Medical Equipment Repairers

Kellie Hanna, CPRW
By Kellie Hanna, CPRW, Career Advice Expert Last Updated: December 20, 2022
How To Become A Medical Equipment Technician

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Schools and Education

What’s Needed:

  • An associate’s degree in biomedical equipment technology engineering or electronics is a requirement for most medical equipment repairers.
  • Attending schools for training in more complex equipment is often necessary but employers may supply this particularly equipment manufacturers.
  • Ongoing education is vital for these specialists as biomedical equipment becomes more sophisticated.
  • For some technicians military service provides an education in biomedical equipment technology.

What you study:

Whether through a university on-the-job learning or military training the course of study for biomedical equipment specialists typically includes:

  • Mechanical engineering
  • Electrical engineering
  • Electronics
  • Computer-aided design
  • Human anatomy and physiology

What courses you’ll take:

Below are examples of courses that you’ll likely take as a medical equipment technician student.

CourseStudiesPurpose
Medical VocabularyLearning and understanding basic medical terminology as it applies to biomedical equipment. Prefixes suffixes plurals and abbreviations used to create terms are studied.Foundation knowledge for understanding equipment technology and communicating with colleagues.
PhysiologyUnderlying physiological principles involved in interfaces between biomedical equipment and patient. Focus on cells nervous muscular circulatory and respiratory systems.Core knowledge needed for understanding of advanced equipment technology coursework.
Biomedical Circuits and DevicesUnderstanding of underlying electronics as related to equipment design and operation. Emphasizes individual digital circuitry such as those for amplifiers and switching.Provide fundamental understanding of equipment circuitry electronics to set groundwork for advanced repair topics.
Biomedical Electronic Systems ? BasicBasic science and technology principles behind the measurement of physiological events. An understanding of principles behind electrodes transducers amplifiers and monitoring systems is given.Give students basic equipment and electronics knowledge needed to be able to repair and calibrate a wide range of biomedical equipment.
Biomedical Electronic Systems ? Advanced

More advanced studies cover measurements for cardiology laboratories and radiology. Operation and maintenance of specific types of equipment are covered such as those used in respiratory therapy physical therapy surgery ultrasound and nuclear medicine.

These courses typically include time in a lab to provide hands-on experience in applying studied concepts.

Through advanced topics and lab work fully prepare students for taking on clinical rotations and then a job in industry.

Also this coursework is often intended to ready students to take certification tests available from the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI).

Clinical Study / ExternshipWork experience at a hospital clinic equipment maker service center or lab.Bridge a student’s classroom knowledge and skills with real-world problem solving. Also give students the experience that will help them land a job in the field.
Hospital and Patient SafetyProblem solving of equipment related safety issues. Consideration of risk management and safety programs from the perspective of electrical safety. Relevant electrical standards and codes.Ready students to apply safe practices in their daily work.

Video Overview

A quick intro into the work of medical equipment repair techs. Created for the US Dept. of Labor.


Certifications and Licensing

Although most states do not currently require certification earning certification in various specialties can open more job opportunities for medical equipment repairers. The AAMI certifies specialists in general biomedical equipment technology as well as specializations in radiology equipment and laboratory equipment.


Job Flexibility

Full-time versus part-time:

Most medical equipment repair specialists work full-time but for those who are self-employed hours may be more flexible. Most days are typical eight-hour shifts unless the specialist offers emergency service. Midnight calls are not common but they do happen especially for technicians who work directly for large hospitals.

Work location:

The profession provides opportunities for those who prefer to travel as well as for those who like to remain in one place. Self-employed technicians and those who work for manufacturers typically travel often; repair personnel who work for major hospitals and health centers generally stay on premises.


  • Bureau of Labor Statistics: Medical Equipment Repairers – Visitors to this site will get a broad overview of what medical equipment repair specialists do and the projected demand for the profession. It is an excellent first stop for anyone considering becoming a biomedical equipment technician.
  • Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation – This non-profit organization’s site focuses on technological advances in medicine for doctors nurses biomedical engineers researchers and technicians. Because it spans so many disciplines the AAMI site is a wealth of information for prospective medical equipment repairers who also have an interest in other areas of medicine or engineering. A blog and forums with numerous active discussion groups can also be excellent resources for repair specialists.
  • The Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) – A trade association that leads the effort to advance medical technology in order to achieve healthier lives and healthier economies around the world. AdvaMed’s membership has reached over 400 members and more than 80 employees with a global presence

Salaries by City

See typical salaries and ranges for this career below Shift click to sort by more than one column — for example first shift-click on state and then shift-click on salary to find best and worst salaries in each state.

