Yes, Sean ... a lot of sloppy terminology often gets banded around. For instance, engineer versus Engineer!
The CEI used to use:-
1) Engineering Technician
2) Technician Engineer
3) Chartered Engineer
... and so forth. Are these terms still used?
Another consideration is that of "appointment"; if you are a technician and then taken on as "Chief Biomedical Engineer", do you still call yourself "technician" (which would be very confusing for those around you)?
In my experience, it was only in "foreign climes" that people made much of a fuss about insisting on the word Muhandis. I always preferred to remain understated myself, and was usually more interested in actual results (aka "getting the work done"). Needless to say, I have come across many Engineers who were (in my opinion) "educated idiots" - and/or sometimes dangerously over-confident (other terms may apply); happily, I was usually able to get rid of them.
"Happy to remain on the tools"? Yes; such good folk are proud to be known as Noble Technicians. The other tasks you mention are best left to clerks.
By the way, I thought that the VRCT had dropped the "V"?
