Borrowed Strength: The Brotherhood Behind HTM

In this motivational episode, Bryant Hawkins Sr. reflects on the power of brotherhood in HTM, not as a gendered idea, but as unity, support, and accountability.

Through a personal story about helping a female HTM professional get centered during a difficult season, Bryant shares how encouragement can flow both ways.

This episode is a reminder that in HTM, we don’t move forward alone.

Sometimes you give strength.
Sometimes you borrow it.

Big thanks to our partners: College of Biomedical Equipment Technology, A.M. Bickford, Inc., UptimeServices, MARS Bio-Med Processes Inc., Innovative Radiology, Sage Services Group, Desco Services, and Cadment. Your support helps keep the HTM mission moving forward!

This podcast was produced by the B-Hawk Network.

Transcript

The Call Nobody Wants

SPEAKER_00 0:03

There's a moment every HTM professional knows. Not the moment when the repair is complete. Not the moment when the PM gets checked off. Not even the moment when the equipment powers back on. I'm talking about that moment. The moment when your phone rings at the worst possible time. The moment when the ICU is waiting. The moment when the imaging system goes down. The moment when the pressure gets heavy, the clock starts moving faster, and everybody is looking for somebody to step up. And in those rooms, Brotherhood matters. Because HTM was never built for the lone wolves. See, people think this industry is about fixing machines. But the truth is, this industry survives because people keep showing up for each other. I remember hearing a story about two people pushing through a brutal challenge together. Both exhausted, both hurting, both ready to quit. One looked over and saw the other still standing tall, still moving forward, still fighting through the pain. And they told themselves, if they can keep going, then so can I. What made it powerful was this. At the end, they both admitted they were only still moving because they balled strength from each other. That's HTM. Because there are days when your spirit gets low. Days when the work lord piles up. Days when you feel unseen. Days when the hospital depends on you, but nobody really understands what you carry. And then somebody steps into your space. Maybe they crack a joke. Maybe they help you troubleshoot a problem. Maybe they stay late with you without even being asked. Maybe they simply say, I got your back. And somehow you find another gear. That's Brotherhood. Brotherhood is a senior tech who refuses to let the new B-Med fail alone. Brotherhood is the field service engineer answering the phone after hours because somebody else is stuck. Brotherhood is sharing knowledge instead of guarding it. Brotherhood is realizing that another person's success does not threaten yours. In HTM, we don't rise by competing against one another. We rise because we carry one another. Let me say something important. When I talk about brotherhood in HTM, I'm not just talking about men. I'm talking about every person in this industry who carries the pressure, serves with purpose, and shows up when it matters most. That includes our female HTM professionals too. In fact, let me tell you something real. I was talking to one of our female HTM professionals, and she was going through some personal challenges. I didn't get into her business, I didn't need every detail. Because sometimes people don't need you to investigate their pain. Sometimes they just need you to help them find their center again. So I reminded her, you are the future of HTM. I told her, I know life gets heavy sometimes. I know it gets tough trying to carry personal challenges while still showing up professionally. But this industry needs your focus, it needs your brilliance, it needs your leadership, it needs your voice. While I was trying to help center her, I found myself getting centered too. Because the truth is, we all need that sometimes. We all have moments when life gets loud. We all have moments when the weight gets heavy. We all have moments when we need somebody to remind us who we are and why we matter. That's brotherhood. That's unity. Sometimes you're the one giving strength, sometimes you're the one borrowing it. But neither way, nobody moves forward alone. Because real brotherhood is not about gender, it's about unity, it's about trust, it's about standing shoulder to shoulder with people who share the same mission. In HTM, we need every voice, every perspective, every leader, every mentor. Why? Because hospitals don't care what you look like when lives are on the line. They care that somebody showed up prepared, somebody showed up skilled, somebody showed up committed. And the strongest HTM teams are the ones where people respect each other, sharpen each other, and grow together. That's how you build culture, that's how you build legacy, and that's how you build an industry strong enough for the next generation to believe in. Some of the greatest lessons in this industry are not found in manuals. They're found beside workbenches, in hallways, during late-night calls, during road trips to service accounts, during those moments when somebody older, wiser, and more experienced says, Come here, let me show you something. That's legacy. And let me tell you something else. The next generation is watching us. They're watching how we treat each other. They're watching whether this industry feels divided or united. They're watching whether HTM is just a career or a family. And if we want this industry to survive, then brotherhood can't just be a slogan we post online. It has to become culture. Because one technician alone can repair equipment. But a united HTM family can transform an industry. A United HTM family can mentor students. A United HTM family can create opportunities. A United HTM family can walk into schools, communities, and hospitals and show people what purpose really looks like. And here's the truth. Every strong department has this one thing in common. When one person gets tired, somebody else lifts the weight. That's what real brotherhood is. It's understanding that sometimes your strength becomes the reason somebody else refuses to quit. So let's build an industry where we stop tearing each other down. Let's build an industry where mentorship becomes normal. Let's build an industry where knowledge is shared freely. Let's build an industry where the next generation walks into our shops and immediately feels the unity. Because hospitals may depend on our skills, but this industry depends on our brotherhood. And when we stand together, when we encourage each other, when we sharpen each other, when we carry each other through the difficult moments, there is no limit to what HGM can become. We borrow strength from one another. That's not weakness. That's the power of brotherhood.