TSTC program hosts GE HealthCare

(WACO, Texas) – Staff from GE HealthCare’s Houston location visited Texas State Technical College’s Biomedical Equipment Technology program, which includes the Medical Imaging Systems Technology Specialization program, on Tuesday, April 16, to talk to students about the company’s work and to conduct interviews.

GE HealthCare is a worldwide medical technology and pharmaceutical diagnostics company.

TSTC alumni Joshua Fernandez and Robert Hartman, company area service leaders for imaging, and Trey Hart, an area service leader for biomedical, are graduates of the Biomedical Equipment Technology program at the Waco campus.

Students attending the lunchtime talk learned about the company’s one-year apprenticeship program and the need for biomedical and imaging equipment technicians in the Houston area. Fernandez said that need is driven by the area’s growing population and the construction of new medical facilities.

“This day and age, with how things are changing with technology and the customers, we are looking for a more specific person to fill those roles,” Fernandez said.

He said some of the qualities that the company seeks in potential employees include motivation, communication skills, and the ability to self-plan workdays and tasks.

Alexander Villegas, of Hanson, California, is a Biomedical Equipment Technology and Medical Imaging Systems Technology Specialization student scheduled to graduate with Associate of Applied Science degrees in both programs in May. He recently finished an internship at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple, where he gained hands-on experience on infusion pumps, scope sterilizers, and other equipment.

Villegas said he has had job interviews, but is looking for more connections to see what he can do with his TSTC training.

“Many people take for granted community colleges and technical schools for the bigger college experience of universities,” he said. “I think it really goes under the radar in how important (technical) programs like this are.”

Robert Burns, of University Park, also is pursuing associate degrees in Biomedical Equipment Technology and Medical Imaging Systems Technology Specialization. He will do an internship during the summer semester at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple.

Burns said he attended the GE HealthCare visit to learn about the company and see what opportunities are available.

Burns was originally in the HVAC Technology program at the Waco campus before moving into his programs of study.

“I think it should be more known that you can do these programs for a fraction of the cost of going to a state university, and get a job and make good money,” he said.

Registration continues for the summer and fall semesters at TSTC.

For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.