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Career Description

Apply knowledge of engineering, biology, chemistry, computer science, and biomechanical principles to the design, development, and evaluation of biological, agricultural, and health systems and products, such as artificial organs, prostheses, instrumentation, medical information systems, and health management and care delivery systems.

What Job Titles Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers Might Have

• Biomedical Engineer
• Biomedical Technician (Biomedical Tech)
• Process Engineer
• Research Engineer

What Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers Do

• Evaluate the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of biomedical equipment.
• Prepare technical reports, data summary documents, or research articles for scientific publication, regulatory submissions, or patent applications.
• Design or develop medical diagnostic or clinical instrumentation, equipment, or procedures, using the principles of engineering and biobehavioral sciences.
• Conduct research, along with life scientists, chemists, and medical scientists, on the engineering aspects of the biological systems of humans and animals.
• Adapt or design computer hardware or software for medical science uses.
• Maintain databases of experiment characteristics or results.
• Develop statistical models or simulations, using statistical or modeling software.
• Read current scientific or trade literature to stay abreast of scientific, industrial, or technological advances.
• Manage teams of engineers by creating schedules, tracking inventory, creating or using budgets, or overseeing contract obligations or deadlines.
• Develop models or computer simulations of human biobehavioral systems to obtain data for measuring or controlling life processes.
• Design or conduct follow-up experimentation, based on generated data, to meet established process objectives.
• Write documents describing protocols, policies, standards for use, maintenance, and repair of medical equipment.
• Communicate with bioregulatory authorities regarding licensing or compliance responsibilities.
• Develop methodologies for transferring procedures or biological processes from laboratories to commercial-scale manufacturing production.
• Collaborate with manufacturing or quality assurance staff to prepare product specification or safety sheets, standard operating procedures, user manuals, or qualification and validation reports.
• Research new materials to be used for products, such as implanted artificial organs.
• Prepare project plans for equipment or facility improvements, including time lines, budgetary estimates, or capital spending requests.
• Consult with chemists or biologists to develop or evaluate novel technologies.
• Confer with research and biomanufacturing personnel to ensure the compatibility of design and production.
• Recommend process formulas, instrumentation, or equipment specifications, based on results of bench or pilot experimentation.
• Communicate with suppliers regarding the design or specifications of bioproduction equipment, instrumentation, or materials.
• Conduct training or in-services to educate clinicians and other personnel on proper use of equipment.
• Advise hospital administrators on the planning, acquisition, and use of medical equipment.
• Analyze new medical procedures to forecast likely outcomes.
• Design and deliver technology, such as prosthetic devices, to assist people with disabilities.
• Advise manufacturing staff regarding problems with fermentation, filtration, or other bioproduction processes.

What Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers Should Be Good At

• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers Should Be Interested In

• Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

What Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers Need to Learn

• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.