Biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs) and students just entering the field now have two new books available to them.

The publications are titled Introduction to Biomedical Engineering Technology by Laurence Street, and A Practicum for Biomedical Engineering & Technology Management Issues, edited by Les Atles, CCE, CBET.

“I had looked at the available texts for BMET programs and found that the most widely used ones were considerably out of date and, in fact, a principal author of one of the books had died since the last edition,” says Street, a veteran biomed in British Columbia, Canada.

While acknowledging that there are differences in the design of devices from one manufacturer to another, Street notes in his book that “the principles of operation, and more importantly the physiological and anatomical characteristics on which they operate, are universal.” Thus, the book focuses on “the commonalities of equipment” rather than the differences.

The book is aimed primarily at BMET students, but Street says that it “would also be useful for BMETs working in the field, and to other hospital staff such as purchasing agents and planners.”

Meanwhile, Atles notes that he was encouraged to develop his book after “receiving frequent requests for copies of the Affinity Reference Guide”—an out-of-print publication that he developed with a colleague in 1995.

“In considering what it would take to bring our earlier book up-to-date, I realized that a new biomedical book that went beyond the Affinity Reference Guide was needed. So this new book is designed to be a compilation that covers three areas—biomedical engineering, technology management issues, and reference information,” says Atles, who is director of technology management with an independent service organization and a veteran of 30-plus years in the field.

“The intention with this book is to provide the beginner or student with a solid foundation to build upon, and to give the seasoned professional the opportunity to revisit, or rethink, biomedical technology issues,” says Atles. “The goal is to bring value to both the classroom and to personal or professional libraries.”

Atles edited the book, which includes material from 30 recognized authors in the field. As for Introduction to Biomedical Engineering Technology, Street says he particularly “enjoyed the challenge of researching the details of the information and putting them into a format that’s interesting and informative.”

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Where Can You Find Them?

• Introduction to Biomedical Engineering Technology is available through the Taylor & Francis website (www.taylorandfrancis.com) or through a number of online bookstores such as Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Alibris, and WalMart.
• Practicum for Biomedical Engineering & Technology Management Issues can be purchased through the publisher at www.kendallhunt.com/atles or through Amazon.com.