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Engineering World Health received funding from the GE Foundation in summer 2010 to bring a continuing education program for biomedical equipment technicians (BMET) to Honduras. This EWH continuing education program and the one like it in Ghana will be unique among training program for developing world BMETs in that it will focus on training technicians who have already received some level of training. In the past two decades, there has been training for BMETs in Honduras offered by Billy Teninty at International Aid (IA) from 2001 to 2009, and by Project HOPE from 1988 to 1996. These two programs have resulted in over 100 technicians in Honduras with training in medical equipment repair, including 91 graduates of the IA program.

EWH training courses will begin in Tegucigalpa and begin on November 22, 2010 at Instituto Nacional de Formacion Profesional (INFOP) and run for four weeks until December 17. This first session of training will include classes on electronics, computer skills, professional development, and healthcare technology management (HTM). The course schedule runs in the afternoons, evenings, and weekends, to allow practicing technicians the opportunity to work in the mornings at their current jobs.

GE is making donations of sophisticated, state-of-the-art machines in Honduras, and technicians need updated knowledge to support the advanced technology being installed by GE and other equipment manufacturers. Based on interviews with BMETs on an assessment trip in summer 2010, EWH is looking into new training models for these programs that can incorporate remote, online learning and support for technicians and classroom hours that accommodate technicians who are already practicing at full-time jobs. There will be two training sessions per year, and each will last for one month and focus on a separate topic of advanced equipment maintenance and repair. Students can decide which training sessions to attend based on their interests and the needs of their hospital. This continuing education program can enable the technicians to provide enhanced services for their hospitals, employers, or clients within the country.

The goal of the program in Honduras is not only to provide continuing education to practicing BMETs, but also to promote the development of professional societies of biomedical technicians and engineers. The professional association can provide continuing education and other opportunities for its constituents and strive for the appropriate recognition of biomedical technology in Honduras.