Field Engineering opportunities in the Healthcare Sector
What are the field engineering opportunities available in the healthcare sector?
Field engineering in the healthcare sector is a unique blend of technical, mechanical, and customer-facing work, offering plenty of opportunities for hands-on professionals who like to work outside a traditional office setting. It has a strong appeal to those people who have a service mentality, want to help others and want to give back to society.
Field Service Engineers and Field Service Technicians as job titles differ globally and within different industries and companies. In this article, they are interchangeable.
What are the Field Engineering Opportunities in the Healthcare Sector
Field Engineering Roles in Healthcare
There are many different types of roles available to work in field service in the healthcare industry. In general, most field engineers and technicians who work in healthcare will have some training in one or more of:
Biomedical Engineering
Electrical/Electronic Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Computer Engineering or IT.
Pros and Cons of Field Engineering in Healthcare
Pros
• Travel and independence
• Direct impact on patient care and making a difference to society
• Exposure to cutting-edge technology
• Competitive salaries and benefits
As your career progresses there are opportunities to advance into leadership roles, such as Supervisor of Biomedical Engineering, Manager or Director of Healthcare Technology (HTM), or Field Service Manager, Installations Manager, etc.
Challenges
• On-call hours or emergency repairs
• Requires adaptability and strong interpersonal skills
• Keeping up with regulations and certifications
Working in Field Engineering in the Healthcare Sector
Field engineering roles in the healthcare sector will include the following areas.
Installation of Medical Equipment
Set up complex medical devices like MRI machines, CT scanners, ultrasound systems, X-ray machines, and lab diagnostic equipment.
Calibrate and test functionality after setup.
Preventive Maintenance
Regularly scheduled maintenance to ensure equipment runs reliably.
Performance checks, software updates, and replacing worn-out parts.
Troubleshooting and Repairs
Diagnosing problems remotely or on-site.
Replacing defective components or fixing software/firmware issues.
Training and Support
Training hospital or clinic staff on how to use the equipment safely and effectively.
Offering tech support or answering questions about usage.
Compliance and Documentation
Ensuring equipment meets regulatory standards (e.g., FDA, ISO).
Keeping logs of repairs, maintenance activities, and performance metrics.
Customer Relationship Management
Acting as a technical liaison between the company and healthcare providers.
Maintaining strong relationships to ensure long-term customer satisfaction.
Types of field engineering roles in the healthcare sector
Here are five different types of roles available in the healthcare sector.
1. Medical Equipment Field Service Engineers
Medical Equipment Field Service Engineers install, maintain, repair, and calibrate medical devices such as MRI machines, X-rays, CT scanners, ultrasound systems, infusion pumps, ventilators, etc.
Skills Needed
Electrical/mechanical knowledge,
Aptitude for diagnostic troubleshooting,
Familiarity with regulatory compliance (like FDA standards),
Customer support experience,
Excellent communication skills,
Able and happy to travel.
2. Biomedical Field Engineers
Biomedical Field Engineers work with hospitals to ensure biomedical equipment is working safely and efficiently. They may also train hospital staff on equipment usage.
Skills Needed
Biomedical engineering qualifications,
General electrical/mechanical knowledge,
Aptitude for diagnostic troubleshooting,
Familiarity with regulatory compliance (like FDA standards),
Ability to work under pressure in a busy environment,
Customer support experience,
Excellent communication skills.
3. IT/Networking Field Engineer (Healthcare Systems)
IT/Networking Field Engineers deploy and maintain healthcare IT systems, such as PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication Systems), EMRs (Electronic Medical Records), telemedicine hardware, etc.
Skills Needed
Networking experience,
Up to date knowledge of cybersecurity,
Experience of systems integration,
Healthcare data privacy knowledge (HIPAA in the U.S.A. and DPA in the U.K.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to explain technical issues to non-technical people.
4. Robotics and Surgical Systems Field Engineers
Robotics and Surgical Systems Field Engineers support high-tech surgical tools like robotic surgery systems (e.g., Intuitive’s da Vinci Surgical System), ensuring uptime and performance in critical settings.
Skills Needed
Advanced electronics, mechanics, and software engineering knowledge,
Interest in healthcare,
Able to work in OR (Operating Room) environments,
Excellent communication skills and the ability to explain technical issues to non-technical people.
Experience training other people.
5. Diagnostic Laboratory Equipment Engineers
Diagnostic Laboratory Equipment Engineers service lab analysers used in pathology labs for blood testing, histology, microbiology, etc.
Skills Needed
Knowledge of precision mechanics,
Fluidics knowledge,
Experience with lab environments,
Excellent communication skills
Ability to learn new equipment and technology.
Types of equipment in healthcare field engineering
Diagnostic imaging (MRI, CT, X-ray, Ultrasound)
Laboratory analysers (analysers)
Patient monitoring systems
Surgical and endoscopy tools
Dialysis machines
Radiation therapy equipment
Robotic surgery systems
The future
What does the future hold for field engineering opportunities in the healthcare sector? There are three main areas which are changing and will have impact on those who work in field engineering for healthcare: telehealth and home healthcare, AI in medical devices and wearables and remote monitoring.
Telehealth and Home Healthcare
There will be more need for remote device setup and monitoring.
AI in Medical Devices
Engineers will be needed to maintain and support AI-powered diagnostics and robots.
Wearables and Remote Monitoring
Engineers will help maintain and troubleshoot health-monitoring hardware for patients at home or in clinics.
Potential employers
If you are considering a career in field engineering in healthcare, here are some potential employers to start your search.
Abbott
BD
Beckman Coulter
Cerner
Cisco Healthcare
CMR Surgical
Epic Systems
GE Healthcare
Hospitals and hospital systems
Intuitive Surgical
Medtronic
OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers)
Philips
Roche Diagnostics
Siemens Healthineers
Stryker
Third party service companies and independent service providers
Varian, part of Siemens Helathineers
Zimmer Biomet
Conclusion
If you are interested in how things work and want to help people, then working in field engineering in healthcare could be an ideal role for you.
If at any point you decide that you prefer not to travel in a field engineering role. There are many opportunities to transfter your skills to medical engineering roles located permanently within hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Further Reading
Who repairs and services the medical equipment in a hospital?
How to work with recruiters to successfully find a new role
The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation