Unit I Careers in Biomedical Technology

1
Unit ICareers in Biomedical Technology
2
Why is science so important to us?

• Science is always evolving
• Edward Jenner discovered smallpox
  vaccine
• Joseph Lister convinced surgeons to wash hands
  and use clean bedding

3
Helps us understand our world Great truths
dispelled (i.e. the world is flat) Knowing how
the world works helps you make decisions about
issues that affect your future. Scientists help
discover how the world works!
4
Facts about scientists

• Dont always work in universities or
  hospitalspharmaceutical companies, public health
  laboratories, government agencies, chemical
  companies
• PhD or MD
• Curiosity
• Observant
• Enjoys finding out about things unknown

5
Emerging Field of Biotechnology

• Began in the early 1980s with the development of
  Cloning recombinant DNA techniques.

6
National Institutes of HealthNIH

• The federal agency that has established safety
  guidelines for the transfer manipulation of DNA.

7
Careers

• -ist at the end of a profession means what?
• i.e. A Radiologist reads interpreted x-rays. He
  is a physician who specializes in radiographic
  images. (a person who does)
• -ian at the end of a profession means what?
• i.e. Electrocardiograph technician applies
  electrodes pads to the patient to test heart.
  (relating to)

8
Pathologists

• Physician specializing in diagnosing diseases by
  examining blood, secretions, body tissue
  fluids.
• Must complete medical school specialized
  training.
• Work in hospital laboratories or in outpatient
  reference laboratories or private practice
  pathology.
• Frequently determines cause of death.

9
Medical Laboratory Technician

• Prepares tissue slides performs simple blood
  tests, cell counts, urinalysis.

10
Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Medical
technologist)Bachelors Degree/4 year program

• Responsible for performing clinical laboratory
  tests analyzing the results using independent
  judgment.

11
Phlebotomist

• A phlebotomist primary draws blood, either for
  laboratory tests or for blood donations.

12
Associated Terminology

• Hematology - study of the formed elements of
  blood blood forming tissues.
• Pathogens - microorganisms that produces a
  disease.
• Histology - Microscopic study of animal and plant
  tissues, which are groups of similar cells
  interrelated for cooperative performance of a
  particular biological function.
• Immunology - study of how blood cells prevent
  disease caused by microorganisms.

13
Life Science

• Life scientists or researchers study living
  organisms and life processes.
• Many opportunities in research development in
  health care.
• Masters or doctoral level
• Specific careers
• Microbiologist
• Virologist
• Biochemist

14
Life scientists

• Responsible for
• 1 - developing new drugs.
• 2- methods of treatments
• 3 - new methods of protecting the environment

15
Microbiologist

• A scientist that can work as a bacteriologist,
  who work in the field of bacteriology and study
  bacteria.
• Environmental microbiologists - work in the field
  of environmental microbiology and study microbial
  processes in the environment.
• Food microbiologists - work in the food industry
  and study pathogenic microorganisms that cause
  foodborne illness and spoilage.

16
Virologist

• A scientist who studies viruses and virus-like
  agents their structure, classification and
  evolution, their ways to infect and exploit cells
  for virus reproduction, the diseases they cause,
  the techniques to isolate and culture them, and
  their potential uses in research and therapy.

17
Biochemist
Biochemist

• Typical biochemists study chemical processes and
  chemical transformations in living organisms.
  Analyzes the effects of hormones, enzymes,
  serums, foods on tissues organs.

18
Radiologist (imaging professional)

• A physician trained to diagnose patients by
  reading x-rays i.e. mammograms

19
Radiography (Radiographer)Education is 2 year
program

• Responsibilities takes the x-rays
• Radiation exposure a constant concern
• (1) Film badge
• (2) Federal Government regulates exposure.
• The level of exposure to radiological materials
  is measured on a badge worn by each radiographer.

20
Radiologic Technologist

• Administers radio opaque media (dye) to complete
  x-rays.

21
Nuclear Medicine Technologist

• Performs bone scans, brain, thyroid lung scans.

22
Ultrasound Technologist(Medical sonographer)

• Utilizes sound waves to produce two-dimensional
  images of internal organs.

23
Physicist

• A scientist who specializes in physics.
  Physicists study a wide range of physical
  phenomena in many branches of physics spanning
  all length scales from sub-atomic particles of
  which all ordinary matter is made (particle
  physics) to the behavior of the material Universe
  as a whole . ...

24
Medical Dosimetrist

• A member of a radiation oncology team who
  specializes in the operation of radiation
  equipment and calculations of dosages in
  cooperation with oncologists.

