Hospital Maintenance Engineer Career Plan

A career in hospital maintenance engineering will take some post-secondary training; how much education is required varies greatly and depends in part on your own aspirations. Higher education will often help you move up the ranks.

1. Do your first career exploration activities early if you can. Look for job exploration fairs and job shadowing opportunities. There are a lot of vocational classes available at the high school level, and you’ll have a better sense of what to enroll in if you know where your aptitudes lay.

2. Also take solid academic courses – it’s not all about math. While there are opportunities in many levels of hospital maintenance engineering, some are reserved for those with degrees. Having good written and oral communication skills will enhance your career. The Certified Maintenance Professional credential, offered through the International Maintenance Institute, has a section on professional writing. (Composition skills are not necessarily required for lower level positions, but they can be an asset.)

3. Enroll in a training program in maintenance engineering. Your municipality may have an apprenticeship program. Otherwise you’ll want to seek out a program at a college, university, or trade school.

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   There are multiple tracks in hospital maintenance engineering. You can become a stationary engineer and take responsibility for the heating and cooling systems of a building. You can also become an industrial or electrical engineer. There are options available from the certificate level to the bachelor’s and beyond. Higher level programs may be termed industrial management; these might include a couple of years of industrial engineering and a couple years of management.

4. Consider becoming a member of the International Maintenance Institute or other professional organization.

5. Complete licensing and certification requirements.

6. You have various resources to help you find a job. Online job search tools are useful, but don’t overlook the importance of networking through your professional organization or through the contacts you meet in training sessions. The International Maintenance Institute allows you to post a resume online.

Personality Traits: What traits do hospital maintenance engineers need besides mechanical aptitude? Employers ask for time management, efficiency, and initiative.