Why do you need to be certified provincially as a technologist or technician before you are eligible for writing the BMET certification examination and then maintain your provinical designation after obtaining CBET?
Provincial certification bodies have the resources to assess the educational background of prospective candidates, especially education attained in countries other than Canada. Consequently, provincially certified candidates for BMET certification have a confirmed educational level. This allows the BMET Board to examine candidates purely on those knowledge elements deemed necessary for a candidate to be considered a competent biomedical engineering technologist or technician.
In addition, the term “Certified Engineering Technologist” or “Certified Engineering Technician” alone or in combination with any other words, are copyright under provincial law. Hence, unless you are provincially certified in good standing, you may not call yourself a “Certified Biomedical Engineering Technologist” or Certified Biomedical Engineering Technician”, therefore you must maintain your provinical certification in good standing to maintain your CBET certification.
What does the “(C)” signify in the “CBET(C)” designation?
The “(C)” differentiates the Canadian certification from that of the United States. The U.S. “CBET” stands for Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician”, whereas “CBET(C)” stands for Certified Biomedical Engineering Technologist or Technician.
After being accepted to write the certification examination, how long do I have to complete the examination process?
You are allowed two years from the date of acceptance by the Board of Examiners. You must attempt the examination and pass it within the two year period. If you are unsuccessful in one or more sections of the examination at your first sitting, the failed section(s) must be re-written in the form of supplementary examinations, within the same two years.
What are the sections of the examination that examinees find the most difficult?
Based on examination results and scores, examinees appear to find the basic electronics and the safety and standards sections the most difficult.
How long is the BMET certification examination?
Candidates are allowed up to eight (8) hours to write the full examination. The actual time taken by most candidates ranges from five hours through to the full eight hours.
Why do candidates require at least three years’ experience in a hospital setting and why is experience in industry not considered?
Once a candidate has attained formal technologist or technician qualifications (usually in an engineering discipline, including biomedical) s/he is considered competent on a theoretical level. True practical competence comes only with practice. Working in the hospital setting exposes the potential candidate to a wide variety of biomedical equipment types and manufacturers. It also provides an insight into the functional operation of the biomedical engineering department in the Canadian health care setting. Those who are employed by biomedical equipment manufacturers performing routine maintenance and repairs on equipment, do not get the same broad experience as those working in a hospital setting. Experience will likely be on just one brand and even just one type of medical device. This experience is not considered adequate for certification.