- There's a shortage of medical equipment repairers, a critical role in medical care.
- This career doesn't require an advanced degree and has a high level of job security and fulfillment.
- This article is part of "Trends to Bet Your Career On," a series about trending professional opportunities.
Healthcare technology management, or HTM, is a growing field with promising career opportunities — but it's one that remains under the radar.
It ranked 22nd in the US News & World Report's list of the 100 best jobs of 2025. And according to a report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in medical equipment repair are expected to grow by 18% between 2023 and 2033 — a faster rate than average for all occupations.
Several factors are driving this growth. Medical equipment repairers or biomedical equipment technicians are an increasingly vital part of the healthcare ecosystem. They maintain, calibrate, and repair everything from vital-sign monitors to MRIs.
"You can't deliver healthcare without either a patient, a provider, or an instrument," Jinesh Patel, the founder and CEO of the medical equipment management company UptimeHealth, told Business Insider. "Without an X-ray, the radiologist isn't doing anything. Without a vitals monitor, the nurse can't tell you what's going on."
The industry is also aging out faster than new BMETs can be trained. A survey from the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation found that about a third of HTM professionals are over 55.
"A large portion of our experienced workforce is reaching retirement age, leaving a significant talent gap across the country," said Kristi McDermott, the chief operating officer of the clinical asset management company Trimedx. She added that too few people know about the viability, or even existence, of this profession.
"There's going to be a vacuum of knowledge very soon," said Patel, who added that he regularly struggles to find enough technicians for his hiring needs.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 7,300 openings for medical equipment repairers each year over the next decade; meanwhile, the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation reports that BMET programs only graduate about 400 students a year.
"This is a huge labor demand that isn't being met, and this is the time, in my opinion, for anyone to get involved," Patel told BI.
BMET careers are accessible, well-paid, and meaningful
While many other high-growth healthcare jobs require advanced degrees, medical equipment repair is a career you can start more quickly and affordably. Many technicians enter the field with just an associate degree, meaning they have relatively minimal college debt, and earn an average entry-level salary of about $65,000 a year. "That's a high ROI on day one," Richard Gonzales, the president of the College of Biomedical Equipment Technology, said.
Some jobs require even less prior education and training, as some employers offer paid apprenticeships or on-the-job training to meet skyrocketing demand. Gonzales said that his college is constantly working with top-tier healthcare organizations to help technicians land jobs faster.
"These organizations all want the same thing — to reduce the time it takes to establish minimum competency for an entry-level technician — and they're willing to put in the sweat equity to support that individual's career path," he explained.
Many BMETs are also inspired by the ability to have a real-world impact on people's lives. "You are actually helping create access to healthcare. Every time you get a machine back up and running, a patient can be seen on that machine again," Patel said.
"If you're interested in pursuing a career that has real meaning, just look at the patient connected to the device — you're making a difference," Gonzales said. He added that he sees a lot of veterans, like himself, pursue this as a second career for just that reason: "You served your country, now you can serve your community."
A future-proof trade for a modern healthcare system
Patel likened medical equipment repair to trade careers like plumbing and electrician work: The need for those jobs isn't going away anytime soon. "There's no world, at least that we can perceive, that equipment will not be used to help facilitate healthcare," he said. "It's almost a guaranteed profession."
Gonzales said the opportunities for career growth are broad for technicians who are excited to continue learning. "When you think about innovation, medical device integration, cybersecurity, network medical devices, advances in patient care, and AI," he said, "somebody is either designing and creating these devices, installing them, hooking them to patients, or maintaining and repairing them."
Patel added that the industry is ripe for new people to come in and help shape its future: "If people get excited about not just doing a job, but being the next wave of leaders and people who help take it to the next level, this is the place to do it."
