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HarrisonHart
Mrs.ChristineKopp
EnglishIIIHonors
26February,2015
BiomedicalEngineering:ACareerForTheFuture
Anamputeewholosthislefthandafteratraumaticinjurystrugglestotiehisshoes,doing
sowithonehandjustlikesomanytimesbefore,butforthelasttime,andwithasmileonhis
face.Todaythisnamelessamputeevisitsthehospital,whereabiomedicalengineerawaitshim,
readytoattachhisnewprosthetichand,afullyfunctioninghand,designedspecificallytoreplace
hismissingappendage.Biomedicalengineersimpactthelivesofthedisabled,diseased,and
sufferingbycuringorhelpingpatientscopewiththeirconditions.Withtherapidadvancement
oftechnologyandknowledge,themedicalsectorracesforwardatnearlythesameratethat
technologymoldswithmedicinetocreateentirelynewsubfieldsbranchingfromthemboth.
Biomedicalengineeringshowssignificantgrowthinrecentyears,andpromisescontinuationof
thistrend,establishingitselfasoneoftheprevalentcareerpathstoenterinthemodernage.A
careerinbiomedicalengineeringprovidesauniqueopportunity,allowinganindividualtopursue
severalpassionsorskillsbecauseofthevariousfieldsandspecializationsavailablewithinthe
widerspectrumofbiomedicalengineering.
Biomedicalengineersworkinacomplicatedfield,onewithmanysubcategoriesunder
thebroadumbrellaofbiomedicalengineering.Biomedicalengineerscombinemultipleskills
andfocusestoproduceafinalproductthatimprovestherecipientsqualityoflife..The
productionofoneprosthetic,artificialorgan,orotherdeviceutilizesskillsinmathematics,


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anatomy,biology,andmechanicalengineering(Harris).Biomedicalengineersbridgethegap
betweenmechanicalengineeringandthehumanbodybyapplyingtheirengineeringskillstoa
knowledgeofanatomy.Whiletheyrarelyreceivecreditfortheirdeeds,biomedicalengineers
holdavitalpositioninsavingthelivesofamajorityofhospitalpatients,helpingthedisabled
advancepasttheirobstaclesandallowingsometoovercomedebilitatingdiseases(Sullivan64).
Biomedicalengineersfilltheroleofthestagecrewinaplay,withoutthem,theplayfails,
however,onlythecastreceivestheapplause.
Whileconsideredarelativelyyoungcareer,aspectsofbiomedicalengineeringfirst
appearedwiththeverybeginningofmedicalpractices,althoughinanunderstandablyprimitive
fashion.Whenthefieldsofmathematicsandphysicscombinedwithmedicineandanatomyin
the17thcentury,scientistsunknowinglydevelopedanewfieldofscience,whichlaterevolved
intobiomedicalengineering(ACareerAsABiomedicalEngineer5).Duetoitscombinationof
severalskillsandtechnology,thefieldincreasedwitheveryadvanceinanyofitsinterwoven
sciencesortechnologies.Biomedicalengineeringhasexistedformanyyears,butitonly
recentlyreceivedrecognitionasaviablecareerchoice,andsincethenithasgrown
exponentially.Currently,7millionpeopleworkinthemedicalandengineeringfields,andmany
considerthisrelativelynewbiomedicalfieldasoneofthetopengineeringcareersofmodern
society(BiomedicalEngineeringasaTopEngineeringCareer).Whileonlyapproximately
300yearsold,biomedicalengineeringinitsmodernapplicationanddefinitionhasdeveloped
intooneoftheleadingcareerchoicesforyoungpeopleinterestedinthemedicalandengineering
fields.


