2 answers
Oluomachi
Student
New York, New York
3
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What do you like/dislike about being a biomedical engineer?
I plan on majoring in BME and hope to have that as a career. So I'm curious as to what it is like working as a certified engineer. To add on, I have some experience coming up with solutions and models, but I never got to build anything due to covid.
#biomedical-engineering #biomedical #women-in-stem #engineer #engineering #STEM
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2 answers
Brayden Reiland
119
Answers
Corvallis, Oregon
Updated
Brayden’s Answer
Hello!
While im not a BME I am a mechanical engineer who works in the medical industry. For both my jobs I have been in the medical field either working on catheters and electrical implants or on the orthopedics side designing and testing implants and tools. In both cases the best part for me was knowing that my hard work was ultimately going to benefit someone and hopefully allow them to live a better life. In both cases you get to physically touch the product that ultimately will go inside someone or help perform a surgery which for me was super cool. I would say one of the biggest challenges of the medical industry is all the regulatory and quality checks that are involved in order to ensure that the product going inside someone isnt going to harm them in any way and is going to work as intended. There are a ton of rules and regulations and things just take longer to get done. Its a much more meticulous process than compared to lets say automotive but in the end those checks have to be in place in order to ensure that the doctor and patient are going to stay safe and healthy. And there are a ton more areas that a person with a BME degree can go down like into making drugs, designing new x-ray machines the list goes on and on, so stay with it you will get there one day!
Good luck!
While im not a BME I am a mechanical engineer who works in the medical industry. For both my jobs I have been in the medical field either working on catheters and electrical implants or on the orthopedics side designing and testing implants and tools. In both cases the best part for me was knowing that my hard work was ultimately going to benefit someone and hopefully allow them to live a better life. In both cases you get to physically touch the product that ultimately will go inside someone or help perform a surgery which for me was super cool. I would say one of the biggest challenges of the medical industry is all the regulatory and quality checks that are involved in order to ensure that the product going inside someone isnt going to harm them in any way and is going to work as intended. There are a ton of rules and regulations and things just take longer to get done. Its a much more meticulous process than compared to lets say automotive but in the end those checks have to be in place in order to ensure that the doctor and patient are going to stay safe and healthy. And there are a ton more areas that a person with a BME degree can go down like into making drugs, designing new x-ray machines the list goes on and on, so stay with it you will get there one day!
Good luck!
Sarah Williams
Electrical Engineer
53
Answers
Jacksonville, Florida
Updated
Sarah’s Answer
I am an electrical engineer working in the medical device field. I love engineering because it is truly a team sport. You get to meet and work with so many interesting people from a variety of backgrounds.
In my experience, biomedical engineers tend to work on the most critical devices: implants, invasive surgical devices, and more. These devices have many fascinating problems to solve. Brayden is correct that you have to be very meticulous and always keep the patient or user in mind - after all, what you are making is going into their body.
Meeting regulations can be a challenge, but it's a part of the process. I actually think it helps me be more creative sometimes! At the end of the day, regulators and engineers want the same thing: safe and effective devices and medicines that truly help people. Bringing a perspective of positive intent is key.
In my experience, biomedical engineers tend to work on the most critical devices: implants, invasive surgical devices, and more. These devices have many fascinating problems to solve. Brayden is correct that you have to be very meticulous and always keep the patient or user in mind - after all, what you are making is going into their body.
Meeting regulations can be a challenge, but it's a part of the process. I actually think it helps me be more creative sometimes! At the end of the day, regulators and engineers want the same thing: safe and effective devices and medicines that truly help people. Bringing a perspective of positive intent is key.