Modern healthcare facilities help doctors make accurate diagnoses of diseases. Dependence on biomedical instruments is ever increasing now. So there are very good prospects for biomedical engineers.

Biomedical Engineers apply traditional engineering expertise and advanced technology to analyse and solve the complex problems of medical care. They design and develop instruments, devices and software; and conduct research needed to solve clinical problems and develop new procedures of diagnosis-CT Scanner, MRI Scanner, ECG, X-ray machines, prosthesis (artificial limbs) etc. are examples of products of biomedical engineering.

Work

Biomedical engineering encompasses broad areas of study - mechanical, chemical, electrical engineering, anatomy, physiology and the knowledge of computers to create mathematical models that simulate physiological systems. Biomedical engineers co-ordinate the work of life scientists, medical professionals and chemical scientists.

In this field there is continual change and creation of new areas due to rapid advancement in technology; however, some of the well-established speciality areas within the field of biomedical engineering are:

Bioinstrumentation: This is the application of electronics and mathematics for the development of devices for use in diagnosis and treatment of disease. Computers are very vital in this speciality.

Biomechanics: Application of mechanics (statics, dynamics, fluids, solids, thermodynamics, and continuum mechanics) to biological or medical problems. It includes the study of motion, material deformation, flow within the body and in devices and transport of chemical constituents across biological and synthetic media and membranes.

Biomaterials: It includes selecting living tissue and artificial materials for implantation. A strong understanding of the properties and behaviour of living material is vital in the design of implant materials.

Systems Physiology: Hereengineering strategies, techniques and tools are used to study the function of living organisms. Computer modelling is used in the analysis of experimental data and in formulating mathematical descriptions of physiological activities.

Rehabilitation Engineering: It is a growing speciality area of biomedical engineering. Rehabilitation engineers enhance the capabilities and improve the quality of life for individuals with physical and cognitive impairments. They are involved in prosthetics, the development of home, workplace and transportation modifications and the design of assistive technology that enhance seating and positioning, mobility, and communication. Rehabilitation engineers also develop hardware and software computer adaptations and cognitive aids to assist people with cognitive difficulties.

Medical Imaging: It combines knowledge of a unique physical phenomenon (sound, radiation, magnetism, etc.) with high-speed electronic data processing, analysis and display to generate an image. Often, these images can be obtained with minimal or completely non-invasive procedures.

Clinical Engineering: The clinical engineer is a member of the healthcare team along with physicians, nurses and other hospital staff. Clinical engineers are responsible for developing and maintaining computer databases of medical instrumentation and equipment records and for the purchase and use of sophisticated medical instruments.

Orthopaedic Bioengineering: It is the speciality where methods of engineering and computational mechanics are applied in order to understand the functions of bones, joints and muscles, and for the design of artificial joint replacements. Orthopaedic bioengineers analyse the friction, lubrication and wear characteristics of natural and artificial joints; they perform stress analysis of the musculoskeletal system; and they develop artificial biomaterials (biologic and synthetic) for replacement of bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, meniscus and intervertebral discs. They often perform gait and motion analyses for sports performance and monitor patient recovery following surgical procedures.

Money

As specialisation is required for this profession, the remuneration is better than many other professions. With a M.Tech, you could draw a starting salary of about Rs.15000/- to Rs.20000/- per month. A Bachelor's degree or a Diploma holder gets a starting pay anywhere between Rs.4000/- and Rs.10000/- per month.

Attributes

You should be willing to undergo long hours of hard work. A high level of motivation, a creative and inquisitive mind, practical approach to objective problems, perseverence and the drive to achieve are indispensable in this field.

Job Opportunities

Biomedical engineers are employed in universities, in industry, in hospitals and in research facilities of educational and medical institutions. In industry, they may create designs where an in-depth understanding of living systems and of technology is essential. They may be involved in performance testing of new or proposed products. In hospitals, biomedical engineers may provide advice on the selection and use of medical equipment, as well as supervising its performance testing and maintenance. They may also build customised devices for special healthcare or research needs. In research institutions, biomedical engineers supervise laboratories and equipment, and participate in or direct research activities in collaboration with other researchers with such backgrounds as medicine, physiology, and nursing.

Eligibility

The minimum qualification required is a 10+2 degree for the diploma courses. Most colleges, however, offer PG diploma courses to students with a Bachelor's degree in a related course.

You could either do a Diploma in Medical electronics/ Biomedical engineering after higher secondary education with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as the subjects. Or you could take up a Post-Diploma in Medical electronics after a Diploma in Electronics.

At the Bachelor's level, you could do a BSc in Bioscience, BTech in Radio Physics or a BE  in Medical Electronics/ Biomedical Engineering/ Electronics. A BE Electronics degree must be supplemented with a Master's degree or a Postgraduate diploma in any relevant field.

At the Master's level, there are a wide variety of subjects. Based on relevant education, you could either take up MSc in Biomedical Instrumentation/ Bioscience, or a MTech in Biomedical Engineering. The MTech degree can be pursued after a BE or BTech or MBBS degree.

Educational Institutes

Because of its specialised nature, not many institutions offer programmes in biomedical engineering. But some of the well known institutes are

• IIT (Bombay & Kanpur)
• Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal,
• College of Engineering, Osmania University, Hyderabad
• University of Delhi, New Delhi
• University of Calcutta, Kolkata
• Jadavpur University, Kolkata
• Centre for Medical Electronics, Anna University, Chennai
• Bioinformatics Centre, University of Pune, Pune