StateCity / RegionTypical SalarySalary RangeJob Count% of All Jobs
AKAnchorage$59420$42K – $90K1200.07%
ALBirmingham – Hoover$45000$32K – $81K2000.04%
ALMobile$43440$32K – $74K900.05%
ALMontgomery$48220$32K – $59K300.02%
ALTuscaloosa$37240$22K – $65K300.04%
ARLittle Rock – North Little Rock – Conway$34050$27K – $47K1100.03%
AZPhoenix – Mesa – Glendale$49530$31K – $70K3000.02%
AZTucson$48400$29K – $85K500.01%
CABakersfield – Delano$$29K – $66K500.02%
CAFresno$56870$41K – $74K400.01%
CALos Angeles – Long Beach – Glendale (Metro Area)$51120$33K – $73K5800.02%
CAModesto$45650$33K – $74K500.03%
CAOakland – Fremont – Hayward (Metro Area)$48850$35K – $74K1200.01%
CAOxnard – Thousand Oaks – Ventura$41420$28K – $71K500.02%
CARiverside – San Bernardino – Ontario$45560$29K – $80K2400.02%
CASacramento – Arden – Arcade – Roseville$53960$24K – $73K3800.05%
CASan Diego – Carlsbad – San Marcos$50820$34K – $78K2500.02%
CASan Francisco – San Mateo – Redwood City (Metro Area)$52750$36K – $76K1000.01%
CASan Jose – Sunnyvale – Santa Clara$66340$49K – $85K3200.04%
CASanta Ana – Anaheim – Irvine (Metro Area)$55700$31K – $76K6000.04%
CAStockton$30710$26K – $66K600.03%
COBoulder$46640$29K – $74K700.04%
COColorado Springs$39410$28K – $68K400.02%
CODenver – Aurora – Broomfield$42270$31K – $65K4900.04%
COFort Collins – Loveland$47820$22K – $70K500.04%
CTBridgeport – Stamford – Norwalk$51300$22K – $84K700.02%
CTHartford – West Hartford – East Hartford$48940$36K – $82K700.01%
CTNew Haven$52880$35K – $72K1000.04%
DCWashington – Arlington – Alexandria (Metro Area)$52110$32K – $73K2500.01%
DEWilmington (Metro Area)N/AN/A – N/A600.02%
FLCape Coral – Fort Myers$30590$25K – $49K600.03%
FLFort Lauderdale – Pompano Beach – Deerfield Beach (Metro Area)$43990$27K – $88K3400.05%
FLGainesville$44560$28K – $69K900.08%
FLJacksonville$33190$25K – $38KN/AN/A
FLMiami – Miami Beach – Kendall (Metro Area)$41310$21K – $71K2300.02%
FLNaples – Marco Island$44950$31K – $67KN/AN/A
FLOrlando – Kissimmee – Sanford$40940$25K – $81K2500.02%
FLPalm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville$57820$35K – $76K600.03%
FLPort St. Lucie$29630$25K – $47K400.03%
FLTallahassee$61660$50K – $75KN/AN/A
FLTampa – St. Petersburg – Clearwater$41520$28K – $60K6500.06%
FLWest Palm Beach – Boca Raton – Boynton Beach (Metro Area)$30750$25K – $52KN/AN/A
GAAtlanta – Sandy Springs – Marietta$42140$27K – $63K2700.01%
GAAugusta – Richmond County$34190$26K – $47K400.02%
HIHonolulu$65770$38K – $78K300.01%
IADes Moines – West Des Moines$44800$33K – $67K1400.04%
IDBoise City – Nampa$50950$35K – $60K1700.06%
IDCoeur d’Alene ID$42360$23K – $71K300.06%
ILChicago – Joliet – Naperville (Metro Area)$38280$25K – $69K9000.02%
ILLake County – Kenosha County (Metro Area)$41140$28K – $71KN/AN/A
ILSpringfield$38260$32K – $59K400.04%
INEvansville$35010$23K – $66K700.04%
INFort Wayne$43110$31K – $61K1100.06%
INGary (Metro Area)$37320$28K – $71K800.03%
INIndianapolis – Carmel$37670$23K – $67K6900.08%
INSouth Bend – Mishawaka$49410$29K – $71K400.04%
