At the January 21, 2006 Annual Awards banquet and Installation of Officers, the California Medical Instrumentation Association named Mike Speer the CMIA Welch Allyn Professional of the Year. This award, supported by Welch Allyn earns Mike $1,000, an engraved plaque, and nomination for one of the AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) awards.
Mr. Speer is employed by Simi Valley Hospital, as the Lead Biomedical Technician, and resides in Granada Hills, California with his wife and two stepsons.
Mike started his hospital career at Holy Cross Hospital in 1979 as a Utility Mechanic. He transferred to the Biomedical Engineering Department in 1980 and immediately entered the Biomedical Technology Program at Los Angeles Valley College where he earned his AS degree.
During his career, he has been a Biomedical Technician, Interim Plant Manager on three occasions, Maintenance Supervisor, and Lead Biomedical Technician. He grew his department from a one-man shop, to having three Technicians, including a training program. He has attended dozens of training seminars. In 1992 Mike took the certification test and became a certified Biomedical Technician (CBET).
The department was outsourced for a time, and when it was brought back in-house, Mike assumed the Lead Technician duties. At this point, Mike added another Technician, took classes in X-Ray and Ultrasound. He brought the service of much of the Imaging equipment in-house. He received the Hospital’s Spirit Award for consistently using the hospital’s mission statement as a guide for the way he treated others and in the quality of his work.
Mike was part of the hospital’s HR Employee Evaluation Committee as well as the Safety Committee. He was responsible for saving the hospital thousands of dollars through contract management and equipment installations.
He left Holy Cross to become the Lead Technician at Simi Valley Adventist Hospital in September 2003. Mike is involved with planning the new patient tower, as well as being an active member of the Environment of Care and the Radiation Safety Committees.
Mr. Speer supports many charity groups, has been involved in beach and zoo clean-up days. He has worked with the Kiwanis to raise funds for children’s events. He is also a regular blood and platelet donor.
Since joining the CMIA in the late 1980s, he has served as the LA Chapter President three times, and has been on the State Board of Directors several times, acting as Board Secretary, and then Chairman of the Board in 2002. He has organized several very successful training seminars, assisted with planning the Annual Banquet for several years, and was on the committees that co-sponsored the AAMI conference in 2000, and 2003. Mike has also given back to his profession, in the form of working with the Los Angeles Valley Biomedical Technology’s internship program.
Mike is an avid water skier, owns his own boat, likes to snow ski, go off-road driving, and to work on his house. He has also skydived four times and tried bungee jumping once. Mike has done some work in the movies, including an appearance in the HBO miniseries “Deadwood.”
Mike is always willing to lend a hand, whether it is to repair something, help someone move, or just supply a ride to the airport.
The CMIA congratulates Mike for his dedication, and for earning the title of Professional of the Year!