Kelly Meyer
Biomedical Equipment Technician, Avera Heart Hospital of South Dakota; Sioux Falls, SD
STI Class of 2004 & 2001
Degrees: Biomedical Equipment Technology, Electronics Technology
Major Medical Impact
Kelly Meyer maintains vital medical equipment for the Avera Heart Hospital of South Dakota.
When most people think of medical facilities; doctors, nurses and other healthcare technicians come to mind. However, for the general public life-saving medical equipment that makes many procedures possible is often taken for granted. For Kelly Meyer maintaining and repairing these million dollar machines is an everyday occurrence.
Kelly graduated from Southeast Tech with both an Electronics and Biomedical Equipment Technology degree. The Biomedical Equipment degree allowed Kelly to specialize in working on medical equipment. “I, along with a colleague, am responsible for servicing and maintaining all of the medical equipment in the hospital. Most equipment is on an annual or semi-annual preventative maintenance schedule, so every month there is a list of equipment that needs to be checked according to the manufacturer’s specifications.”
The importance of technicians like Kelly is becoming increasingly vital with the ongoing demand for healthcare procedures and the spiraling costs of new equipment. He notes, “Since the biomedical engineering department doesn’t generate revenue, we justify our jobs by saving as much money for the hospital as possible. We frequently enhance our skills on new equipment by attending the manufacturer’s equipment training, thus eliminating the need for expensive service contracts.”
Although ensuring that each medical device is working precisely for the staff at the Avera Heart Hospital of South Dakota, Kelly also works to maintain excellent relationships within the organization. “The hands-on experience that I was exposed to in the labs at Southeast Tech in addition to knowledgeable instructors was invaluable. However, the customer service and technical writing classes were also skills that have really helped me succeed in my career.”