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Biomedical Engineering or PreMed?
I'm a BME student right now, but I've always been on the premed track. This is because I didn't want to just get a biology degree, and I'm also into the hands on stuff. I'm a rising junior, and now, I'm not sure what path to take. Residency sounds like torture, but I fear being in BME is not going to make me money because the job market is smaller and more niche.
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4 answers
Michael Cadra, MD, DMD, FACS
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, physician and dentist
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Michael’s Answer
The answer Rita gave is spot-on!! Do what you love, the money will follow. If you are not passionate about medicine, and are going into it for the money you should not be there!! The path is long, residency allegedly has a 80 hour work week limit, but if you want to excel, you must put in additional hours studying. The 80 hour work week residency salary in most locations is barely above minimum wage. Additionally most medical students leave medical school with $350K plus in debt, new regulations will allow this debt to grow while in residency. It will be hard to make up the lost income and pay down the interest on student loans.
On the other hand, if you love helping people, have great communication skills ,and are a Master of Delayed Gratification, medicine is a very satisfying profession. It does take years to pay off student loans, and match the net worth of students that took a different path. With wise investing and control of spending habits you will be able to retire at a reasonable age depending mainly on what level of lifestyle that you desire.
If you are in the profession only for the money, your patients will sense that and avoid you as a "health care provider". From my 40+ years of experience, I believe that unhappy physicians have unhappy staff, who create unhappy patients which results in litigation, deservedly or not.
Follow what makes you happy, not the money!
On the other hand, if you love helping people, have great communication skills ,and are a Master of Delayed Gratification, medicine is a very satisfying profession. It does take years to pay off student loans, and match the net worth of students that took a different path. With wise investing and control of spending habits you will be able to retire at a reasonable age depending mainly on what level of lifestyle that you desire.
If you are in the profession only for the money, your patients will sense that and avoid you as a "health care provider". From my 40+ years of experience, I believe that unhappy physicians have unhappy staff, who create unhappy patients which results in litigation, deservedly or not.
Follow what makes you happy, not the money!
Updated
Robert’s Answer
As a successful retired BME, I can certainly agree with the other responses. Doing well at what you're most passionate about is the key deciding factor.
I've found that at the end of a long career, success is really measured by what made you happy. And yes, money can help that happen. BMEs who patent devices or who go into engineering management can earn as much as doctors. Or do both: my dentist started his career life as a professional BME and then switched to dentistry.
Best of luck, Andrea!
I've found that at the end of a long career, success is really measured by what made you happy. And yes, money can help that happen. BMEs who patent devices or who go into engineering management can earn as much as doctors. Or do both: my dentist started his career life as a professional BME and then switched to dentistry.
Best of luck, Andrea!
Updated
Suraayah’s Answer
Andrea, people who’ve spent years in these careers offer the clearest perspective on the choice you’re facing. Physicians who remain satisfied in medicine consistently point to the same factors. They prefer work where decisions have immediate consequences. They’re comfortable with constant interaction, and they can manage the emotional weight that comes with it. They also accept that residency—while difficult—is the period that teaches them how to think, communicate, and act under pressure. Many say what kept them in medicine wasn’t the academic path but the responsibility and the direct effect their decisions had on someone’s health. Those who thrive realized early that they function well in environments where the stakes are high and the pace is shaped by the needs of others.
Biomedical engineers (BME professionals) who enjoy their work long-term describe a different experience. They prefer problems that unfold over time and require iteration, testing, and patience. They like being part of teams that build, refine, and troubleshoot systems or devices. Their satisfaction comes from seeing something work because they made it work—not from being in front of people all day. Engineers who stay in the field generally realized they’re comfortable with technical depth, long development cycles, and environments where progress is measured in prototypes, data, and design milestones rather than immediate outcomes. Many also note that while the job market is smaller, the roles are stable, and compensation grows significantly when you move into medical device development, regulatory engineering, or systems design.
Across both groups, the turning point was time spent in the actual environment. Physicians knew after shadowing that they could handle the pace and responsibility. Engineers knew after time in a laboratory or device team that they liked the work enough to stay with it for years.
New York City (NYC) gives you access to both sides. Shadowing at New York University (NYU) Langone Health, Mount Sinai Health System, or Columbia University Irving Medical Center will show you exactly how physicians move through their day. Time in a Cornell Tech laboratory or a City University of New York (CUNY) engineering group will show you what biomedical engineers actually do when they’re building or testing something. What you observe in those settings will tell you more than any explanation.
Individuals who remain in these fields over time didn’t rely solely on interest; they committed to the path whose demands they could manage, maintain, and meet consistently without internal resistance.
- Dr. Hunter
1. Complete one clinical shadowing shift at New York University (NYU) Langone Health, Mount Sinai Health System, or Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
2. Observe one biomedical engineering (BME) laboratory or device team for an afternoon at Cornell Tech or the City University of New York (CUNY).
3. Conduct two informational interviews: one practicing physician and one biomedical engineer.
4. Review current job postings for BME roles and current residency requirements for medical schools.
5. Enroll in one clinically oriented course and one engineering‑oriented course to see which workload you can sustain.
Biomedical engineers (BME professionals) who enjoy their work long-term describe a different experience. They prefer problems that unfold over time and require iteration, testing, and patience. They like being part of teams that build, refine, and troubleshoot systems or devices. Their satisfaction comes from seeing something work because they made it work—not from being in front of people all day. Engineers who stay in the field generally realized they’re comfortable with technical depth, long development cycles, and environments where progress is measured in prototypes, data, and design milestones rather than immediate outcomes. Many also note that while the job market is smaller, the roles are stable, and compensation grows significantly when you move into medical device development, regulatory engineering, or systems design.