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Duetothebroadnatureofthemedicalfield,biomedicalengineeringpresentsitselfin
numerousplacesandvariousways.Forexample,biomedicalengineerswhoworkinhospitals
supervisetheuseofmachinery,performmaintenance,andtraindoctorsandnurseshowtouse
thenewdevicesproducedbymedicaltechnologycompanies,anotherplaceofemploymentfor
biomedicalengineers(ACareerAsABiomedicalEngineer8).Companiesemploying
biomedicalengineersmostoftenusethemaspartofaresearchanddevelopmentteam,
dependingonthesizeofthecompany.Smallerfirms,suchasthosethatmakeupthemajorityof
medicaltechnologycompaniesintheUnitedKingdom,springupquicklyandfocusoninventing
orinnovatingonespecificproduct(Harris).Theconstantdemandfornewadvancesdetermines
thefocusofthesmallercompanies,whichusuallyconsistofoneresearchteam.However,the
erratictransformationsoftheproductmarketmakesitimpossibletopredicttheprofitfroma
singleinnovationorinvention.TheUnitedKingdomsmedicaltechnologysectorconsistsof
mostlysmallandmediumsizedbusinessesbecausethisfieldconstantlychangesandevolves,
andwitheachproductthefirmtakestheriskofnotearningalargeprofit,makingitdifficultfor
largecorporationstogainafoothold(Harris).Theunpredictablenatureofsuccessinthemedical
technologyfieldexplainstheabsenceofmanylargecorporationsfocusedsolelyonresearchand
development,insteadtheybroadentheirhorizonstoincorporateotherfacetssuchas
manufacturing,orinthecaseofhospitals,treatment.
Biomedicalengineersinterestedinresearchanddevelopmentworkateitheraresearch
laboranindustrialbiomedicalengineeringfirm.Inaresearchlab,biomedicalengineers
supervisetheuseandmaintenanceoflaboratoriesandtheequipment,aswellascollaboratewith
otherresearchersonnewproductsandideas(ACareerasaBiomedicalEngineer8).Even


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thoughtheselabsworkonnewproducts,theyonlyproduceasmallfractionoftheitems
manufacturedbybiomedicalengineersandmoreoftenworkonpreparinganideaforindustrial
applications.Inotherwords,theyprovideaconceptforacompanythatthenperfectsand
manufacturestheidea,andbiomedicalengineersemployedbythecompanyperformthis
processeverystepfromconcepttoproductinvolvesanengineer.Biomedicalengineers
workingforcompaniesthatmanufacturetheproduct,thesecondstepoftheprocess,applytheir
skillstoresearch,development,design,manufacturing,andsales(ACareerAsABiomedical
Engineer8).Biomedicalengineerswithbroaderbackgrounds,oftenwithexperienceinbusiness
ormarketing,usuallyfindthemselvesworkinginthisfactionofthemedicaltechnologysector.
Thislineofworkalsoallowsbiomedicalengineerstoinvolvethemselvesincharity,muchlike
thecompanySIGNFractureCareInternational,whichprovideslowcostorthopedicimplantsto
injuredindividualsinthirdworldcountries(Vangelova).Thistypeofcharityoftenreceiveslittle
tonoattention,consistentwithmuchoftheworkbiomedicalengineersdo,butitprovidesyet
anotherwayforbiomedicalengineerstoimprovethelivesofpatients.
Biomedicalengineersinresearchlabsdevelopadifferentskillsetthanothersbecause
theytakeextraprecautionsandusecomplicatedtechniquestoconducttheirresearch.For
example,abiomedicalengineerresearchingpathogensmayworkinabiosafetycabinetforhours
onend,takingcaretonotcontaminateanyofthematerialandconsequentlycompromisethe
experiment(OReilly).Duetothepreciseconditionsanddelicatenatureofmanyofthese
experiments,biomedicalengineersusemanyofthesameskillsassurgeonsinanoperatingroom.
Biomedicalengineersneedsteadyhands,patience,andtheabilitytostayfocusedoverlong
periodsoftimewhileworkingtosolveaproblemorfinishanexperiment(OReilly).Labskills


