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Hospitals & Health Systems
Mayo Clinic, HCA Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente
Medical Equipment Repairers
Medical equipment repairers keep the machines that doctors and nurses rely on working safely, from patient monitors to imaging and diagnostic devices. The job is a mix of hands-on repair, careful testing, and documentation, and the hard part is that a small failure can interrupt patient care immediately. It pays better than many other repair jobs, but the work stays mostly on-site and the gear gets more complex every year.
Also known as Biomedical Equipment TechnicianBiomedical Equipment Repair TechnicianClinical Equipment TechnicianBiomed TechnicianMedical Equipment Service Technician
Median Salary
$62,630
Mean $66,810
U.S. Workforce
~61K
7.3K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+12.9%
68K to 76.8K
Entry Education
Associate's degree
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Medical Equipment Repairers sits in the Healthcare category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~61K workers, with a median annual pay of $62,630 and roughly 7.3K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 68 K in 2024 to 76.8K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Associate's degree in biomedical equipment technology or electronics, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Entry-Level Electronics Technician and can progress toward Lead Clinical Engineering Technician. High-value skills usually include Repairing, Equipment Maintenance, and Troubleshooting, paired with soft skills such as Attention to detail, Clear communication, and Problem solving.
Core Responsibilities
- Keep detailed service records for repairs, inspections, parts changes, and software updates.
- Read manuals, wiring diagrams, and other technical documents to plan the repair before opening a device.
- Test, calibrate, and troubleshoot equipment with meters and diagnostic tools to find what is failing.
- Install new medical equipment and make sure the power, space, and manufacturer requirements are all correct.
Keep exploring: more Healthcare careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Keep detailed service records for repairs, inspections, parts changes, and software updates.
02 Read manuals, wiring diagrams, and other technical documents to plan the repair before opening a device.
03 Test, calibrate, and troubleshoot equipment with meters and diagnostic tools to find what is failing.
04 Install new medical equipment and make sure the power, space, and manufacturer requirements are all correct.
05 Show nurses and other staff how to use equipment correctly and handle basic preventive maintenance.
06 Check equipment against technical specifications and help decide whether it should be repaired, replaced, or bought new.
Industries That Hire
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Medical Device Manufacturers
GE HealthCare, Philips, Siemens Healthineers
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Healthcare Service Contractors
TRIMEDX, Agiliti, Crothall Healthcare
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Dialysis & Outpatient Care
DaVita, Fresenius Medical Care, U.S. Renal Care
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Government & Veterans' Health Systems
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, Indian Health Service
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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Pay is solid for a job that does not require a bachelor's degree, with a median wage of $62,630 and a mean wage of $66,810.
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The occupation is projected to grow 12.9% from 2024 to 2034, which is faster than average and supports about 7.3K annual openings.
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The work is hands-on and concrete: you fix real equipment instead of spending all day at a desk.
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There is more than one way in, including an associate's degree, a certificate, or a high school diploma plus training.
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The skills transfer well to other repair and field-service jobs, especially troubleshooting, calibration, and maintenance.
Challenges
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The job is almost entirely on-site, because broken medical devices usually need in-person testing and repair.
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You can be pulled into urgent repairs when equipment fails in a clinic or hospital, which can interrupt evenings, weekends, or planned work.
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The job can be physically awkward and detail-heavy, with lifting, crouching, tight spaces, and repetitive testing.
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Career growth can level off unless you move into lead technician, supervisor, or vendor-specialist roles, so the ceiling is real.
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Hospitals and service contractors can outsource or reorganize equipment service, and newer devices with remote diagnostics may reduce some routine troubleshooting over time.
Career Progression
Entry-Level Electronics Technician
0-2 years
$38K-$48K
Learns safety rules, basic diagnostics, parts replacement, and documentation while working under close supervision.
Junior Biomedical Equipment Technician
2-5 years
$48K-$58K
Handles routine inspections, simple repairs, and basic calibration work on common devices.
Medical Equipment Repairer THIS ROLE
5-9 years
$58K-$74K
Takes on complex troubleshooting, installs equipment, and works on devices that are already disrupting patient care.
Senior Biomedical Equipment Technician
9-15 years
$74K-$92K
Handles advanced diagnostics, mentors junior staff, and manages higher-risk or more specialized equipment.
Lead Clinical Engineering Technician
15+ years
$92K-$115K
Coordinates schedules, vendor support, compliance work, and the most critical repairs for a facility or region.
Education Paths
Associate's degree in biomedical equipment technology or electronics
The most common path, held by 39.32% of workers, and the BLS typical entry point for this occupation.
High school diploma plus moderate on-the-job training
A large alternative route, used by 34.72% of workers, especially when employers train new hires on specific device lines.
Post-secondary certificate in biomedical equipment repair
A smaller but realistic route, held by 13.28% of workers, for people who want a faster, more focused program.
Key Skills
Technical
Repairing 85%
Equipment Maintenance 80%
Troubleshooting 78%
Multimeters, Oscilloscopes & Test Instruments 76%
Operations Monitoring 70%
Quality Control Analysis 68%
Service Manuals, Schematics & Wiring Diagrams 66%
Medical Device Calibration & Diagnostic Software 64%
Soft Skills
Attention to detailClear communicationProblem solvingTime managementPatience under pressureCustomer service Job Outlook and Trends
+12.9%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
7.3K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 68K to 76.8 K over the next decade, representing 12.9% growth. Around 7.3 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Rare. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.