In a lively Gator Tank event, change agents in healthcare technology management (HTM) pitched four bright ideas to titans in the community at the AAMI eXchange in San Antonio, Texas. Gator roars, please, for the winning team:

• Mike Kritzman, founder and CEO of SkillNet, a leading skills management and upskilling software program
• Monte Gonzales, president of the College of Biomedical Equipment Technology (CBET)

Their pitch opened with a scenario in which the two play-acted managers of biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs) trying in vain to track, manage, and deploy BMETs with the right skills for particular jobs. Their nemesis is the spreadsheet, the ubiquitous but inadequate management “system.”

“It’s time to retire the spreadsheet and switch to an automated, cloud-based system used to collect and report on BMET skill data,” they said in their pitch. Together with industry experts at CBET and SkillNet, they have configured “a world-class, comprehensive” BMET skills framework.  “We aspire to put a stake in the ground to create a standardized structure to the BMET role, levels, and career pathways”—and operationalize AAMI’s BMET levels and skills.

Their solution automates data collection, personalizes upskilling, recommends training resources for each BMET, and satisfies accreditation and compliance reporting. The new skills engine provides leaders with the ability to assess, track, and develop employees “like never before.” Leaders can access industry-focused, customized training content for personalized learning plans and recommended training. The skill framework is robust but it is also configurable so that each client can remove or add capabilities needed to support their organizations.