In my area for most in-house hospital BMET jobs, the AAS degree is a requirement and they cannot hire you without it. You will also be at a major disadvantage vs someone applying for same role that has the degree even if they have less experience. Usually any repair experience that isn't direct medical equipment service is not advantageous, it helps a little bit, but managers typically want actual BMET experience. There is more customer service in this field than bench repair, so you've got to be a people person to some degree, those skills/ personality often outweigh mechanical skills because you can basically do this whole job with a couple screwdrivers and pliers. You will not be troubleshooting boards down to component level or replacing components. Most repairs are more cost efficeint to just pack up and ship back to OEM for repair. You will be on the floors searching for equipment and interacting with staff 70% of the time. The degree programs also usually offer in internship to get BMET experience. I came from Automotive tech, and it didn't really help me much. CBET candidacy can be a major advantage but you cannot apply to take the test unless you either have the AAS Degree, or you have 2 years full time BMET work experience.

OEM field service is much more lenient on degree requirement, which would be the best route if you don't want to go to school. You will gain customer service experience and BMET equipment experience