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James O. Wear: Certification in the United States, Canada and Asia

CAHTMA is also certifying faculty for biomedical The content of the assessment exams by the TSBME
engineering technology programs which are developing for each of their certifications is as follows:
with the increased need for technologist to maintain the Clinical Engineer (core exam plus oral exam)
medical equipment. The government is looking at requir-
• Anatomy (24%)
ing these technologists to be certified for certain work.
In 2012, lecturers at one school were tested as assessors • Medical Instrumentation (16%)
and certified by CATHMA with Certification for Clinical • Clinical Engineering (16%)
Engineering Assessors. Lecturers who completed five
• Medical Imaging System (16%)
weeks of training and passed the exams were certified • Major Area: (Biomechanical or Biomaterial or Medical
by CATHMA with Certification for Clinical Engineering Electronics or Medical Information (28%)
Trainers.
Medical Equipment Technician (core exam)
CeRtifiCAtion in tAiwAn • Anatomy (20%)
• Electronics & Electrical Safety (40%)
Certification in clinical engineering in Taiwan is per-
• Medical Instrumentation (40%)
formed by the Taiwan Society for Biomedical Engineering
11
(TSBME). In 2000, TSBME established the Certification Biomedical Engineer (core exam)
Executive Committee for CE certification. During 2001, • Anatomy (20%)
they certified clinical engineers by application. In 2003,
• Medical Devices, Safety Regulation & GMP (10%)
they initiated a recertification program for CCE. The first
• Major/Minor (Biomechanics plus Biomaterial or
testing for certification of clinical engineering and tech-
Medical Electronics plus Medical Instrumentation)
nologists of medical equipment was in 2007.
Major 45% and Minor 25% (70%)
The TSBME provides certification for clinical engi-
neers, medical equipment technicians and biomedical
CeRtifiCAtion in JApAn
engineers. In 2010 they had certified 93 clinical engineers,
132 medical equipment technicians and 224 biomedical Clinical engineering in Japan is different from other
12,13
engineers. The clinical engineers and medical equipment parts of the world. It is the only country that the
technicians are for working in the hospitals and the bio- government certifies clinical engineering technologists
medical engineers are for working in the medical device (CETs). The CETs must graduate from a clinical engi-
industry. This is the only certification that has separate neering training school which can be a university, junior
certification for hospital and industry engineers. college or training school and pass a national exam to be
certified. The CETs are also called clinical engineers. The
To become certified an individual must be a member
CETs are paramedical staff and specialize in the medical
of TSBME. The requirements to take the certification
equipment essentials in medical care. About 35% work
exam are as follows:
in hemodialysis and about 20% in maintenance. Others
• Clinical Engineer: MS degree in biomedical or
work in respiratory, operating room, ICU, heart related,
related field plus at least one year of CE experience
hyperbaric and other areas.
plus working in a hospital for more than 10 years.
The clinical engineer system was established in 1987
• Medical Equipment Technician: BS degree in
by the Clinical Engineers Act. This act created the CET
biomedical or related field plus at least one year of
as a professional medical position responsible for the
CE experience plus working in a hospital for more
operation and maintenance of life-support systems under
than 4 years.
the direction of doctors. This act established a national
• Biomedical Engineer: BS degree in Engineering plus
qualification including passage of the 180-question exam
at least two years of BME experience plus working
in medicine, engineering and medical technology. In 2010
in BME field for more than 4 years.
there were about 28,000 certified CETs and about 18,000

J Global Clinical Engineering Special Issue 1: 15-22; 2018 20