Published: July 21, 2008 08:53 am         

A leap of faith 30 years ago

Sunday, July 20, 2008 — The vision of one man 30 years ago is still paying dividends in this county and region through a unique program at Stanly Community College.

In 1978, SCC Dean of Instruction Dr. J.C. Boone was looking for a unique curriculum that would offer good career opportunities for students while at the same time attracting the interest of students from not only the county but the region.

After extensive research, Dr. Boone determined that the then almost unheard curriculum of biomedical equipment technology (BMET) fit the bill for the new college, chartered in 1971 but just four years removed from its first graduation (1974).

Thirty years after Dr. Boone’s vision of creating a curriculum that tapped into the growing demand for skilled specialists who could repair, install and calibrate sophisticated medical equipment, SCC’s BMET program is still going strong.

In the late 70s, there was no formal training program for hospitals to find skilled specialists who knew electronics and the medical field. There was no such curriculum in the North Carolina Community College System. Not many folks ever heard of BMET, much less knew what it was or what BMET grads would do.

None of that stopped Dr. Boone who was looking for that one new curriculum that would make his college a leader in the field. Working with a Charlotte based health group, Dr. Boone researched the job field and determined there was a vast need for skilled specialists who could work in hospitals around the state as those hospitals added new sophisticated life-saving equipment. He attended a national meeting in Las Vegas looking for the program’s first director and visited a community college in Florida, one of the few with the program, to determine equipment needs and lab layouts.

In the meantime, working with others, he sought and gained state board approval for the new curriculum and in 1978, Stanly Technical Institute (STI) pioneered the first program in North Carolina devoted to training biomedical/electronic technicians. Included in that first group was Sonny Richards, who this fall becomes the fifth program head in the 30 year history of SCC’s BMET program.

By the second year of the new program, there were about 40 students enrolled, not only from all over the region but from around the globe. Twelve students from Thailand were enrolled early on in the program as their country needed the highly skilled professionals to work in hospitals.

A second group of international students, these from Burma, also went through the SCC program in the early years. Currently, we are trying to get another small group of international students enrolled, this time from the Phillipines.

Since its beginning 30 years ago, the BMET program has graduated more than 300 highly skilled professionals. They work in hospitals, medical centers and research facilities across the region, state and literally the globe.

Starting the program was a leap of faith for a new community college 30 years ago.

It was also quite expensive, Dr. Boone still admits. But with some political help to get special appropriations for equipment, the new program thrived. It is still expensive today, but not only is it supported through our state budget but equipment donations play an important part in keeping SCC’s labs state of the art. Ronnie Barrier, the second BMET program head, logged many miles with one of SCC’s trucks going around the state getting equipment donations.

Program enrollment is cyclical, according to Dean of Students Ronnie Hinson. This fall he predicted 12-15 students will enroll in the program. But, with only one other community college based BMET training program in the state (Caldwell CC in Lenoir), SCC graduates have good job prospects, if they are wiling to consider the region and state as their job market, according to Hinson.

Starting salaries are in the $30,000-$34,000 range but they can run higher in certain situations, Hinson indicated. He also explained that some graduates end up in medical equipment sales and can make even more.

Thirty years ago one man had a vision. Three decades later, his vision and work are still paying dividends for our county and region through better quality health care.

On a monthly basis, Stanly Community College President Dr. Michael Taylor writes a column about the college and its impact on Stanly County.