Designing a Career inBiomedical Engineering

Is biomedical engineering right for you?

What kind of career do you imagine for yourself? Doctor? Lawyer?

Scientist? Engineer? Teacher? CEO? Manager? Salesperson?

A university degree in biomedical engineering will prepare you for

all of these professions and more. Biomedical engineers use their expertise

in biology, medicine, physics, mathematics, engineering science and

communication to make the world a healthier place. The challenges created

by the diversity and complexity of living systems require creative,

knowledgeable, and imaginative people working in teams of physicians,

scientists, engineers, and even business folk to monitor, restore and

enhance normal body function. The biomedical engineer is ideally

trained to work at the intersection of science, medicine and mathematics

to solve biological and medical problems.

What do biomedical engineers do?

Perhaps a simpler question toanswer is what don’t biomedicalengineers do?Biomedical engineerswork in industry, academicinstitutions, hospitals and governmentagencies. Biomedical engineersmay spend their days designing

electricalcircuitsandcomputersoftwareformedicalinstrumentation.Theseinstruments may rangefrom large imaging systems such asconventional x-ray, computerizedtomography (a sort of computerenhancedthree-dimensional x-ray)

and magnetic resonance imaging, tosmall implantable devices, such aspacemakers, cochlear implants anddrug infusion pumps. Biomedicalengineers may use chemistry, development of artificial body parts requires that biomedical engineers

use chemistry and physics to develop durable materials that are compatible

with a biological environment.

Biomedical engineers are also working to develop wireless technology

that will allow patients and doctors to communicate over long distances.

Many biomedical engineers are involved in rehabilitation–designing

better walkers, exercise equipment, robots and therapeutic devices to

improve human performance. They are also solving problems at the cellular

and molecular level, developing nanotechnology and micromachines

to repair damage inside the cell and alter gene function.

Biomedical engineers are also working to develop three-dimensional simulations

that apply physical laws to the movements of tissues and fluids.

The resulting models can be invaluable in understanding how tissueworks, and how a prosthetic replacement, for example, might work underthe same conditions.

Some biomedical

How do biomedical engineers differ from other engineers?

Biomedical engineers must integrate biology and medicine with engineering

to solve problems related to living systems. Thus, biomedical

engineers are required to have a solid foundation in a more traditional

engineering discipline, such as electrical, mechanical or chemical engineering.

Most undergraduate biomedical engineering programs require

students to take a core curriculum of traditional engineering courses.

However, biomedical engineers are expected to integrate their engineering

skills with their understanding of the complexity of biological systems

in order to improve medical practice. Thus, biomedical engineers

must be trained in the life sciences as well.

How much education does a biomedical engineer require?

A biomedical engineering degree typically requires a minimum of

four years of university education. Following this, the biomedical engineer

may assume an entry level engineering position in a medical device

or pharmaceutical company, a clinical engineering position in a hospital,

or even a sales position for a biomaterials or biotechnology company.

Many biomedical engineers will seek graduate level training in biomedical

engineering or a related engineering field. A Master’s or Doctoral

degree offers the biomedical engineer greater opportunities in research

and development, whether such work resides in an industrial, academic or

government setting. Some biomedical engineers choose to enhance their

education by pursuing a graduate degree in business, eventually to help

run a business or manage health care technology for a hospital.

Many biomedical engineers go on to medical school and dental

school following completion of their bachelor’s degree. A fraction of biomedical

engineers even choose to enter law school, planning to work with

patent law and intellectual property related to biomedical inventions.

What better training than biomedical engineering for our future physicians,

dentists and patent lawyers?

What types of universitycourses will prepare me tobecome a biomedicalengineer?

physiology, biochemistry, inorganic and organic chemistry, general

physics, electronic circuits and instrumentation design, statics and

dynamics, signals and systems, biomaterials, thermodynamics and transport

phenomenon, and engineering design. Students also take a number

of advanced science and engineering courses related to their specialty in

biomedical engineering. Typical specialties include bioelectronics, biomechanics,

biomaterials, physiologic systems, biological signal processing,

rehabilitation engineering, telemedicine, virtual reality, robotic aided

surgery, and clinical engineering. Newer specialties include cellular and

tissue engineering, neural engineering, biocomputing and bioinformatics.

Many engineering and science courses incorporate laboratory experience

to provide students with hands-on, real-world applications.

In addition to science and engineering courses, the biomedical engineering

student must take courses in English, technical writing, ethics,

and humanities (such as history, political science, philosophy, sociology,

anthropology, psychology, and literature). Some students continue studies

of a foreign language in hopes of securing internships or permanent

engineering positions in a foreign country.

What are some of the key areas of biomedical engineering?

Bioinformatics involves developing and using computer tools to collect

and analyze data related to medicine and biology. Work in bioinformatics

could involve using sophisticated techniques to manage and search

databases of gene sequences that contain many millions of entries.

BioMEMS Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are the integration

of mechanical elements, sensors, actuators, and electronics on a silicon

chip. BioMEMS are the development and application of MEMS in medicine

and biology. Examples of BioMEMS work include the development

of microrobots that may one day perform surgery inside the body, and the

manufacture of tiny devices that could be implanted inside the body to

deliver drugs on the body’s demand.

Biomaterials are substances that are engineered for use in devices or

implants that must interact with living tissue. Examples of advances in

this field include the development of coatings that fight infection common

in artificial joint implants, materials that can aid in controlled drug delivery,

and “scaffolds” that support tissue and organ reconstruction.

Radiology refers to the use of radioactive substances such as x-ray, magnetic

fields as in magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound to create

images of the body, its organs and structures. These images can be used

in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, as well as to guide doctors in

image-guided surgery.

Rehabilitation Engineering is the application of science and technology

to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. This can

include designing augmentative and alternative communication systems

for people who cannot communicate in traditional ways, making computers

more accessible for people with disabilities, developing new materials

and designs for wheelchairs, and making prosthetic legs for runners in the

Paralympics.

Robotics in Surgery includes the use of robotic and image processing

systems to interactively assist a medical team both in planning and executing

a surgery. These new techniques can minimize the side effects of

surgery by providing smaller incisions, less trauma, and more precision,

while also decreasing costs.

Telemedicine, sometimes called “telehealth” or “e-health,” involves the

transfer of electronic medical data from one location to another for the

evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of patients in remote locations. This

usually involves the use of “connected” medical devices, advanced

telecommunications technology, video-conferencing systems, and networked

computing. Telemedicine can also refer to the use of these technologies

in health-related distance learning.