Global Clinical Engineering Day
the healthcare sector, in particular the NHS. There are well developed training and career pathways for anyone entering the profession, enabling them to become excellent clinical engineers of the future.
Q. What are some of the challenges around recruiting/retaining skilled clinical engineers and how can we overcome these hurdles?
A. Traditionally, many clinical engineers who have been working in this field have moved in from other engineering industries. A lot of these industries have reduced in size or no longer exist, so this flow of engineers from other professions has been diminishing for some time. There are apprenticeships available, but many NHS Trusts rely on existing staff budgets to fund their workforce. Without additional funding to train apprentice engineers before existing staff retire, this will remain a challenge.
Q. Why should people consider a career in clinical engineering?
A. Clinical engineering can be a very rewarding career. Not only is the day-to-day work varied, interesting, and at times challenging, but there are many opportunities for clinical engineers to volunteer with professional bodies such as IPEM to further enhance their input and sense of personal satisfaction. Clinical Engineers are able to make a direct impact on patient care, through the innovation, manufacture and maintenance of medical devices.
Q. What does IPEM do to support the profession? A. IPEM’s Clinical Engineering Special Interest Group gets involved in a wide range of aspects
Moving to statutory registration would emphasise that these are highly skilled professionals, who are relied upon to keep their patients, colleagues and the public safe.
of the field both clinically and in the research and innovation domains. The Group offers support for Clinical Engineers in the field with policies, position statements, training and putting their voices forward. It focuses, among other things, on assessing testing policies, ensuring standardisation across the NHS and checking and updating standards
and other relevant documentation. It is currently working on projects to promote the profile of Clinical Engineering. IPEM facilitates its members to register with the Engineering Council and the Register of Clinical Technologists, where applicable. More generally, IPEM supports its members, including Clinical Engineers in a variety of ways. It provides training, education and CPD and organises a wide range of events. It provides a range of prizes, awards and grants to support members and publishes journals, such as Medical Engineering & Physics, e-books and the popular quarterly Scope magazine. Moreover, IPEM represents and
promotes clinical engineering by producing comprehensive and up to date workforce intelligence, policy and position statements and brings members’ expertise to consultations and national working groups. It also lobbies policy makers on key issues and challenges facing the profession. For example, in its 2024 General Election manifesto for the next Government, IPEM has called for clinical engineers to be included in the senior management decision making processes of every NHS Trust, especially in the regulation of medical devices. It is also
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www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I October 2024
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