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The differences between equipment technicians and biomedical engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a biomedical engineer has an average salary of $79,436, which is higher than the $41,004 average annual salary of an equipment technician.
The top three skills for an equipment technician include preventative maintenance, patients and equipment maintenance. The most important skills for a biomedical engineer are patients, medical devices, and biomedical equipment.
| Equipment Technician | Biomedical Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $41,004 | $79,436 |
| Hourly rate | $19.71 | $38.19 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 127,258 | 33,662 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 46 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
An equipment technician is responsible for handling the operations of company equipment and machinery, inspecting for any malfunctions, and immediately repairing defective components to prevent delays in productivity. Equipment technicians create a report of system failures, referencing documentation to develop consistency with the equipment, and suggest corrective actions. They should also analyze schematics and blueprints for guides on how to maintain the equipment's reliability. An equipment technician must have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry, especially on enhancing equipment's performance and maximizing operational productivity.
As a biomedical engineer, it's their main job responsibility to innovate advances that can improve human health care in all aspects. They analyze and create solutions to certain problems with biology and medicine to improve the effectiveness and quality of patient care. They also do complex tasks that include installing, repairing, maintaining, or providing technical support for biomedical equipment. Moreover, checking safety evaluation, efficiency, and effectiveness of biomedical equipment is also part of their job responsibilities.
Equipment technicians and biomedical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Equipment Technician | Biomedical Engineer | |
| Average salary | $41,004 | $79,436 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $56,000 | Between $57,000 And $108,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Westinghouse Appliances Australia | Cornerstone Research |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Technology |
There are a few differences between an equipment technician and a biomedical engineer in terms of educational background:
| Equipment Technician | Biomedical Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Biomedical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between equipment technicians' and biomedical engineers' demographics:
| Equipment Technician | Biomedical Engineer | |
| Average age | 46 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 75.0% Female, 25.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 6.0% White, 69.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 20.1% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 13% |