Biomedical Engineer Alaska

Have a Heart: Or Create One with a Career in Biomedical Engineering
by Emily Kerr

Imagine being the first person to create an artificial heart that works, giving patients a new lease on life. Or, picture yourself creating the laser systems used in corrective eye surgery. Biomedical engineering jobs combine technology with traditional engineering skills to enhance--and sometimes save--lives.

What Biomedical Engineers Do

Biomedical engineering jobs combine biology and medicine with engineering, often focusing on the development of man-made systems used within the body--such as the artificial heart. Many biomedical engineering careers revolve around research, most notably the attempt to find mechanical solutions for patients coping with strenuous physical ailments.

Where Biomedical Engineers Work

Biomedical engineering jobs can mostly be found in manufacturing industries; 38 percent of all jobs are in pharmaceutical and medicine production, including the construction and distribution of medical instruments and supplies.

Biomedical engineering jobs can be found in:

• universities
• hospitals
• medical and educational research facilities
• government regulatory agencies

What Are Biomedical Engineering Job Specialties?

Some of the fields biomedical engineers can choose to specialize in include:

• Bio-instrumentation -- developing devices used in the diagnosis and treatment
of diseases.
• Bio-materials -- working with living tissues and artificial materials to
design implants.
• Bio-mechanics -- studying motion, flow, and transport as traditional
mechanics relate to bodily systems in relation to biological problems.

The Job Outlook for Biomedical Engineers

The job outlook for biomedical engineering is expected to increase much faster than average through the year 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Between the aging baby boomer population and the need for increased healthcare in the areas of computer-assisted surgery and joint replacement, the market for biomedical engineering jobs should remain high, though competition for jobs should remain high as well.

According to the BLS, there were an estimated 9,700 biomedical engineering jobs in the United States in 2006, paying a median annual salary of approximately $68,000. A degree in biomedical engineering is definitely an excellent way to begin a career in this exciting and revolutionary field.

Sources
"Planning a Career in Biomedical Engineering," Biomedical Engineering Society
U.S. Department of Labor -- Biomedical Engineers

About the Author
Emily Kerr has written and published over 425 articles on every topic from medical technology and taxes to baking bread, education, and careers.