In fact, “more” often means additional work and complexity for the clinical engineers managing the medical equipment that is generating and collecting more robust information.
“It used to take clinical engineers as little as 20 minutes to check a device into the inventory based on a number of factors. But today, they have to identify additional factors that didn’t used to exist; such as, whether it’s a networked device, if it has a Mac address, etcetera—we’re gathering much more data for every piece of equipment coming into a facility,” says GE HealthCare Lead Services Specialist Sharon Steeley, a long-time leader of a large clinical engineering team. “Adding steps adds time, and it’s a big culture change to have to enter and manage all of that data.”
As these experts are increasingly moving from the purview of facilities management to a subset of IT, it’s time to change the mind-set around what sets them and their organizations up for success, including the training they receive.
Tackling the increasing complexity of equipment
It’s not just the number of devices that causes complexity–although that too has certainly expanded over the last few years—rather, the connectedness of equipment highlights the need for a shift to provide clinical engineers with specialized medical device training so organizational strategies are more proactive than reactive. A clinical engineering director from a regional health system voiced during a series of nationwide GE HealthCare interviews that connected medical devices are raising new challenges. “Just about any [biomedical device] we buy now can be connected to the network. If it has a Windows operating system and you put it on the network, then it has to be managed and maintained. You have to have a strategy around applying updates[1].”
There are other healthcare connectivity risks that are becoming more serious, and in many cases, the subject of headlines. The number of medical device cybersecurity attacks targeting software vulnerabilities is on the rise, broadening the responsibilities of many clinical engineers[2]. In addition to finding and updating devices, many are being asked to apply security patches. That’s a responsibility traditionally assigned to traditional IT roles.
It’s clear that investing in new technology must also include investing in training associated with implementing and managing it. Many of the clinical engineers interviewed by GE HealthCare Patient Care Solutions Services said it would be helpful for their organizations to invest in more detailed information on troubleshooting as opposed to high-level training, and more organization-specific training sessions. Thankfully, just as device management needs are evolving, so are educational opportunities for online interractive portals, virtual courses, and in-person training at either a customer-designated location or at an original equipment manufacturer’s training facility.
The right blend of training opportunities ensures clinical engineers are better positioned to properly maintain and troubleshoot devices. In many cases, however, additional specialized services agreements may be necessary. One senior clinical engineer at a large academic medical center, for example, said the volume of increasingly complicated devices at his organization has yielded a blend of in-house expertise and specialized service agreements.
“We just don't have the capacity to service every piece of equipment that's in the hospital,” he said. “The vendors basically come 24/7, and they have a much bigger window where they can work on the equipment. We would have to hire so much staff[3].”
Addressing staffing shortages
For many reasons besides financial, additional devices and increasing complexity doesn’t necessarily equate to more staff. One 2022 job satisfaction and compensation survey found that more than a half of clinical engineers (55%) said their workload was excessive or heavy[4].
Increasingly, clinical engineers are tasked with more responsibilities at the same time other staffing reductions take place. One clinical engineer interviewed said his organization eliminated another team that rounded rooms and performed routine device maintenance. “That's now something that falls under my responsibilities,” he said. “It’s a challenge to go from having somebody rounding the hospital 24/7 to someone like me who comes in once a day, rounds those rooms to see if there's something there, and pulls the devices that need maintenance or repair[5].”
The job satisfaction survey also found 40% of clinical engineers are approaching retirement age (55 or older). At the same time, a steep reduction in the number of clinical engineering training programs is occurring, which is raising concerns about a potential shortage of clinical engineers. “People aren't learning about the field, we're not creating a pipeline,” said Danielle McGeary, Vice President of Healthcare Technology Management, at AAMI[6].
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that the job outlook for clinical engineers from 2022 through 2032 is growing “much faster than average” at 13% and includes about 7,300 openings annually due to both retirements and the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations.
So what’s the solution? One is building interest in the clinical engineering field, by increasing awareness of these “unsung heroes” and the role they play in patient care[7]. Another is investing in additional training opportunities to enhance clinical engineer job satisfaction and thus, retention.
Creative hiring, critical training
To address staffing shortages, some hospitals and health systems are hiring individuals outside the clinical engineering field, but with relevant experience that could help them transition to the new role. “A lot of the time we hire entry-level people that don't have the schooling, the background” for clinical engineering specifically, said a senior technician for a regional health system. “We say, ‘Well, you have some comparable things that you've done in your past that would help you do this job,’ and then we will train you on the job[8].”
What’s needed, and what’s next
With the volume of tasks compounding and the impending “silver tsunami” (what Steeley calls the number of retirements), clinical engineering teams have to rebalance the scales when it comes to on-the-job training.
Today’s learning opportunities need to be varied to accommodate verbal versus visual learners. Some clinical engineers prefer in-person, and others prefer online instruction, Steeley said. Additionally, many healthcare organizations will benefit most from on-site clinical engineering expertise provided by a partner, while others only need on-call support. Some healthcare organizations employ remote support models with off-site engineers to help with medical device patch management, medical device cybersecurity, technical support, and more. All of those scenarios underscore the need for partners that offer customized, flexible services plans and training opportunities[9].
We at GE HealthCare understand the myriad challenges health system leaders and clinical engineers are facing when it comes to digital transformation. Like technology, training strategies need to change to support those who ensure equipment is ready and able to support optimal patient care. GE HealthCare’s comprehensive suite of services is here to help clinical engineering teams with training methods that help them meet today's new and evolving challenges head-on, providing them with additional confidence and job satisfaction, while ensuring your organization faces fewer device management vulnerabilities.
Learn more about GE HealthCare Patient Care Solutions Services.
Sources
- Double-blinded research interviews conducted independently by Sage Growth Partners in March and April 2024
- “2024 Outlook: The Cybersecurity Trends Health System Leaders Need to Know,” Fierce Healthcare https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/2024-outlook-cybersecurity-trends-health-system-leaders-need-know
- Double-blinded research interviews conducted independently by Sage Growth Partners in March and April 2024
- “HTM Salary Survey 2022,” 24x7 Magazine https://24x7mag.com/professional-development/department-management/salaries/htm-salary-survey-2022
- Double-blinded research interviews conducted independently by Sage Growth Partners in March and April 2024
- “Shortage of biomed techs could lead to a crisis in patient safety,” UpNorthLive/ABC https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/shortage-of-biomed-techs-could-lead-to-a-crisis-in-patient-safety
- “Healthcare’s Unsung Heroes: Why it’s Time to Recognize Hospital Clinical Engineers,” GE HealthCare, https://clinicalview.gehealthcare.com/blog/healthcares-unsung-heroes-why-its-time-recognize-hospital-clinical-engineers
- Double-blinded research interviews conducted independently by Sage Growth Partners in March and April 2024
- Service Agreements, GE HealthCare: https://www.gehealthcare.com/services/service-agreements
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