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Day in the Life
By combining
biology and medicine with engineering, biomedical engineers develop devices
and procedures that solve medical and health-related problems. Many do
research, along with life scientists, chemists, and medical scientists, to
develop and evaluate systems and products for use in the fields of biology
and health, such as artificial organs, prostheses (artificial devices that
replace missing body parts), instrumentation, medical information systems,
and health management and care delivery systems.
Bioengineers engineers design devices used in various
medical procedures, such as the computers used to analyze blood or the
laser systems used in corrective eye surgery. They develop artificial
organs, imaging systems such as magnetic resonance, ultrasound, and x-ray,
and devices for automating insulin injections or controlling body functions. Most engineers in this specialty
require a sound background in one of the basic engineering specialties,
such as mechanical or electronics engineering, in addition to specialized
biomedical training. Some specialties within bioengineering or biomedical
engineering include biomaterials, biomechanics, medical imaging,
rehabilitation engineering, and orthopedic engineering.
Biomedical engineers usually work full time on a normal schedule. However, as with employees in almost any engineering occupation, biomedical engineers occasionally may have to work additional hours to meet the needs of patients, managers, colleagues, and clients. Some biomedical engineers work more than 40 hours per week.
 Teams and Coworkers
Almost all jobs in engineering require some sort of interaction with
coworkers. Biomedical engineers work in teams with scientists, healthcare workers, or other engineers. Where and how they work depends on the project. For example, a biomedical engineer who has developed a new device designed to help a person with a disability to walk again might have to spend hours in a hospital to determine whether the device works as planned. If the engineer finds a way to improve the device, he or she might have to return to the manufacturer to help alter the manufacturing process to improve the design.
Tasks
Examples of work done by biomedical engineers include:
- designing and constructing cardiac pacemakers,
defibrillators, artificial kidneys, blood oxygenators, hearts, blood
vessels, joints, arms, and legs.
- designing computer systems to monitor patients
during surgery or in intensive care, or to monitor healthy persons in
unusual environments, such as astronauts in space or underwater divers
at great depth.
- designing and building sensors to measure
blood chemistry, such as potassium, sodium, 02, CO2, and pH.
- designing instruments and devices for
therapeutic uses, such as a laser system for eye surgery or a device
for automated delivery of insulin.
- developing strategies for clinical decision
making based on expert systems and artificial intelligence, such as a
computer-based system for selecting seat cushions for paralyzed
patients or for, managing the care of patients with severe burns or
for diagnosing diseases.
- designing clinical laboratories and other
units within the hospital and health care delivery system that utilize
advanced technology. Examples would be a computerized analyzer for
blood samples, ambulances for use in rural areas, or a cardiac
catheterization laboratory.
- designing, building and investigating medical
imaging systems based on X-rays (computer assisted tomography),
isotopes (position emission tomography), magnetic fields (magnetic
resonance imaging), ultrasound, or newer modalities.
- constructing and implementing
mathematical/computer models of physiological systems.
- designing and constructing biomaterials and
determining the mechanical, transport, and biocompatibility properties
of implantable artificial materials.
- implementing new diagnostic procedures,
especially those requiring engineering analyses to determine
parameters that are not directly accessible to measurements, such as
in the lungs or heart.
- investigating the biomechanics of injury and wound
healing.
Biomedical engineers design instruments, devices, and software used in healthcare; develop new procedures using knowledge from many technical sources; or conduct research needed to solve clinical problems. They frequently work in research and development or quality assurance. Biomedical engineers design electrical circuits, software to run medical equipment, or computer simulations to test new drug therapies. In addition, they design and build artificial body parts, such as hip and knee joints. In some cases, they develop the materials needed to make the replacement body parts.
They also design rehabilitative exercise equipment. The work of these engineers spans many professional fields. For example, although their expertise is based in engineering and biology, they often design computer software to run complicated instruments, such as three-dimensional x-ray machines. Alternatively, many of these engineers use their knowledge of chemistry and biology to develop new drug therapies. Others draw heavily on math and statistics to build models to understand the signals transmitted by the brain or heart. Some may be involved in sales.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics and the Whitaker
Foundation.
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