What do Clinical Engineers do?

As a clinical engineer, you would use physical and materials sciences, combined with manufacturing and computing skills, to help improve the diagnosis and treatment of disease, and also the rehabilitation of patients.  You could be involved in full lifecycle management of technology, as well as designing and developing instruments or in research. Clinical engineers design, develop, support and manage medical devices They also have an important role in research and development.

You might be based in a large hospital department that covers a range of medical physics and engineering work, giving support to all the clinical units.  Alternatively, you could be part of the scientific team in a rehabilitation unit, along with doctors, nurses and therapists.  Most clinical engineers are involved in training staff in their own department and may also hold a university lectureship.  

Keyhole and robotic surgery, as well as cutting-edge joint replacements and implants, are among the latest techniques in healthcare. 

More standard work involves management, development and repair of the equipment in hospitals.  Rehabilitation engineering is another area within medical engineering and involves assistive technology, wheelchair and other specialist services.

If you want to get a feel for what the work involves see our medical engineering careers film