(MARSHALL, Texas) – Texas State Technical College took Felicia Pruitt on a journey she never could have imagined.
It began when she traded her patient care technician job to begin studying Biomedical Equipment Technology.
“I decided I couldn’t do patient care because I got too attached to the patients. I wanted to help them in another form or fashion,” Pruitt said.
Pruitt maintained a 4.0 grade point average every semester and became a Phi Theta Kappa member, while raising two children. She graduated from TSTC with an Associate of Applied Science degree in 2012 in Biomedical Equipment Technology.
“If I could do it all over again, I would have graduated high school and gone straight there,” Pruitt said.
Early in her career, Pruitt was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, leading to a career change. TSTC returned to her life when she learned the college was looking for an enrollment specialist.
For six years, Pruitt was an enrollment specialist for the Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology program. She said her goal was to make sure the students were always comfortable speaking with her.
“The bond that I had with students was amazing,” she said. “I tried my best to give them the experience I would want, and that I had when I first started at TSTC.”
Pruitt earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Business Management Technology in 2021 while working for the college. However, she could not forget how much she enjoyed working with biomedical equipment, and left to pursue it again.
Today, Pruitt is a biomedical equipment technician for U.S. Renal Care in Plano. She helps maintain equipment for two dialysis clinics in Plano and McKinney.
Leosan Heefner, a facility administrator and registered nurse for U.S. Renal Care, said Pruitt is dedicated to her job, offering her services no matter the day or circumstances.
“Her work ethic is one of the best I’ve ever worked with,” Heefner said. “She does not come to work just because of a paycheck. She comes to work because she really cares, and she gives her heart to it.”
Pruitt said she is grateful for TSTC and still wears the college’s T-shirts to promote the school.
“I’m advocating for TSTC all the time,” she said. “It gave me the step that I needed for confidence and a boost to go and get it for me and my children.”
According to onetonline.org, medical equipment repairers earn a median annual salary of $50,600 in Texas, and the number of these jobs was projected to grow 18% between 2020 and 2030.
Biomedical Equipment Technology is offered at TSTC’s Harlingen and Waco campuses. The program offers two Associate of Applied Science degrees, including one in Medical Imaging Systems Technology Specialization.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
