Basis for Advocacy
The basis for advocacy is the perception that the clinical engineer, defined by the ACCEand the certification process, adds value to the equipment safety and technology functions frequently performed by various personnel in the health care environment. The justification of this perception forms the basis for advocacy, both within the medical technology
community and to the public, using the experience of one average clinical engineer. The goal of improved patient care justifies efforts to preserve and to strengthen the profession. Whether the clinical engineering profession develops in influence and recognition depends, in part, on whether those in the profession are demonstrating and teaching other
professionals in health care and the general public about the critical role that clinical engineering plays in health care.
The work of clinical engineers is often best appreciated in the long term, because many of their responsibilities entail strategic planning, systems development, training in the application of health care technologies, technology assessment and evaluation, health care technology management, and product development. Perhaps it is easier to explain the
benefits of the work of biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs), whose main responsibility is to obtain immediate results in such areas as equipment repair and maintenance.