(WACO, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s Biomedical Equipment program is incorporating third-party artificial intelligence (AI) certifications into its Medical Equipment Networks class starting in the spring semester.
“It is something that we see coming from industry and we need to be ahead of the game,” said David Sanchez, an instructor in TSTC’s Biomedical Equipment program at the Harlingen campus. “It is adding some information for the students to adapt to the changes we are seeing in the near future.”
Leigh Ruiz, director of alignment for TSTC’s Biomedical Equipment program, said the addition of AI learning is part of an effort to modernize the curriculum. She said students will need to learn that AI can be used as a tool, not an answer to dilemmas.
“A computer can’t turn a wrench,” she said.
Chip Griffin, a Biomedical Equipment instructor at TSTC’s Waco campus, said AI is artificial, but not that intelligent.
“You have to know how to talk to it and prompt it to get the right response back,” he said. “You can look at it as a time-saver or if they can train it well enough, they may be able to catch things a radiologist may not see.”
Sanchez said program instructors will also take the online AI certification courses.
“Anything that we can learn and take advantage of before it starts getting full-fledged in the industry is great,” he said.
Sanchez said program graduates becoming familiar with AI should help with their job searches.
“We are getting a different crop of students that do not mind leaving the (Rio Grande) Valley,” Sanchez said. “We place a lot of students in the Houston, San Antonio and Austin areas. Waco places them more in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.”
Jaime Yanez, a senior biomedical equipment technician at Tenet Healthcare’s Valley Baptist Medical Center in Brownsville, is a member of the Biomedical Equipment program’s industry advisory committee. He said while it is important for graduates to be exposed to AI, new technology does not replace humans. Yanez said the da Vinci Surgical System uses AI, providing doctors and surgical technicians with real-time feedback during procedures.
“AI has greatly reduced the amount of research time, the accessibility to information on the web regarding preventive maintenance, user maintenance and parts are easily accessible,” he said.
TSTC offers the Biomedical Equipment program at the Harlingen and Waco campuses. Students can pursue associate degrees in Biomedical Equipment Technology or Biomedical Equipment Technology – Medical Imaging Systems Technology specialization.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.