What Is Biomedical Engineering? Impact and More

Biomedical engineers have designed some of the most important medical devices today, from pulse-regulating pacemakers to easy-to-use blood glucose monitors. 

Whether you’re interested in joining the field because you want to save lives or you’re fascinated by the challenging problems it faces, a career in biomedical engineering offers the opportunity to make a real impact in the world. 

In this article, you’ll learn more about biomedical engineering, what biomedical engineers do, and their salary and job outlook. You’ll also learn how to become one and find some suggested courses. 

Biomedical engineering explained

Biomedical engineering is the application of engineering principles to solve health and healthcare problems. Using their engineering, virology, and healthcare knowledge, biomedical engineers design medical equipment and processes that improve human health outcomes. Examples of biomedical equipment used daily include pacemakers, blood glucose monitors, and artificial limbs.

Bioengineering vs biomedical engineering

Although they sound similar and have much in common, biomedical engineering differs from bioengineering. 

In simplest terms, bioengineering refers to the general application of engineering practices to biological systems, such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare. 

Biomedical engineering, meanwhile, is a specialised subset of bioengineering strictly focused on applying engineering practices for healthcare purposes, such as designing medical devices and developing processes to improve health outcomes. 

What do biomedical engineers do? 

Biomedical engineers use their engineering knowledge to create medical devices, equipment, and processes to heal, treat, or improve health conditions. While a biomedical engineer’s day-to-day responsibilities vary between projects, some of the most common tasks include: 

• Designing medical devices, such as pacemakers or artificial limbs 

• Repairing and installing medical devices and equipment 

• Conducting original research into existing biomedical devices and biological processes 

• Training medical professionals in the use of new medical equipment 

A brief history of pacemakers

Although medical professionals and researchers have occasionally observed the use of electricity to restart hearts for hundreds of years, the first artificial pacemakers were not invented until the late 1920s and early 1930s.

In 1928, Australian anesthesiologist Mark Lidwell used intermittent electrical stimulation to restart a child’s heart born in cardiac arrest. Later, in 1932, the American Physiologist Albert Hyman developed a spring-wound hand-cranked motor that used electrical impulses to restart hearts. He called his device an “artificial pacemaker,” a term still used today. 

Unfortunately, the medical community did not welcome Hyman’s device, which viewed it simply as a “gadget” rather than a serious medical tool.  

The early 1950s saw the rise of large, external pacemakers that needed to be plugged into wall sockets and wheeled around on racks to be transported. By 1957, however, the first wearable battery-operated pacemaker was invented by Earl E. Bakken. Many experts regard the invention as starting the field of “medical electronics,” a precursor to modern biomedical engineering. 

Just one year later, in 1958, Ake Senning and Rune Elmqvist in Sweden developed the first implantable pacemaker in Sweden. The pacemaker was implanted in a 43-year-old engineer named Arne Larsson [1]. 

From ridiculed fringe science to mainstream medical marvel, the pacemaker has undergone many iterations over the decades and saved countless lives—all thanks to early biomedical engineers. 

Biomedical engineering: salary and job outlook

Their unique skill set means biomedical engineers are well-compensated and sought after. Here, you’ll learn more about what biomedical engineers earn and their job outlook for the foreseeable future. 

Salary

Biomedical engineers earn higher salaries than the average. According to Payscale, biomedical engineers make an average annual salary of  ₹3,49,825 [2]. A biomedical engineering manager earns an average yearly salary of ₹6,00,000 [3].

Job outlook

The job outlook for biomedical engineers in India is promising. Positions are available at hospitals (private and government), research centres, and various healthcare settings. 

How to get started in biomedical engineering 

Biomedical engineers use their engineering knowledge to solve problems in biology and medicine. Candidates for employment should have a strong foundation in mechanical or chemical engineering, mathematics, and computer science.

1. Obtain a degree. 

To become a biomedical engineer,  you should have completed your higher secondary education (classes 11 and 12) in the science stream (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology) from a recognised board. After schooling, you can earn a BTech, a BSc, or a BE in Biomedical Engineering [4].

2. Gain the right skills.

To solve some of the most critical medical problems plaguing people today, you’ll need to use various technical and human skills daily. Here are some of the skills biomedical engineers use in their day-to-day work: 

• Engineering 

• Statistics 

• Maths 

• Computer science 

• Collaboration 

• Problem-solving 

• Teamwork 

As you look to start your career, consider the skills you might want to develop to do the best job possible. 

3. Get experience.

One of the best ways to gain a foothold in a new career is to gain relevant work experience. If you’re starting, consider obtaining a relevant internship or entry-level position to practice your skills in the real world. 

Explore engineering and healthcare 

To join the ranks of professional biomedical engineers working at the forefront of science and technology to solve some of the most complex healthcare problems, you’ll need to develop a unique combination of skills and knowledge. 

Deeplearning.Ai’s AI for Medicine Specialisation equips course takers with practical experience applying machine learning to concrete medical problems, such as diagnosing diseases and predicting survival rates.

The Systems Biology and Biotechnology Specialisation by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai covers the concepts and methodologies used in systems-level analysis of biomedical systems.