Careers in Biomedical Engineering

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Careers in Biomedical Engineering

• Jay R. Goldberg, Ph.D., P.E.
• Marquette University
• Fall 2007

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Careers in Biomedical Engineering

• Medical device companies
• Research and Development
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Quality Assurance
• Marketing/Sales
• Regulatory Affairs
• Private testing laboratories
• Underwriters Laboratories
• ECRI

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Careers in Biomedical Engineering

• Government
• Research Laboratories (Los Alamos)
• Regulatory Agencies (FDA)
• Military (Air Force, Navy, Army)
• Public Health Service
• NASA
• Peace Corps (NGO)

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Careers in Biomedical Engineering

• Hospitals
• Clinical Engineering
• Capital Acquisitions (need management training)
• Laboratory Manager (Catheter, Radiology, etc.)
• Consulting
• Healthcare consulting (Accenture)
• Design (IDEO)
• Academia
• Research
• Teaching

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Careers in Biomedical Engineering

• Non-traditional fields
• Technical writing
• Sales training
• Teaching
• Patent law
• Medicine

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Comparisons Between Academic and Industrial RD
Academia
Industry

• intellectual curiosity
• publications
• more basic research
• need to obtain grants
• involved in initial phases
• less urgency
• flexibility

• profitability
• product introductions
• more applied research
• funding available
• involved in entire project
• time is money
• higher pay

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Graduate School

• Required for medicine, law, dentistry
• If not sure of career goals, consider relevant
  work experience
• develop new perspectives, priorities
• learn what is needed for success
• clarify career goals
• enhance application, grades less important
• Ph.D.
• () autonomy, advanced research, teaching
• (-) weak job market, nothing else to do, money

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(Bureau of the Census, 2003)
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(Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2003)
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(No Transcript)
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(US Dept. of Commerce, 2001)
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(US Dept. of Commerce, 2001)
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(MDDI, 12/06)
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(MDDI, 12/06)
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(SPs Compustat, 2002)
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Biomedical Engineering Salaries

• Starting salaries (Q4/2006)
• BS degree 49,440 (n78) (Medical
  equipment and supplies) 54,405
  (n19)(Consulting) 51,667 (n2)(Patent
  examiner) 60,000 (n-2)
• MS degree 57,876 (n16)
• PhD ME 69,034 (n35)PhD EE 81,290
  (n60)

(NACE Salary Survey, Fall 2006)
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RD Salaries Medical Device Industry

• Average raise 4
• Median bonus 8,000
• Median salary 91,000
• Median compensation 123,000

(MDDI, 12/06)
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Employment Outlook

• Faster than average increase than other
  occupations through 2012 (26.1 vs. 15.2).
• Aging population,
• Focus on health issues

(US Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
2004)
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Emerging New Areas

• Computer assisted surgery
• Cellular and tissue engineering
• Rehabilitation and orthopedics
• Emphasis on cost efficiency and effectiveness

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What employers are looking for

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Leadership skills
• Acquired experience in field
• Good work ethic, integrity
• Good grades (first job)
• Well rounded applicants

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Other Desired Skills and Competencies

• Teamwork
• Analytical thinking
• Time management, adaptability
• Geographic awareness and global understanding of
  events and how they affect company

College Employment Research Institute, Michigan
State University, 2005.
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Things to Remember

• First job is springboard to career
• There is no perfect job - decide what is
  important to you
• Job satisfaction, opportunity to learn new things
  and gain experience more important than money
• Be flexible on location, title, salary, and
  benefits
• Be willing to pay your dues

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Summary

• Many opportunities available to biomedical
  engineers
• Successful engineering careers require technical,
  communication, and interpersonal skills
• Careers in biomedical engineering pay well and
  can be very rewarding