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The differences between clinical engineers and field engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a clinical engineer and a field engineer. Additionally, a clinical engineer has an average salary of $75,883, which is higher than the $71,874 average annual salary of a field engineer.
The top three skills for a clinical engineer include patient care, medical devices and patients. The most important skills for a field engineer are customer service, customer satisfaction, and project management.
| Clinical Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $75,883 | $71,874 |
| Hourly rate | $36.48 | $34.55 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 80,770 | 86,015 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 38 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A clinical engineer is responsible for designing and creating medical equipment and technology for medical procedures and examinations. Clinical engineers maintain and inspect the performance of machinery regularly to ensure the accuracy of results and prevent potential hazards. They also conduct quality control tests to locate system failures and perform immediate troubleshooting as necessary. A clinical engineer must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in identifying the most needed equipment for treating and diagnosing patients.
A field engineer's role will vary on the industry or line of work involved. However, the primary responsibility will mostly revolve around handling equipment and machinery, ensuring that they function effectively and safely. It is also the task of a field engineer to oversee the workflow and workforce, giving directions and recommendations when necessary. Furthermore, a field engineer must develop strategies and plans to improve the site's efficiency, produce progress reports, and coordinate with other workers.
Clinical engineers and field engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Average salary | $75,883 | $71,874 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $102,000 | Between $51,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Regeneron | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Energy |
There are a few differences between a clinical engineer and a field engineer in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Biomedical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between clinical engineers' and field engineers' demographics:
| Clinical Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Average age | 38 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.3% Female, 22.7% | Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 14.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 6% |