CLEVELAND — Jared Rohde knows a lot about hospital equipment.
Jared Rohde is about to graduate from @TriCedu’s biomedical engineering technology program. Rohde and his fellow students will earn a certification and a 2 year degree as part of the dual pathway program. This program has a 100% job placement rate. @SpectrumNews1OH pic.twitter.com/kAOqL8Mywl
— Micaela Marshall (@MMarshallTV) May 12, 2022
“After discovering this, it kind of opened my eyes to different area of electronics,” he said.
The 21-year-old is about to graduate from Cuyahoga Community College’s Biomedical Engineering Technology program.
“I just wanted to get to work, and this seemed like the quickest and most fun way of doing it,” Rohde said.
It’s a hands-on learning approach. The class learns all of the ins and outs of about 75 different pieces of medical equipment and how to repair them throughout two semesters.
“Running safety tests, troubleshooting, and if there’s a problem with any of them, trying to figure out what the problem is and fixing it,” Rohde explained.
The two-year program provides students like Rohde a biomedical technician certification and an Associate’s Degree that gives graduates an edge when joining the workforce.
Just ask Associate Professor Dan Pack about its job placement success rate.
“100%,” said Pack. “If a student wants a job, they’ll have a job.”
He’s been teaching the course for 15 years and worked in the industry himself for 25 years.
Students like Rohde are part of what’s called a dual pathway program. Tri-C has nine areas that offer the certification and two-year degree combo. And within those areas are more than 200 programs in various fields.
In some of those courses, high school students have the option to enroll and earn both high school and college credit.
Rohde’s interest in problem solving and healthcare is in his blood.
“My mom is a nurse at the Cleveland Clinic. So, that medical field is in the family and I love being hands on with electronics,” he said. “So, it was perfect.”
He sees his role in the hospital setting as a roundabout way to help patients.
“A lot of responsibly, but it’s definitely a cool field to be in and an important one for the hospitals,” Rohde said.
He’s excited about his summer internship at the Cleveland Clinic and his plan is to work there full-time after that.
“Ready to get started,” he said.
