• Providing advice on what kinds of medical equipment should be used in different situations
• Testing how well machines work and making sure that they keep working
• Designing and building new machines
• Programming new computer software for machines
• Working with people who have experience in different fields in research and clinical trials
• Collecting data in different ways regarding certain topics ( questionnaires and discussions)
• Writing papers and presenting findings to large groups of people
• Sharing new ideas and methods with colleges
• Working with patients to try and help find a solution that is suitable for them
• Talking to manufacturers about designs and costs of machines
• Refining old designs and finding improvements
• Working with large companies to market new devices
• Providing guidance to new technicians and clinical staff
Workplace and working hours
Most jobs are a mixture of office work, workshops and clinics. Standard working hours are 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday. Depending on the type and scale of some research you may have to also work extra hours at certain points in your project. It is sometime easier to test machines outside of the hours of its normal use.
Salary
Starting salaries are around £25,000 a year. Experience brings this to around £35,000. Professionals with lots of experience in high positions reach around £55,000 per year. Pay is higher in the private sector.
Qualifications and entry requirements
To become a biomedical engineer you will need one of the following degrees:
• Biomedical science/engineering
• Physics
• Electrical/electronic engineering
• Mechanical engineering
Many jobs would expect you to have at least a 2:1. If you want to work in the NHS then you will have to enrol onto the NHS Scientist Training Scheme (STP) after completing your degree. You will study for a Masters Degree in the area you have chosen to specialise in. It is a paid 3 year program where you are employed by the NHS.
Skills and personal attributes
1. Written Skills: Working with people from different professions means that you will have to keep in contact with different people. You may have to write research papers and emails and you must ensure that you are able to explain complex ideas to others in written formats.
2. Numerical and Physics Skills: When designing machines you may have to look at things like electronics and the movements of fluids. You must be comfortable with certain formulas along with concepts from physics and biology.
3. Communication Skills: You should be able to exchange ideas and concepts with different people. It must be done in a way that everyone can understand. Not everyone that you talk to will have a background in the areas you are dealing with. You should be able to share your message with the wider audience.
4. Commitment: You may be involved in the same project for a long amount of time. It will require a lot of effort from you.
5. Computing Skills: You may be working with large amounts of valuable research and sometimes you may need to rely on computers to form graphs and help collate data. You may need to program software into machines that you are building or developing.
Job likes and benefits
1. Make a difference: You will be involved in making the lives of patients better. Your work could be used to improve the lives of many people.
2. Can be useful elsewhere: Even if you decide that you do not want to go into biomedical engineering after completing your degree you can still be considered for other jobs.
3. Salary: Biomedical engineers can earn a good starting wage.
4. Working with people: You will constantly come into contact with different people and you will learn new things from each other.
Job challenges and disadvantages
1. Extra training and learning: Before you are able to take part in research or hold a high position in your field you may have to enrol on training courses or study for a PhD if you haven’t already. Your PhD may be funded.
2. You may need to give large research projects more of your time than you expected.
3. Experience needed: Some positions will require you to work your way up the ladder as there is no way you can be in these positions without the relevant experience first.
4. Longer hours: If you are involved in research you may be required to work longer hours than you expected depending on the points you are at in your projects. You may also to invest time in report writing. Local travel for meetings may also be required.
Opportunity, career prospects and job progression
To go into research you need to complete a PhD in biomedical engineering. There are many sectors that you could work in. In industry you will first start at an entry level position. As you gain more experience you can progress to senior roles where you could work in areas such as marketing, production, quality assurance and management. Some large companies may have business links with other countries meaning may have the opportunity to travel.
More information
Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) http://www.ipem.