Biomedical Engineering, or BME, is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes.
The typical entry-level education for biomedical engineers is a Bachelors in BME, but graduate school and licensing can help advance one’s career.
BME is a promising career, projected to grow 5% over the next 10 years! Along with job prospects, the salary of biomedical engineers are also above the national average.
Biomedical engineers can work in a variety of environments, from labs to offices to hospitals. The daily tasks of a biomedical engineer involve the design, development, and testing of medical equipment, devices, and instruments. The particular areas that a biomedical engineer specializes in are pretty diverse and there’s a lot of ways to explore BME.
Women make up about 40% of the BME degrees awarded, which is almost twice as much as the average for engineering! However, like many STEM fields, the amount of graduates who leave STEM is very high. In 2012, it was estimated that only about 18.2% of biomedical engineers were women. Admittedly, the demographic information about biomedical engineers after graduation is sparse and shows that there is still significant work to be done to ensure equity and inclusivity within the field.
Some common skills:
- Attention to detail
- Communication skills
- Problem-solving
- Mathematical and analytical skills
- Ability to work with a team
- Design abilities
- Ability to communicate with patients and stakeholders
Some iconic aerospace engineers are María Alexandra Tamayo, Dr. Treena Livingston Arinzeh, and Dr. Judith Resnik.
