May 15, 2026 - Defence Stories

Estimated read time - 2:01

Nobody knows what we do-until we don't do it.

For Biomedical Electronics Technologists (BE Techs), this phrase captures a familiar reality across the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Working largely behind the scenes in base clinics, aboard ships, and field hospitals across Canada, BE Techs ensure that medical and dental equipment is safe, calibrated, and operational. Their impact is often invisible, but when equipment fails or isn't available, the consequences are immediate.

What does a BE Tech do?

BE Techs maintain, troubleshoot, repair, and calibrate a vast range of medical technologies, from ventilators and defibrillators to imaging systems and deployable medical suites, both domestically and on operations. Their work ensures that recruiting centres, clinics, and deployable medical units remain fully operational and ready to support CAF members.

A CAF milestone

May 17-23 marks National Biomedical and Clinical Engineering Week in North America. This year, BE Techs are marking the occasion by highlighting a milestone for the trade: the completion of the inaugural, centralized BE Tech On-The-Job Training (OJT) program at the Central Medical Equipment Depot (CMED) in Petawawa.

Starting in June 2025, the BE Tech OJT program was centralized under CMED to ensure standardized, consistent training for all incoming BE Techs. Six junior members were welcomed with the objective of completing their full 12-month OJT within the Biomedical Electronics Technologist section-the first time the program has been delivered entirely at one location.

Centralizing the OJT at CMED was a deliberate decision. As CMED receives, holds, and delivers medical equipment to all CAF locations, including deployed operations, it offers exposure unmatched elsewhere. With a shop that recently underwent significant facility upgrades to workspaces and equipment, BE Tech OJT program trainees benefited from hands-on access to an impressive volume and variety of equipment. They also gained firsthand experience with the procedures and systems that sustain the CAF medical supply and maintenance chain.

"The CAF OJT program exposes us to a wide range of medical devices," Cpl Gungadin says. "It pushes us beyond theory and into real responsibility, where our role isn't just to maintain devices, but to protect the lives depending on them."

Turning training into action

Currently, the junior BE Techs are in the final phase of the revised OJT program where each trainee will integrate their technical training with real-world responsibilities by leading a team on a "road trip" inspection of a regional medical facility. By coordinating maintenance activities, interacting directly with healthcare staff, and ensuring critical medical equipment remains safe, calibrated, and operational, the BE Tech OJT program graduates are ready to operate independently in support of CAF medical readiness.

Behind every functional medical device, and every successful medical mission, BE Techs ensure the CAF is ready when it matters most. We are very excited to soon have the first BE Tech OJT graduates join the team.