Hospital technology management: the Tao of clinical engineering

Planning a profession's future is a formidable task that must be based on both what the members want to become and what is natural to the marketplace. The hospital industry, however, will not wait for clinical engineering to establish its profession. Competition will arise and push aside the unprepared. Clinical engineering's leadership has not created a clear vision of their profession's role in improving healthcare, nor have they helped others to internalize a sincere professional purpose and to share the responsibility for change. This paper examines the profession and articulates action that only clinical engineers can take to increase their value in the hospital industry.