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donotdiffergreatlyfromsurgeryskills,however,biomedicalengineersdiffergreatlyfrom
surgeons,asonerunstheriskofinjuringapatientifasomethinggoeswronginsteadoflosinga
trial.
Inahospital,biomedicalengineersperformajobonestepbeyondthatofthosewhowork
inthedevelopmentandmanufacturingfield.Biomedicalengineersemployedbyhospitals
supervisethechoice,use,andmaintenanceofthemedicalequipment,ratherthanthedesignand
productionthedevices(ACareerAsABiomedicalEngineer8).Hospitalsemploybiomedical
engineersbecauseoftheirextensiveknowledgeofmedicaltechnology,whichallowsthemto
ensurethatthepatientreceivesthebestcareavailabletothem.Hospitalsincorporatebiomedical
engineeringintodevelopingareasofhealthcareinordertoadvancethemfurther,suchasthe
traumacenterattheAlbanyMedicalCollege(AMC)whenbiomedicalengineerJonathanNewell
workedthere(Newell).TheAlbanyMedicalcollegehiredNewellinordertomergetechnology
andhealthcareintoacooperativesysteminthelate1960s.TheyoungtraumaprogramatAMC
consistedofoneroomwiththenstateoftheartmonitoringequipmentandcomputers.The
biomedicalengineeringaspectenteredwhenNewellandhiscoworkersdecidedwhichdevices
andmachinestouseoncertaincases(Newell).Whilebiomedicalengineersworkinhospitals,
theyperformdifferentdutiesand,therefore,thoseemployedbyhospitalsneedadifferentskillset
thanthoseworkingintheindustrialorresearchfields.
Thespecificskillsetacquiredbyabiomedicalengineerdependsonhisorhereducation,
aneducationthatvariesfromuniversitytouniversity,andfromdepartmenttodepartment,even
thoughtheendresult,acareerinbiomedicalengineering,remainsthesame.Mostuniversities
requireahighlevelofmathandsciencecoursesbeforeacceptanceintotheirengineering


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programtheyliketoseeawellroundedcourseloadwithclassesinphysics,humanities,and
socialstudies(ACareerAsABiomedicalEngineer4).Awiderangeofcoursesbenefitsthe
individualinmanywaysotherthanobtainingacceptanceintoanengineeringprogram.The
broadbackgroundalsohelpsonetoobtainavariedskillset,providingthemwithoptionsfortheir
favoredsubfieldofbiomedicalengineering.However,positionsinbiomedicalengineering
companiesoftenfillquickly,usuallyfilledbysomeonewhoworkedatthecompanyasanintern
whileattendingcollege.Becauseofthis,internshipsincollegeholdincrediblevalue
(Vangelova).Internshipswithbiomedicalengineeringcompaniesorhospitals,dependingon
wherethehopefulbiomedicalengineerpreferstowork,provideconnectionsinthefieldaswell
asirreplaceableexperiencewithinthedailyworkingsoftheprofession.
Theinternshipsavailabledependonwherethefuturebiomedicalengineerchoosesto
attendcollege,andwhetherornotheorshedecidestopursueamastersordoctoratedegree
beyondafouryearbachelors.Manyprestigiousuniversitiesofferbiomedicalengineeringatthe
bachelorsofsciencelevelbutnotallofferadvanceddegreesinthesamefiel.,but.Tocounter
thislackofcollegeswithgraduateprogramsinbiomedicalengineering,advanceddegreesin
chemicalengineering,physics,biology,mechanicalengineering,andmedicineallleadto
possiblecareersinbiomedicalengineering(Sullivan).Duetotheconglomeratenatureofthe
field,whichmoldsseveraldisciplinesintoone,anindividualqualifiedinanyoneofthese
disciplinesmayfindhisorherselfwithacareerinbiomedicalengineering.Adegreein
mechanicalengineeringwithaminorinanatomyforexample,combinestwoofthefacetsof
biomedicalengineeringwithouttheneedtoattendauniversitywithabiomedicalengineering
program.JonathanNewell,fromAMC,alsotookaratherunconventionalpathtohiscareerin


