ARLINGTON, VA - Professionals who have been employed in the medical technology field for five years or less can now join the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) at a significant savings.

AAMI has created the "New Professional Membership Category," which is designed to provide new professionals in the field with affordable, timely, and important AAMI resources to help advance their careers.

Those who qualify for the new membership category receive full AAMI membership benefits for up to 85% off the regular membership dues.

This new form of AAMI membership is available to anyone who has worked in the medical technology field for 5 years or less, is not a student, and is not a current member of AAMI.

New professionals who are employed by an institutional member of AAMI, or who are a member of a biomedical society that is a member of AAMI, pay $35 in the first year and $55 in the second year-a significant discount off the $195 individual membership dues.

New professionals who are not employed by an institutional member or do not belong to an AAMI member society can join for $100 in the first year - a discount of nearly half the cost of a regular AAMI membership.

Roger Bowles, EdD, CBET, associate professor and interim department chair for biomedical equipment technology at Texas State Technical College, is encouraging his former students to take advantage of the AAMI program.

"Starting a new job, and perhaps a new phase in their life, I can see how the standard cost of an AAMI membership might be cost-prohibitive on an entry-level salary," he says. "Now, these new professionals will be able to take advantage of AAMI's benefits at a very reasonable rate."

Steve Yelton, chairman of the electrical engineering technologies department at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, agrees. "AAMI's 'New Professional' membership category will allow recent graduates an opportunity to become acquainted with, and take advantage of, all that an AAMI membership has to offer at a very affordable price," he says. "This membership category will provide a more diverse group of members for AAMI, and will enhance the recent graduate professionally by opening up all of AAMI's resources."

"New Professional" members receive the full AAMI member benefit package, including:

* A year-long subscription to AAMI's award-winning journal for biomeds and clinical engineers, BI&T.
* A subscription to AAMI's monthly newsletter, AAMI News.
* Free resume postings and access to job listings.
* Deep discounts on AAMI's standards, publications, Annual Conference registration, and other educational opportunities.
* Guidance on Joint Commission issues, troubleshooting techniques, best practices, money-saving tips, IT guidance, and innovative patient safety efforts.
* Access to the searchable and archived editions of AAMI's journal-an important research tool.
* Complimentary copies of AAMI's specialty publications, focused on IT topics, sterilization, nursing-biomed issues, etc.
* Access to online communities, networking opportunities, awards recognition, committee participation, and more.

To become a New Professional member of AAMI, simply download and submit this application form or join online at www.aami.org/advertising/membership/newprofessional.html.

For more information on the program, please contact Steve Campbell at scampbell(at)aami.org or Susan DeCourcey at sdecourcey(at)aami.org. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, AAMI is a unique alliance of nearly 6,000 members united by the common goal of increasing the understanding and beneficial use of medical instrumentation. AAMI represents a diverse cross section in the medical device community, including researchers, manufacturers, and users of medical technology.