Educational levels of clinical engineers

The author presents information from a study of clinical engineering in medium-to-large community hospitals. Several factors were found to vary with the educational level of clinical engineering program directors in these hospitals. Clinical engineers with higher educational levels were more likely to be licensed professional engineers and certified clinical engineers, to be found in larger hospitals and in hospitals with greater sophistication of medical technology, to direct larger technical staffs, and to have fewer levels between themselves and the head of the hospital. Administrative perceptions regarding clinical engineers are examined