Hospital maintenance engineers are responsible for maintaining the extensive heating, air-conditioning, refrigeration, and ventilation systems in hospitals. The equipment they operate includes boilers, air-conditioning equipment, diesel engines, turbines, pumps, condensers, generators, and compressors. They start up, regulate, shut down, or repair this equipment. They manually operate equipment, make adjustments, and regularly check safety devices. It is their responsibility to ensure that all of these systems are operating not just correctly, but also efficiently and safely. Routine maintenance is part of the job, such as replacing filters, lubricating moving parts, and checking air quality of the ventilation systems. Some other duties could include minor welding, minor plumbing and electrical repairs, and minor carpentry repairs to walls, roofs, windows, or ceilings. In this job you could wind up working independently or as part of a crew. You will also need to be able to work off hours or on shifts that can include holidays, nights, or weekends. Because a hospital never closes, there must always be maintenance workers on staff just as there are health care providers.