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biomedicalengineering.Aftergraduatingwithadegreeinelectricalengineering,hejoinedthe
traumaunitataresearchhospitalandusedhisknowledgeofelectricalengineeringtointegrate
technologyintomedicine(Newell).Allofthedifferentpathsavailabletoobtainacareerinthis
fieldcontributetoitsrecentgrowthandpromiseacontinuedbroadeningofthisfieldinthe
future.
Eventhoughbiomedicalengineersworkwithpracticallyeverypartofthehumanbody,
manytendtospecializeinonespecificareaortechnicalapplication.Thebrain,acomplicated
systemthatcontrolseverythinghappeninginthehumanbody,receivesalotofattentionfrom
thesespecializedbiomedicalengineeringteams.Forexample,ateamofbiomedicalengineers
facedwiththeproblemofcontrollingepilepsyhavedevelopedadevicethatcontrolsseizures
throughelectricalstimulationofcertainpartsofthebrain(Sullivan64).Advanceslikethese
transformthelivesoftherecipients,byreplacingarigidregimeofmedicationsanddangerof
anotherseizureatanytimewithonesurgery.Thissameteamthenappliedtheircombined
knowledgeofthebrainandengineeringskillstocreateyetanotherlifealteringdeviceforthose
sufferingfromepilepsythisdevicedoesnotcontrolit,butratherwarnstheepilepticofan
upcomingseizure,allowingthemtoprepare,thusreducingtheamountofseizurerelatedinjuries,
caraccidents,andotherincidents(64).Biomedicalengineersfindwaystoallowapatientto
conquerhisorherdisease,condition,ordisability,whetheritstartsinthebrainororiginates
somewhereelse.
Duetobiomedicalengineeringsheavyreliancetechnologicaladvances,thefieldgrows
inresponsetoinnovations,directlyimpactingtheamountoftoolsavailableforbiomedical
engineerstoutilizeintheirresearch.Biomedicalengineersquicklyincorporated3Dprinting,a


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relativelyrecentdevelopment,intotheirworkandopenedmanypreviouslylockeddoorsintothe
worldofartificialorgans..With3Dprinting,biomedicalengineerssimplyprintoutastructure
ofanorganfromlivingcells,andthenusestemcellstofillinthescaffoldinglikestructureofthe
organ(Leckart46).Thisnewtechnology,whichowesitsconceptiontobiomedicalengineering,
allowstheengineerstoprintvirtuallyanyorganoutoflivingtissue,whichsolvestheproblemof
needingorgandonorsandreplacingartificialorgans.Althoughthistechnologyoffersmanynew
andexcitingpossibilities,ithasnotdevelopedpastanexperimentalstagebecauseresearchers
havenotyetreachedthatpointinstead,scientistshavetheabilitytoprintoutoflivingtissueand
believethatprintingfullorgansliesinthenearfuture(47).Severalpossibilitiesexistforfuture
applicationsofthistechnology,andallpresenttheirowninterestingaspectsandchallengesto
biomedicalengineersbothnowandinthefuture.
Whilelessvitaltosurvival,butstillveryimportant,limbsoftenrequireamputationdueto
injuryordisease,andforthesecases,biomedicalengineershelptominimizethelosssufferedby
thesepatients.Thishelpcomesinmanyforms,dependingonwhichlimbneedsreplacementand
thecomplexityoftheprostheticthepatientchoosestouse.Someofthemorecomplexartificial
limbs,suchasTouchEngineeringsprosthetichand,shockpatientswiththeirincrediblyrealistic
qualities,comingasclosetoarealhandasmoderntechnologyallows(Harris).Prostheticsthis
realisticworkbyintegratingtheprostheticintothepatientsperipheralnervoussystem,sothat
thebraincontrolstheprostheticmuchlikeitcontrolsahandmadeoffleshandblood.Some
artificiallimbsandjointsworkwithoutbrainconnections,likeBlatchfordsartificialanklejoint,
arecentdevelopmentforthiscompanythatworksinthesamewayaregularanklejointbehaves


