HTM Salary Survey 2023

That’s not to say that all regions performed equally. The West North Central region saw marked improvements in 2023, with all major job titles except directors/executives witnessing exponential salary growth. Median salaries for West North Central-based BMET 1s surged $13,300, year-over-year, in 2023 while BMET 3s in the region also netted double-digit salary gains. The latter group’s sala- ries rose by $14,900 in 2023, increasing from $76,000 to $90,900, year- over-year. Managers in the West North Central region also thrived financially, with their median salaries finally breaking the six-figure threshold to reach $115,000. (This was up from $99,300 in 2022.)

The financial picture was vastly different in the Mountain West region. Unlike their West North Central peers, salaries shrunk in five of the seven main job titles—only BMET 3s and managers saw slight gains in 2023. Mountain West-based directors/executives experienced the steepest declines, with their salaries falling from $153,800 to $131,300, year- over-year. BMET 1s and BMET 2s in this region also had a rough year. Their salaries fell from $67,200 to $53,000 and $75,100 to $64,200, year- over-year, respectively, in 2023.

On the (Job) Hunt

Regional discrepancies aside, one trend that stood out in 2023’s survey was the number of respondents who are job hunting. Nearly one- third of those surveyed—29%—are looking for a position outside their organization, with 42% considering their chances of promotion within their current employer to be “below average.” Only 12% of survey respondents rated their opportunities for promotion as “excellent.”

“Trying to get a promotion is hard, especially if you are younger,” one respondent lamented. It’s a catch-22, the person wrote. “[Employers] won’t give you special equipment experience until you get the promotion, but to get the pro- motion, you need special equipment experi- ence in the first place. This incentivizes leaving the company and gaining specialized experience somewhere else.”

Specialized experience, maybe, but not necessarily further education. In 24×7’s 2023 compensation and job satisfaction survey, 17% of survey respondents revealed that they are currently pursuing further education—a major decline from the 35% of respondents who copped to pursuing it in 2022.

One possible reason? The 30-and-under set, who may be more inclined to pursue advanced education, accounted for just 13% of 24×7’s 2023 survey respondents. The most-represent- ed career stage was, by far, mid-level professionals. Nearly half of those surveyed—44%— ranged from 30 to 40, while 31% were older than 55. Trailing this age bracket were those approaching retirement, with nearly 17% of survey respondents over 60.

Not surprisingly, males accounted for most survey respondents—81%—with females comprising a modest 16%. (A subsequent 3% chose not to identify their gender.) It’s a slight increase from the 11% of female respondents represented in 2021’s survey, but down from the 22% recorded in 2022.

To some survey respondents, it’s simply not enough. “We need more women in this profession to help balance changing times,” one person wrote. Another commented: “I would like to get others in the field, especially my female colleagues.” After all, the latter respondent wrote, “it’s a fun field,” with a varied workload.

Varied, yes, but also heavy, according to many respondents in 24×7’s 2023 compensa- tion and job satisfaction survey. A hefty 43% of survey respondents deemed their workload as “heavy,” with a further 13% calling it “excessive.” Only 3% characterized it as “light” while 41% called it “moderate.”

Fortunately, not everyone balked at the hard work. Despite feeling overworked, a majority of those surveyed said they would still promote the profession to others. More than one-third of the survey respondents—35%, to be exact— said they were “very likely” to promote the HTM profession, with 29% saying they were “likely” to do so. A further 21% indicated that they were “somewhat likely” to endorse HTM while 13% said they were either “somewhat unlikely” or “very unlikely” to promote it.

Those who fell into the former category—very likely to promote HTM—praised similar aspects of the field. Some cited the ability to positively impact patient care while others celebrated the technical aspects of the job. “It’s satisfying to take something that is broken and make it work again,” one respondent wrote. Another commented: “I really enjoy walking up to something I’ve never seen before that’s not working and [ fixing it].”

Navigating Complex Dynamics

Not that success in the HTM field only mandates technical skills. Being a good biomed, one individual wrote, “requires good communication, people skills, and problem-solving abilities.” Managing communication breakdowns with clinicians can be just as challenging as handling faulty equipment, other respondents pointed out.

“The nurses at my location seem to think we have an endless supply of equipment,” one person griped. “They also will hide equipment for a ‘just-in-case’ scenario, even when we’ve explained that we need to check it over for the safety of the patient.”

Communicating effectively with IT teams—especially given the cyber concerns of networked medical devices—is also paramount, some survey respondents mentioned. A number of those surveyed shared positive experiences with IT (“Our biomed team is an active part of the cybersecurity process,” one individual wrote) while others felt shut out by them. “It’s a daily struggle,” on respondent wrote, with another quipping: “Over the years, I’ve seen how [the IT department] plays their cards too close to the vest and are not forthcoming about things. And they almost always defer issues as a ‘biomedical problem.’”

Another top grievance that respondents cited in 24×7’s 2023 compensation and job satisfaction survey? Feeling overlooked by their clinician colleagues. “No one at the hospital acknowledges biomeds’ hard work,” one person wrote. “We don’t even get cel- ebrated for National Biomed Week.”

Compounding the problem is the fact that many veterans are exiting the field. “Older biomeds are retiring, but management has no plans to replace them,” one survey respondent wrote. “Hospital management does not recognize the value of the experienced technician.”

That workplace may be an outlier, however. One survey respondent revealed that their employer is filling the talent gap by creating biomedical assistant roles that don’t require a degree or HTM background. “Through experience, the biomedical assistant can be promoted to a BMET title,” the respondent wrote. “Our director has also worked closely with our local community college to create a biomedical certificate program. With these changes, we’ve already seen an increase in HTM interest locally.”

And some survey respondents are even taking matters into their own hands. “We are introducing the HTM profession at the high- school level,” one individual commented. “We go to the schools to discuss our field and bring in high school students to see what we do for a day.”

Because despite the challenges—hefty workloads, regional salary discrepancies, and staffing issues—HTM is rewarding work, many survey respondents expressed. One respondent perhaps summed it up best: “Although the workload is stressful, the work is fulfilling,” the individual wrote. “Because of the technical nature of this field, it is also growing and changing. That constant change keeps the work exciting.” 

Keri Forsythe-Stephens is chief editor of 24×7 Magazine. Questions and comments can be directed to [email protected].