1. Home: Explore careers
  2. Clinical engineer

Clinical engineer

Alternative titles for this job include Biomedical engineer, bio-engineer

Clinical engineers design, develop and maintain equipment for diagnosing illness and treating patients.

Average salary (a year)

£24,907 Starter

to

£44,503 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

38 to 40 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends on a rota

How to become a clinical engineer

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • go on a specialist training programme run by the NHS

University

You can do a degree to start training as a clinical engineer. Relevant subjects include:

  • electrical or electronic engineering
  • mechanical engineering
  • biomedical science/engineering
  • pure or applied physics
  • applied maths

Your degree should be accredited by the Engineering Council.

After your degree, you can apply for the postgraduate NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP). During the 3-year programme, you'll be employed and study a postgraduate master's degree at university.

Competition for places on the STP is high, so it helps if you have relevant experience. Try and do some voluntary work in a hospital and get experience of patient contact.

You could also find employment in the private sector and work your way up to chartered engineer status.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science
  • 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including maths and physics

More Information

Apprenticeship

You could get into this job through a healthcare science practitioner degree apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship

More Information

Other Routes

If you do not have a degree, you could apply for the NHS Practitioner Training Programme.

During the 3-year programme, you'll be employed and study a degree in healthcare science at university.

You'll need 5 GCSE grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) including English language, maths and a science subject and at least 2 A levels, including maths or a science to apply.

More Information

Registration

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a clinical engineer from Health Careers and Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • knowledge of engineering science and technology
  • maths knowledge
  • knowledge of computer operating systems, hardware and software
  • design skills and knowledge
  • knowledge of biology
  • knowledge of physics
  • the ability to read English
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

In your day-to-day duties you may:

  • test equipment, like walking aids, wheelchairs and speech synthesizers (known as assistive technologies)
  • develop artificial limbs that attach to the patient's own tissue
  • make artificial joints, heart valves and hearing implants from new materials
  • design equipment that allows doctors to try new medical techniques, like optical instruments for keyhole surgery
  • manage medical equipment, like scanners, imaging machines and monitoring systems
  • carry out quality assurance checks to ensure all equipment is working correctly and safely
  • work closely with other medical professionals and technical staff

Working environment

You could work in an NHS or private hospital, in a laboratory, at a research facility or in a workshop.

Career path and progression

With experience and further training, you could become a consultant, specialising in particular clinical areas, or move into management, teaching or medical research.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

Digital Healthcare Science BSC Degree Apprenticeship

  • Wage: £16,000.00 Annually
  • Location: Warrington
Find apprenticeships near you

Courses In England

HNC Engineering (Electrical)

  • Provider: MID-KENT COLLEGE
  • Start date: 13 September 2021
  • Location: Maidstone

Engineering (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) - BEng (Hons) (part-time)

  • Provider: BLACKPOOL AND THE FYLDE COLLEGE
  • Start date: 14 September 2021
  • Location: Blackpool
Find courses near you

Jobs In the United Kingdom

The Find a job service can help you with your search for jobs and send alerts when new jobs become available.

Search further careers

Related careers

Skills assessment

Take an assessment to learn more about your skills and the careers that might suit you.

Speak to an adviser

Call 0800 100 900 or use webchat

  • 8am - 8pm Monday - Friday
  • 10am - 5pm Saturday

Is this page useful?

Yes No

Thank you for your feedback.

Thank you for your feedback. Click here if you'd like to let us know how we can improve the service.