Career Profile: Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical engineering is the application of engineering principles and techniques to the medical field. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine. It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve healthcare diagnosis and treatment.
Biomedical engineering has only recently emerged as its own discipline, compared to many other engineering fields; such an evolution is common as a new field transitions from being an interdisciplinary specialization among already-established fields, to being considered a field in itself. Much of the work in biomedical engineering consists of research and development, spanning a broad array of subfields (see below). Prominent biomedical engineering applications include the development of biocompatible prostheses, various diagnostic and therapeutic medical devices ranging from clinical equipment to micro-implants, common imaging equipment such as MRIs and EEGs, biotechnologies such as regenerative tissue growth, and pharmaceutical drugs and biopharmaceuticals.
Specialty areas that biomedical engineering is influenced by and overlap with include:
- Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals
- Tissue engineering
- Genetic engineering
- Pharmaceutical engineering
- Medical devices
- Medical imaging
- Clinical engineering
As interest in BME is increasing, many engineering colleges now do have a Biomedical Engineering Department or Program, with offerings ranging from the undergraduate (B.S. or B.S.E.) to the doctoral levels. As noted, biomedical engineering has only recently been emerging as a field rather than a cross-disciplinary hybrid specialization of other disciplines; now, BME programs of study at all levels are becoming more widespread, including the Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering which actually includes a large amount of biological science content.
Biomedical Engineering Certificate Programs and Online Courses
Biomedical engineering certificate programs have been added here, and Online course adds are available here.
Salary
As pointed out here, and in the Career Currents feature report, the field of biomedical engineering is a growing field. According to the U.S. News & World Report, Median annual wages for biomedical engineers were $77,400 in 2008. The highest-paid 10 percent make more than $122,000, while the lowest-paid 10 percent make less than $48,000.
U.S. News and World Report points out that, "No single occupation is expected to have more job growth over the next decade or so. Employment of biomedical engineers is expected to grow by a whopping 72 percent‹adding nearly 12,000 jobs‹between 2008 and 2018. The anticipated growth results from the aging of the baby boom generation, and corresponding increase in need for medical procedures, along with the appetite for medical innovation and advancement."
Sources: Wikipedia, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. News and World Report, University program descriptions researched in Biomedical Engineering Certificate Programs, and Online Courses sections herein.
The newly updated Medical Device Industry Job Guide provides detailed information you can use in your job search. More important, the publication provides detailed information about job openings, contacts and application procedures.