KSWichita$26580$21K – $63KN/AN/A
KYBowling Green$28230$25K – $41K400.06%
KYLexington – Fayette$31340$22K – $58K2000.08%
KYLouisville – Jefferson County$43060$22K – $71K3000.05%
LABaton Rouge$41010$22K – $71K700.02%
LANew Orleans – Metairie – Kenner$42960$24K – $68KN/AN/A
MABoston – Cambridge – Quincy (Metro Area)$46420$32K – $72K4300.03%
MAHaverhill – North Andover – Amesbury (Metro Area)$44870$29K – $70K300.04%
MALowell – Billerica – Chelmsford (Metro Area)$45550$34K – $71K600.05%
MAWorcester$47370$31K – $62K800.03%
MDBaltimore – Towson$47960$32K – $72K4200.03%
MDBethesda – Rockville – Frederick (Metro Area)$47350$34K – $85K1800.03%
MDHagerstown – Martinsburg$43000$23K – $66K400.04%
MEPortland – South Portland – Biddeford$52650$36K – $90K600.03%
MIDetroit – Livonia – Dearborn (Metro Area)$41610$30K – $58K1000.01%
MIFlint$41760$28K – $58K500.04%
MIGrand Rapids – Wyoming$37340$24K – $63K1000.03%
MIKalamazoo – Portage$35700$24K – $57K1100.08%
MILansing – East Lansing$49260$33K – $62K700.04%
MIWarren – Troy – Farmington Hills (Metro Area)$44840$26K – $72K2600.02%
MNMinneapolis – St. Paul – Bloomington$53820$37K – $75K7900.05%
MNRochester$48500$40K – $86K2300.23%
MOColumbia$45590$28K – $59K300.04%
MOKansas City$38560$27K – $60K3800.04%
MOSpringfield$26070$20K – $38K900.05%
MOSt. Louis$40370$27K – $60K5400.04%
MSJackson$42110$31K – $57K800.03%
MTBillings$36920$28K – $67K400.05%
NCCharlotte – Gastonia – Rock Hill$44250$31K – $65K3700.04%
NCDurham – Chapel Hill$50180$34K – $69K1400.05%
NCGreensboro – High Point$46420$33K – $89K1100.03%
NCHickory – Lenoir – Morganton$49580$24K – $61K400.03%
NCRaleigh – Cary$60510$40K – $74K1200.02%
NCWinston – Salem$50980$39K – $83K800.04%
NELincoln$36630$31K – $59KN/AN/A
NEOmaha – Council Bluffs$58930$34K – $84K2100.05%
NHNashua (Metro Area)$44470$36K – $60K400.03%
NJCamden (Metro Area)$65580$40K – $92K300.01%
NJEdison – New Brunswick (Metro Area)$54340$34K – $76K2700.03%
NJNewark – Union (Metro Area)$52440$34K – $81K1800.02%
NMAlbuquerque$37100$32K – $61K2000.06%
NVLas Vegas – Paradise$36820$16K – $67K1600.02%
NVReno – Sparks$32050$21K – $70K900.05%
NYAlbany – Schenectady – Troy$44520$31K – $71K1200.03%
NYBuffalo – Niagara Falls$39,960$26K – $56K1300.03%
NYNassau – Suffolk (Metro Area)$56,640$28K – $75K3600.03%
NYNew York – White Plains – Wayne (Metro Area)$51,110$38K – $75K5600.01%
NYPoughkeepsie – Newburgh – Middletown$51,850$36K – $71K800.03%
NYRochester$53,400$32K – $76K1600.03%
NYSyracuse$31,160$23K – $55K2200.07%
OHAkron$45,460$27K – $68K900.03%
OHCanton – Massillon$35,900$22K – $78K600.03%
OHCincinnati – Middletown$54,480$31K – $74K3500.04%
OHCleveland – Elyria – Mentor$55,860$33K – $76K5100.05%
OHColumbus$50,280$39K – $76K2200.02%
OHDayton$40,360$26K – $62K700.02%
OHToledo$45,380$31K – $63K1100.04%
OHYoungstown – Warren – Boardman$46,490$36K – $64KN/AN/A
OKOklahoma City$37,610$25K – $70K900.02%
OKTulsa$31,180$23K – $41K1200.03%

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