Is medical engineering marketable in Kenya?

Last updated on July 27th, 2023 at 03:32 pm

So, is medical engineering marketable in Kenya?

This is a question some of you have been emailing us so we thought that we need to answer it conclusively..

So below is our opinion about the marketability of medical engineering course in Kenya..

Is medical engineering marketable in Kenya?

Well, it is a bit marketable but it is nowhere near courses like nursing when it comes to the availability of jobs.

In other words, there are more marketable medical courses in Kenya than medical engineering so it is not one of our most recommended medicine-related courses here at kenyaeducationguide.com

That honor goes to nursing followed by courses like dentistry and radiography..

Question: Why am I arguing that medical engineering is not that marketable in Kenya?

Well, here is my main reason:

Only a few medical engineers are needed in a medical hospital- and medical engineering jobs in Kenya are only available in large facilities.

Put another way, if you’re doing the course in the hope of getting formal employment, you are restricted to big hospitals only- and most of them only hire very few medical engineers (remember the work of medical engineers is mainly maintaining and repairing medical machines / equipment).

Yeah, there are a couple of companies and organizations that employ biomedical technicians and you could be lucky to get work there but overall, graduates of this course do not have many opportunities.

So bear that in mind as you compare your options.

Here now is more information about the course just in case you have decided to do it:

What is medical engineering course?

As mentioned above, the course trains you to be a technician/engineer (‘fundi’) who specializes in maintaining and troubleshooting various bio-medical machines / clinical equipment/ diagnostic tools.

To be clear, you will be responsible for ensuring that all the machines/equipment used across a hospital are working at all times- and this includes providing technical support when need arises.

Here is a list of typical job responsibilities for medical engineers to help you understand the career better:

• Install, modify, maintain, repair/provide required technical support for bio-medical equipment including replacing components.
• Evaluate the efficiency, effectiveness, and safety of biomedical equipment (Performing electrical safety checks on the devices/ equipment).
• Train clinicians (and other personnel) how to use equipment properly.
• Help in developing and constructing basic electro-medical equipment.
• Maintain hospital asset register
• Technically interpret medical equipment specifications.
• Participate in the technical evaluation of any medical equipment projects.
• Helping in the implementation of any ongoing medical engineering programmes/projects.
• Assist in the procurement of medical equipment and devices.
• Safeguarding medical equipment
• Assist in obtaining essential spare parts and consumables for medical equipment in medical facilities under your jurisdiction
• Maintaining/taking inventory of medical equipment / plants
• Collating and compiling relevant information concerning medical engineering services for research or input health management information system

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Medical engineering course in Kenya requirements (KMTC medical engineering requirements)

We shall now look at the minimum medical engineering course requirements

Certificate in medical engineering in Kenya

KCSE Mean Grade: C-

Additional requirements:

English or Kiswahili – C –

Mathematics – D plain

Physics/Physical Sciences/ Chemistry – D plain

Biology/Biological Sciences, Electricity, Metal Work, Chemistry, Technical Drawing- D plain

Qualifications for diploma in medical engineering

KCSE Mean Grade: C

Additional requirements:

English or Kiswahili – C plain

Mathematics – C plain

Physics/Physical Sciences– C plain

Biology/Biological Sciences, Electricity, Metal Work, Chemistry, Technical Drawing- C- (minus)

Note that I prefer KMTC when it comes to colleges offering medical engineering in Kenya – certificates and diplomas issued by KMTC are quite popular among employers.

Qualifications for degree in medical engineering

KCSE Mean Grade: C+

Additional requirements:

Mathematics – C+

Physics/Physical Sciences– C+

Chemistry- C+

Biology /  Geography / Cre/Ire/Hre / Home Science / Art And Drawing / Agriculture / Woodwork / Metal Work /  Computer / French / German / Arab / Business Studies– C+

Universities offering medical engineering in Kenya

If you’d like to pursue a degree in medical engineering, here are the universities offering the course via KUCCPS platform at the time of writing this:

You can apply for admission into these two universities for the course through KUCCPS (Click on this link).

Career Prospects for holders of medical engineering course in Kenya

Below now are some of the jobs you can be hired for if you pursue a course in medical engineering in Kenya:

• Biomedical Technician / Medical Engineering Technologist
• Biomedical Engineer
• Biomedical Manager
• Technical Support
• Field Officer– Biomedical
• Sales Representative
• Maintenance Manager, Engineering

Essential skills required for a career in medical engineering

1. Communication skills.
2. Good organizational skills.
3. Excellent observation skills
4. Good analytical skills.
5. Ability to work in a team (be a team player).
6. You are comfortable working odd hours (and odd days).

Is medical engineering marketable in Kenya? (Recap)

Overall, while it has jobs here and there, the course is not as marketable as other medical courses like nursing because a significant number of medical facilities do not hire medical engineers (many small hospitals do not even have machines/equipment to maintain).

Now, if you’ll do the course, it is important to register with AMEK (Association of Medical Engineering of Kenya) once you complete the course as some employers only consider medical engineers who are members of AMEK when hiring.

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