A survey of 71 healthcare organizations and more than 7,000 healthcare technology management (HTM) professionals has validated ongoing concerns while making some promising revelations. The first-of-its kind survey, conducted by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), also clearly outlines areas where the HTM field may improve.
With just over 30 simple questions, the survey focused primarily on determining the current demographics of healthcare organizations, who responded anonymously. Responding groups ranged from standalone hospitals, multihospital healthcare systems, to large independent service organizations, and local HTM service providers.
Among the surveyed U.S. organizations, 5,861 HTM professionals were identified as biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs) or clinical engineers, making up 70% of the responding organizations' staff. Those surveyed technicians represent more than one-tenth of all BMETs or "medical equipment repairers" employed in the U.S., according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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"We wanted to get a snapshot of the U.S. HTM community as a whole and define just how wide the field's diversity gaps are," explained AAMI's Vice President of HTM, Danielle McGeary. "By participating in this survey, the respondents are helping to identify where the HTM field will best benefit from improvement. This data is critical as AAMI works to strategically plan future projects and initiatives with the goal of further elevating and diversifying the field."
Pie graph displaying that 70% of the surveyed organization's staff are BMETs. 13% are clinical engineers.Distribution of HTM positions within 71 surveyed healthcare organizations.
"We also hope this data will be useful within organizations that employ HTM professionals as well, since up until now the field generally knew there were gender and racial gaps in the field, but we never had a quantifiable number to describe the magnitude of those gaps," she added, explaining how identifying industry averages will help organizations acknowledge their own accomplishments and areas for improvement.
Diversity, HTM's Untapped Resource
Perhaps most important was data pertaining to diversity within the HTM field. Among the 7,037 HTM professionals surveyed, 8.5% were black or African American, 7.7% were Hispanic/Latinix, and just over 10% identified as female. Among the respondents holding managerial positions, 14% identified as female.