Across both groups, the turning point was time spent in the actual environment. Physicians knew after shadowing that they could handle the pace and responsibility. Engineers knew after time in a laboratory or device team that they liked the work enough to stay with it for years.
New York City (NYC) gives you access to both sides. Shadowing at New York University (NYU) Langone Health, Mount Sinai Health System, or Columbia University Irving Medical Center will show you exactly how physicians move through their day. Time in a Cornell Tech laboratory or a City University of New York (CUNY) engineering group will show you what biomedical engineers actually do when they’re building or testing something. What you observe in those settings will tell you more than any explanation.
Individuals who remain in these fields over time didn’t rely solely on interest; they committed to the path whose demands they could manage, maintain, and meet consistently without internal resistance.
- Dr. Hunter
Suraayah recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Rita’s Answer
I think what is important is what you enjoy doing. Medical school is difficult. Residency is difficult. Medicine is not easy...people can be difficult.
As a physician, I had a very good salary but my wealth was not from medicine. It's what I did with that money that helped me be financially stable. I invested in the stock market and I purchased houses. I also sacrificed a lot. I had my own practice, worked at least 10 hours a day. At 6:30 AM, I would eat breakfast while reviewing labs and refilling medications. Then, I would go to work. Between seeing patients, you are refilling more medications, reviewing labs, radiology reports, specialist notes, patient questions, etc. I worked on the weekends. I never did the math but I should have calculated how much money I made divided by the number of hours I worked. Medicine is not a 9-5 job. Not only you, but your family will make sacrifices. Every vacation I took, I brought my laptop to refill medicines, review documents, answer questions etc. I've been called in the middle of the night for critical lab results. Patients would call me and some calls were legitimate but others were annoying... I had to repeatedly tell a patient not to call me 30 minutes before work start for an appointment.
Medicine can also be very rewarding. Some patients are so appreciative. You will never know it all and so this job will be stimulating. You get benefits. When my dad was sick, the ER staff knew me and saw my father before others.
My thought is if you enjoy medicine, people, etc, then I would go to medical school. I suggest that you work as a medical scribe...even if you work for free. This gives you the chance to see what doctors do. I challenge you to come in when the doctor comes into the office...not when s/he starts seeing patients. Leave when the doctor leaves. If you still enjoy medicine after this, then go to medical school.
Medical training is very long and expensive. My mom made a comment once if it would have been better to invest the money that was spent in medicine than to be a doctor. You have 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school and a minimum of 3 years of residency. The pay in residency is not a lot.
Instead, maybe do something you enjoy and invest any money you have into the stock market or save up for a house. When I was in residency, I started investing $50 a month in a stock and then I increased that amount when I made more money.
I had a patient who worked at the busiest Cheesecake Factory Restaurant. He started out a server and then he was promoted to manager. The next time I saw him, I asked him how he was doing. He told me, I'm better now because I went back down as a server. The stress was not worth it. He figured he could make more in tips. For him, time was more valuable. Although he made more money as a manager, he spent more time working. He had a salary job, not an hourly job and he figured it wasn't worth it.
Take time to figure what do you enjoy doing. Don't do it for the money because it's not worth it. You can probably make more money as a plumber or air conditioning repair person.
As a physician, I had a very good salary but my wealth was not from medicine. It's what I did with that money that helped me be financially stable. I invested in the stock market and I purchased houses. I also sacrificed a lot. I had my own practice, worked at least 10 hours a day. At 6:30 AM, I would eat breakfast while reviewing labs and refilling medications. Then, I would go to work. Between seeing patients, you are refilling more medications, reviewing labs, radiology reports, specialist notes, patient questions, etc. I worked on the weekends. I never did the math but I should have calculated how much money I made divided by the number of hours I worked. Medicine is not a 9-5 job. Not only you, but your family will make sacrifices. Every vacation I took, I brought my laptop to refill medicines, review documents, answer questions etc. I've been called in the middle of the night for critical lab results. Patients would call me and some calls were legitimate but others were annoying... I had to repeatedly tell a patient not to call me 30 minutes before work start for an appointment.
Medicine can also be very rewarding. Some patients are so appreciative. You will never know it all and so this job will be stimulating. You get benefits. When my dad was sick, the ER staff knew me and saw my father before others.
My thought is if you enjoy medicine, people, etc, then I would go to medical school. I suggest that you work as a medical scribe...even if you work for free. This gives you the chance to see what doctors do. I challenge you to come in when the doctor comes into the office...not when s/he starts seeing patients. Leave when the doctor leaves. If you still enjoy medicine after this, then go to medical school.
Medical training is very long and expensive. My mom made a comment once if it would have been better to invest the money that was spent in medicine than to be a doctor. You have 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school and a minimum of 3 years of residency. The pay in residency is not a lot.
Instead, maybe do something you enjoy and invest any money you have into the stock market or save up for a house. When I was in residency, I started investing $50 a month in a stock and then I increased that amount when I made more money.
I had a patient who worked at the busiest Cheesecake Factory Restaurant. He started out a server and then he was promoted to manager. The next time I saw him, I asked him how he was doing. He told me, I'm better now because I went back down as a server. The stress was not worth it. He figured he could make more in tips. For him, time was more valuable. Although he made more money as a manager, he spent more time working. He had a salary job, not an hourly job and he figured it wasn't worth it.
Take time to figure what do you enjoy doing. Don't do it for the money because it's not worth it. You can probably make more money as a plumber or air conditioning repair person.