Trust in New Technologies
For a health system to successfully deploy AI-powered technologies, it must ensure AI is learning from accurate data and implementing it properly. BMETs know they have a great responsibility to ensure medical devices are running properly. In order for BMETs to be confident in taking advantage of AI, they must trust it. If AI-driven devices are outputting incorrect information or consistently making mistakes, BMETs will rightfully lose faith in the system.
Health systems need to take great care in testing and ensuring their AI-powered technologies are operating correctly and learning from accurate information. A significant challenge is building a foundation of accurate, complete, and representative datasets. Because not all health systems have the expertise or resources to do this independently, they should consider partnering with an organization that has a deep understanding of medical devices, AI, and the use of advanced technologies in healthcare settings.
AI Presents More Training Opportunities for BMETs
Organizations can also leverage AI for training BMETs, in addition to improving their productivity. AI can support immersive learning environments by simulating scenarios and providing real-time feedback. Through virtual training and AI-driven learning platforms, there are myriad ways BMETs can improve their skills and become more confident in their work.Â
These personalized, on-demand resources offer the chance for technicians to learn and practice on their schedule, without worrying about time and equipment restraints or interfering with patient care.
In addition, exposing technicians to AI in this way will help them become more comfortable using sophisticated technologies. By harnessing the power of AI to help BMETs learn, health systems will build a culture of continuous improvement and create a workforce better equipped for the future of clinical engineering.
The Future of AI Still Requires Human Oversight
While AI has the potential to eventually transform healthcare and the HTM field, human oversight will always be essential. As healthcare technology becomes more advanced, BMETs must use their expertise to interpret data, apply contextual judgment, and ensure patient safety. Even the most advanced AI can’t replicate the experience and critical thinking that BMETs bring to their roles.
As AI technologies become more integrated into daily work, human oversight is critical to ensure the tools are used responsibly and effectively—especially in a field where patient safety and privacy are top priorities. Knowledgeable HTM professionals are crucial to understand nuance and make ethical decisions, something machines can’t do on their own. The most successful clinical engineering teams will be made up of well-trained, confident experts working alongside intelligent machines. Â
About the author: Rob Moorey serves as president of clinical engineering for TRIMEDX. Moorey has been with TRIMEDX for over 10 years and has served as senior vice president of customer delivery and division vice president during that time. Before joining TRIMEDX, he spent eight years working for Aramark Healthcare Technologies in various leadership roles and began his career as a United States Air Force Biomedical Equipment Technician, stationed at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, DC. Moorey earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas.
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Rob, this is a fantastic overview of how AI can be a true ally rather than a disruptor in the clinical engineering space. I really appreciate the emphasis on empowering BMETs through training, trust, and ongoing support—too often, conversations around AI overlook the human side of the equation. The point about AI enhancing efficiency by taking on repetitive tasks is especially important, not just for productivity, but also for job satisfaction. It’s clear that when implemented thoughtfully, AI has the power to elevate the role of BMETs, not replace it. Well said!