Medical Equipment Specialist

About NYC Health + Hospitals

NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter is a state-of-the-art facility with a 4-Star CMS Quality Rating, equipped with 164-bed Skilled Nursing Facility and 201-bed Long-Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH) based in Harlem. Carter excels at providing quality medical, sub-acute, rehabilitative, and long-term specialty services for individuals in need of medically-complex care like ventilator weaning and onsite-dialysis. Every employee takes a person-centered approach that exemplifies our ICARE values (Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence) through empathic communication and partnership.

From more than 600 Nursing Homes in New York, Carter ranks #4 in Newsweek’s Best Nursing Homes in New York2026; and also received a high-performance rating for Long-Term Care and Short-term Rehabilitation from U.S. News & World Report’s Best Nursing Homes in America 2026. In 2025, Carter was awarded the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Pathway to Excellence with Distinction Award, the nation’s first long-term facility to receive it.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Medical Equipment Specialist – Wheelchair Maintenance is assigned to the Wheelchair Maintenance Department under the Rehabilitation Services Department and reports directly to the Coordinating Manager, with administrative oversight by the Director of Rehabilitation Services. While organizationally housed within Rehabilitation Services, the department provides centralized, facility-wide handling, preventive maintenance, repair, and inventory oversight of manual and motorized wheelchairs across all patient care units.

This position replaces the former Medical Equipment Repair Technician role and reflects the expanded operational and technical scope of the Wheelchair Maintenance Department. The responsibilities now include structured preventive maintenance oversight, repair and diagnostics of complex powered wheelchair systems, centralized inventory tracking, sanitation and infection control compliance, parts standardization and management, workflow coordination, and volunteer oversight.

The role ensures safe, functional, and timely wheelchair availability for residents and patients across the facility while supporting regulatory readiness, operational efficiency, and quality patient care outcomes.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Preventive Maintenance – Manual & Motorized Wheelchairs - Performs scheduled preventive maintenance inspections for all manual and powered wheelchairs. - Conducts safety checks on brakes, casters, wheels, armrests, footrests, tilt/recline systems, batteries, wiring, motors, and control modules. - Establishes maintenance intervals and ensures documentation compliance. - Performs pre-dispensation safety checks prior to release to therapy or nursing units.
2. Wheelchair Repair & Troubleshooting - Diagnoses and repairs mechanical and electrical malfunctions. - Replaces and repairs tires, bearings, seating systems, batteries, motors, controllers, and structural components. - Reviews manufacturer manuals and service documentation to ensure proper repair methods. - Makes recommendations regarding repair vs. replacement.
3. Wheelchair Sanitation & Infection Control - Performs and oversees cleaning and sanitation of manual and powered wheelchairs. - Maintains cleaning logs and infection control documentation. - Ensures adherence to facility infection control policies.
4. Inventory & Parts Management - Assists in maintaining centralized wheelchair inventory control. - Tracks utilization and monitors wheelchair availability across units. - Maintains spare parts inventory specific to wheelchair components. - Prepares requisitions and monitors parts usage trends. - Assists with standardization of commonly used wheelchair components.
5. Equipment Transport & Turnaround - Coordinates and performs wheelchair transport to and from patient care units and rehab gym. - Performs wheelchair pick-up for discharge and return-to-stock. - Ensures timely turnaround to prevent equipment backlog on units.
6. Safety & Regulatory Compliance - Maintains preventive maintenance records to support CMS, DOH, and Joint Commission readiness. - Reviews malfunction reports and recommends corrective action. - Assists with updating departmental policies and procedures.
7. Volunteer Oversight & Workflow Coordination - Assigns daily tasks to volunteers assisting with cleaning and transport. - Ensures work is completed according to safety standards. - Reports operational concerns to the Coordinating Manager.
8. Consultation & Clinical Collaboration - Consults with Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists regarding wheelchair readiness and patient-specific needs. - Demonstrates strong interpersonal skills in coordinating across disciplines to ensure safe and timely equipment availability. - Supports evaluation of equipment prior to patient issuance. - Participates in departmental quality improvement efforts.
9. Documentation & Reporting - Maintains maintenance logs, repair records, and tracking reports. - Prepares work orders and operational summaries as needed.
10. Other Duties Performs other duties as assigned to support the operational needs of the Wheelchair Maintenance Department and Rehabilitation Services.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or its educational equivalent, preferably including one (1) year in electronic equipment repair, shop, general science, physics and completion of a course in electronic equipment repair and medical equipment repair in vocational, associate degree, trade or armed service school; and Five (5) years of satisfactory, full-time, paid experience as a Medical Equipment Repair Technician for installation, repair and preventive maintenance of medical equipment, three (3) years of which must have been in a responsible supervisory or administrative capacity; or Associate’s degree from an accredited college or university in Biomedical Technology, Biomedical Engineering Technology, Electronics Engineering Technology or related discipline; and Three (3) years of experience servicing a broad-range of clinical/patient care equipment, devices, and network medical systems in a hospital or health care facility; or Three (3) years of satisfactory, full-time, paid experience as a Medical Equipment Specialist or equivalent type of experience; or A satisfactory equivalent combination of education and experience.

Department Preferences

• Must possess technical skills and knowledge in safety during transport techniques. Must possess basic computer skills and strong communication skills. Must have strong organizational skills. Must have strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams including Nursing, Therapy, and Unit staff Bi-lingual, preferably in Spanish, is a plus but not required.

Benefits

NYC Health and Hospitals offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

• Comprehensive Health Benefits for employees hired to work 20+ hrs. per week Retirement Savings and Pension Plans Paid Holidays and Vacation in accordance with employees' Collectively bargained contracts Loan Forgiveness Programs for eligible employees College tuition discounts and professional development opportunities College Savings Program Union Benefits for eligible titles Multiple employee discounts programs Commuter Benefits Programs

How To Apply

If you wish to apply for this position, please apply online by clicking the "Apply for Job" button.