Biomedical Engineering or Bioengineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology. The outcomes of this particular engineering discipline are focused on improving the overall healthcare of society and particularly the lives of those suffering from medical impairments. It combines the knowledge of the life sciences such as biology and physiology with chemistry, mathematics and physics.
Biomedical engineers design medical instruments, devices, computational tools as well as carry out research to discover new developments and solutions to the world’s health problems. Biomedical engineers have several roles which span specialized areas in bioengineering. They include:
- Bioinstrumentation
- Biomaterials
- Biomechanics
- Cellular/Tissue Engineering
- Clinical Engineering
- Medical Imaging Rehabilitation Engineering
- Systems Physiology
Biomedical engineers work in the following industries: Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing Scientific research and development services Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing Colleges, Universities and professional schools General medical and surgical hospitals.
Biomedical engineering is most definitely a rewarding career because it provides opportunities to improve the healthcare of society. Biomedical engineers are tasked with developing innovative medical technology that helps to save lives. The value of life is an important asset to any individual and with the number of diseases and medical impairments throughout the world biomedical engineers are constantly challenged with solving these problems which have no shortage. Hence there exist a continual need for more biomedical engineers to join the work force. Additionally, the 2012 job outlook on biomedical engineering states that there will be a 27% growth rate in biomedical engineering over the next 10 years. This is a much faster rate than the average job. Furthermore biomedical engineers are highly paid with a median salary of approximately $86,960 in the USA.