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The differences between clinical engineers and junior engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a clinical engineer, becoming a junior engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a clinical engineer has an average salary of $75,883, which is higher than the $70,653 average annual salary of a junior engineer.
The top three skills for a clinical engineer include patient care, medical devices and patients. The most important skills for a junior engineer are control systems, java, and C++.
| Clinical Engineer | Junior Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $75,883 | $70,653 |
| Hourly rate | $36.48 | $33.97 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 80,770 | 107,703 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 38 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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 Junior Engineer helps design, build, or maintain engines, machines, or public works. They work under the supervision of an engineer.
Clinical engineers and junior engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Engineer | Junior Engineer | |
| Average salary | $75,883 | $70,653 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $102,000 | Between $54,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Regeneron | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a clinical engineer and a junior engineer in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Engineer | Junior Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Biomedical Engineering | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between clinical engineers' and junior engineers' demographics:
| Clinical Engineer | Junior Engineer | |
| Average age | 38 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.3% Female, 22.7% | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 5% |