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byutilizingnewtechnologyandmaterials(Harris).Innovationsliketheseeasethelivesofthose
sufferingfromdisabilities,allthankstotheworkofbiomedicalengineers.
Somecompanies,suchasSIGNFractureCareInternational,decidetotakeadifferent
approachtodealingwithcommoninjuries,likebrokenbones.SIGNspecializesinimplantsto
healbrokenbones,ratherthanthecastscommonlyusedinmostfirstworldcountries.SIGNuses
implantsbecausemostoftheirworktakesplaceinthirdworldcountries,placeswherecasts
inconveniencethepatienttothepointofimpracticality,especiallytohealbonesinthelegs.To
solvethisproblem,SIGNusesrodsimplantedintothepatientslegthatholdsthebrokenpieces
ofbonetogethersothatitreformsinthecorrectshape(Vangelova).Whilenotanewconcept,
SIGNtakesaninnovativeapproachtothecommondevice,makingtheirproductspracticaland
availableinpoor,sufferingcountries.SIGNscrowningachievement,theirpediatrictibianail,
differsfrommanyotherproductsofthesamenaturebecauseitstretchesandbends,makingit
safetouseonchildrenwithouttheneedtoremoveitoncetheboneheals(Vangelova).SIGN
revolutionizesimplantsbymakingthemlowcost,yethighlyfunctionalandavailabletowide
rangesofpeoplearoundtheworld,spreadingtheimpactofbiomedicalengineering.
Althoughmanybiomedicalengineersworkonfixingorcuringdisabilities,diseases,and
conditions,somefocusonmonitoringpatients.Biomedicalengineersworktodesignand
manufactureequipmentsuchasdrugdeliverysystems,imagingmachines,andotherdevicesthat
helpwithpatientcareinhospitals.Commonlyseeninhospitals,magneticresonanceimaging
(MRI)systemsowetheirexistencetobiomedicalengineers(ACareerAsABiomedicalEngineer
9).MRIsprovidedetailedimagesofpatientsorgans,providingmoreinformationordatato
helpthedoctorsdiagnoseandcuretheirconditions,allbecauseoftheworkofthestagecrew,the


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biomedicalengineers.Asfordrugdeliverysystems,biomedicalengineersmanipulatedvirus
cellstodeliverspecificgenesdirectlyintothepatientsDNA,eithercuringadiseaseorfixinga
geneticmutation(Sullivan).Biomedicalengineersinresearchlabsworktosolvecomplicated
problemsinunconventionalways,usuallybecausetheproblemordiseaseresistedthe
conventionalmethods.
Oncehiredasabiomedicalengineer,anindividualusuallylookstoadvancefurtherup
theladder,toachieveamoreprestigiousposition,improvedpay,andmoreflexiblehours.Ifone
obtainsahigherdegree,whetheraMastersorPh.D/MD,heorsheoftenstartsatabetterposition
withinthecompany,avoidingmuchoftheearlierinternlikeyears(OReilly).However,some
neverearnanadvanceddegree,andforthemtheonlypathleftforimprovingtheirpositioninthe
companydependsonhowlongtheyremainemployedbythatcompany.Advancementcomes
withtenure,regardlessofwhereonestartsinthecompanyorwhatkindofcareeranindividual
pursues.Biomedicalengineersshortenthetimeittakesforthemtoadvancebygivingtheir
employerswhattheyaskfor,nomatterwhattheengineersexpectedwhentheyjoinedthe
company.Awillingnesstocompletethetasksassignedtotheminatimelymannerimpresses
thesupervisors,whothenpromoteanddemotebasedontheirobservations(OReilly).Inthe
businesssenseofit,biomedicalengineeringsharesmostaspectswithamajorityofothercareers,
theonlydifferenceslayininwhichthebiomedicalengineersconducttheirwork.
Althoughmoneyoftendrivesapersontostriveforadvancement,biomedicalengineers
earnrelativelyhighsalariescomparedtomanyothercareers.Averagingover$95,000peryear,
biomedicalengineersinresearchanddevelopmentearnthehighestsalaries,withsomein
upwardsof$120,000,whilethoseemployedbyhospitalsmakeanaverageof$60,000peryear,


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thelowestaverageforbiomedicalengineers(ACareerAsABiomedicalEngineer25).This
leavesmoreflexiblehoursasthemostinfluentialdrivingfactorforadvancement.Some
biomedicalengineersrecordabout4050hoursperweek,with40sittingrightaroundanaverage
workweekforanycareer,but50hoursinoneweekstrainsanindividual(OReilly).Whilethe
hourssometimesmakethejobdifficultonanindividual,thepayandnumerousbenefitsthat
usuallyaccompanythejobmorethancompensateforthelosttime.
Adiversecareerfullofopportunities,biomedicalengineeringhasemergedasatopcareer
forthosewhosoughtacareerthatcombinedengineeringandseveralothersciences.Biomedical
engineeringrapidlygrewandquicklyadvanced,indicatingabrightfutureandenormousupside
forthoseintendingtoenter.Forallthosewhosufferfromdisabilities,diseases,orother
conditionsthatstilllackacure,thepresentandfuturecropofbiomedicalengineersoffersanend
totheirsuffering.