What does a biomedical engineer do?

The job of biomedical engineer is booming, especially after the Covid 19 health crisis. In fact, the crisis was fundamental in giving visibility to healthcare technologies and their specialists, and in making society aware of their importance. 

Moreover, according to recent studies, it seems that this will not be the end of it and that this profile is a profession with a great future. As an example of the growing importance of biomedicine professionals, a report published by the US Bureau of Labour Statistics predicts that the job of biomedical engineer will experience growth of 23% between 2014 and 2024.

Forecasts like this are very good news. This means that the demand for graduates in the Degree in Biomedical Engineering will increase and, consequently, that their employability rate will be one of the highest. In this post, we take a look in more detail about the biomedicine industry. 

What does the job of biomedical engineer involve?

A biomedical engineer is a professional who applies all the principles and techniques of engineering to the field of medicine to improve people's health and well-being.

They dedicate their efforts and time to the research, design and development of healthcare technologies such as drugs, biocompatible prostheses, imaging equipment for the diagnosis and treatment of patients, biomaterials and tissues, pacemakers, medical information systems, surgical lasers, dialysis machines, etc.

And how do they achieve this? Thanks to the solid base of knowledge in Computer Engineering and Electronic Engineering and a complement of subjects related to the branches of Life Sciences (Medicine, Pharmacy, Biology and Biotechnology) that they acquire when studying the Degree in Biomedical Engineering. And all this under a project-based learning methodology that manages to connect such diverse subjects with real impact plans.

Career opportunities for a biomedical engineer

The career opportunities for biomedical engineers are very varied and interesting.

For this reason, and to make it more practical, we have compiled a list of the three main environments in which a person with this training can develop their professional career and we have included, roughly, what functions they can perform in each of them:

Hospitals

• Maintenance and use of biomedical equipment
• Assistance in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. To do this, they work in collaboration with doctors and may even be present in the operating theatre during the most complicated operations to verify that the biomedical device is working correctly and to configure some of the parameters if necessary.
• Control of the operational functions of the Clinical Engineering department of a hospital.
• Management and administration of the technical resources of a hospital.

Public and private companies

Biomedical technology; diagnostic, monitoring and medical therapy equipment; health technology assessment and transfer; healthcare service providers; pharmaceuticals; etc.

• Design and development of medical equipment: prostheses and joints, cardiovascular devices, surgical robots, diagnostic imaging equipment, nuclear medicine, etc.
• Identification of potential new drugs based on the analysis of the genetic variation database
• Development and implementation of software or digital platforms for the management of medical records or large amounts of medical data (Medical Informatics), Telemedicine and home care.
• Working in a multidisciplinary team to solve problems that arise in the medical field and that can be solved through technology, as well as anticipating future setbacks that may arise in society.

Research institutes or universities

• Study of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science applied to Biomedicine to promote innovative adapted solutions and respond to current needs in the field of Human Health (Machine Learning).
• Training and teaching: Check out our academic offer to study Engineering and our academic offer in degrees in Health Sciences.

In conclusion, the field of biomedical engineering is experiencing significant growth, driven in part by the increasing visibility and demand for healthcare technologies. With strong job prospects and a high employability rate, biomedical engineers play a crucial role in advancing medical technology and improving patient care. 

Whether working in hospitals, private companies, or research institutions, their expertise in engineering and life sciences allows them to develop innovative solutions for the medical field. As the industry continues to expand, biomedical engineering remains a promising and impactful career path for the future.