Employment
 According
to U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, bioengineers
hold about 14,000 jobs. This represents 0.9% of the 1.5 million
jobs held by engineers in the U.S. The medical equipment and supplies
manufacturing industry employed about 20 percent of all biomedical engineers.
Another 20% were employed in the scientific research and development
services industry.
Biomedical engineers are
employed in industry, in hospitals, in research facilities of
educational and medical institutions, in teaching, and in government
regulatory agencies. They often serve a coordinating or interfacing
function, using their background in both the engineering and medical
fields. In industry, they may create designs where an in-depth
understanding of living systems and of technology is essential.
 They
may be involved in performance testing of new or proposed products.
Government positions often involve product testing and safety, as well
as establishing safety standards for devices. In the hospital, the
biomedical engineer may provide advice on the selection and use of
medical equipment, as well as supervising its performance testing and
maintenance. They may also build customized devices for special health
care or research needs. In research institutions, biomedical engineers
supervise laboratories and equipment, and participate in or direct
research activities in collaboration with other researchers with such
backgrounds as medicine, physiology, and nursing.
 Some
biomedical engineers are technical advisors for marketing departments of
companies and some are in management positions. Some biomedical
engineers also have advanced training in other fields. For example, many
biomedical engineers also have an M.D. degree, thereby combining an
understanding of advanced technology with direct patient care or
clinical research.
Employers
The following is a partial
list of employers of bioengineers:
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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