Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between clinical engineers and mechanical 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 mechanical engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a clinical engineer has an average salary of $75,883, which is higher than the $75,352 average annual salary of a mechanical engineer.
The top three skills for a clinical engineer include patient care, medical devices and patients. The most important skills for a mechanical engineer are CAD, solidworks, and mechanical systems.
| Clinical Engineer | Mechanical Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $75,883 | $75,352 |
| Hourly rate | $36.48 | $36.23 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 80,770 | 105,618 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| 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.
Mechanical Engineers oversee the development of various mechanical devices in different industries. Most of the responsibilities will revolve around crafting, improving, or designing technologies by utilizing extensive expertise in the subject; they identify and detect errors, provide in-depth analysis, and resolve issues. They are often in designated offices, but they can also work on-site and travel if necessary. Furthermore, Mechanical Engineers usually function in a group or team setting, often supervised by personnel in higher positions.
Clinical engineers and mechanical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Engineer | Mechanical Engineer | |
| Average salary | $75,883 | $75,352 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $102,000 | Between $58,000 And $97,000 |
| 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 mechanical engineer in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Engineer | Mechanical Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Biomedical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between clinical engineers' and mechanical engineers' demographics:
| Clinical Engineer | Mechanical Engineer | |
| Average age | 38 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.3% Female, 22.7% | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% |
| 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, 16.6% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 5% |