25
Electrocardiograph Technician

• Minimal training compared to other professions.
  Attaches electrode pads to the patient to test
  the action of the heart.
• They operate electrocardiogram equipment to
  monitor patients' heart problems. 
• Job duties include 
• Connect electrodes to patients.
• Insert and remove catheters.
• Record test results.
• Identify emergencies or abnormalities.
• Average Salary  15,000 - 32,000

26
Echocardiography

• An echocardiogram is a sonography of the heart.
• Uses standard ultrasound techniques to image
  two-dimensional slices of the heart.
• An echocardiogram can also produce accurate
  assessment of the velocity of blood and cardiac
  tissue at any arbitrary point using pulsed or
  continuous wave doppler ultrasound.

27
Electroencephalograph

• Frequent headaches seizures would be a reason
  for an EEG.
• EEG measures electrical activity of the brain.

28
Nutritionist / Dietician

• An expert in food and nutrition. They provide
  nutrition counseling for patients (i.e. concern
  over weight gain).
• Dietitians help promote good health through
  proper eating.
• They have to have a bachelors degree to
  practice.

29
Dietary Technician

• Completes a two year associate degree program
  whose duties includes planning menus
  supervising the production of food.

30
Weight Reduction Specialist

• Counsels obese patients using dietary activity
  guidelines.

31

• Environmental Careers, Resources Hazards

32
Environmental Engineer

• Improve the environment (air, water, and/or land
  resources), to provide healthy water, air, and
  land
• Environmental engineering involves water and air
  pollution control, recycling, waste disposal, and
  public health issues

33
Health Regulatory Inspectors

• A public employee who investigates health hazards
  then takes action to eliminate the hazards.
• Usually the public perception of a health
  inspector.

34
Sanitarian

• Set enforce standards concerning food, sewage
  waste disposal.
• Enforces laws, rules and regulations for
  maintaining and promoting community hygiene.

35
Biomedical Equipment Technician

• Highly skilled technicians responsible for
  ensuring medical equipment is deemed serviceable,
  safe, and properly repaired inspected.

36
Central Service Technician

• Cleans, sorts, assembles, prepares, packages and
  sterilizes supplies and equipment used in
  diagnostics the operating room.

37
Environmental Control

• Biosphere-atmosphere that supports life.

38
Ecosystems Ecology

• Is the scientific study of the distribution
  and abundance of life and the interactions
  between organisms and their natural environment.

39
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• Federal agency responsible for setting
  regulating the standards for the environment. It
  was established in 1970.

40
Diseases health conditions linked to
environment.

• The thinning of the ozone layer is due to
  exhaust, aerosol sprays painting materials.
• Lung related diseases
• Skin cancer

41
Emphysema

• Emphysema is characterized by loss of elasticity
  (increased compliance) of the lung tissue
• Worsened by air pollution, including long-term
  exposure to tobacco smoke.

42
Lead Poisoning

• Increased levels of the metal lead in the blood.
• Lead may cause irreversible neurological damage
  as well as renal disease, cardiovascular effects,
  and reproductive toxicity.
• Government programs have reduced lead in gas
  additives paints.

43
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

• Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless,
  tasteless, and non-irritating, making it
  difficult for people to detect.
• Replaces oxygen in the blood stream

44
Lung Cancer

• Lung cancer, the most common cause of
  cancer-related death in men and the second most
  common in womenis responsible for 1.3 million
  deaths worldwide annually.

45

• Biotechnology careers genetics

46
Biotechnologist

• 1. Development of cloning recombinant DNA
  techniques of gene manipulation.
• 2. A scientist that alters the cells of living
  things to discover improve genetic traits.
• 3. Most work in private biotechnology companies.

47
Laminar flow hoods are used to vent
filter air.
Working environment
48
Strict Sterilization

• In biotechnology laboratories the use of
  microorganisms requires strict sterilization.

49
Biotechnology rapidly making complex advances

• Over 200 medicines and related products created
  from biotech techniques currently available.
• Horizontal gene transfer in living plants.
• Manipulate organic materials to reach the
  demands of food production.
• New drug creation

50
Over 1000 biotech companies in U.S., most
working in diagnostics therapeutics

• A few of the more prominent biotech companies are
  Alteon, Inc., AmpliMed, Inc., Callisto
  Pharmaceuticals Inc., Kinexis, Inc., Trellis
  Bioscience, Inc., and The Vaccine Company.

51
Ethical concerns related to eugenics.

• Eugenics is "the study of, or belief in, the
  possibility of improving the qualities of the
  human species or a human population by such means
  as discouraging reproduction by persons having
  genetic defects or presumed to have inheritable
  undesirable traits (negative eugenics) or
  encouraging reproduction by persons presumed to
  have inheritable desirable traits (positive
  eugenics)."
• Counseling of couples not to have a child if a
  faulty gene is present.
• Selecting favorable traits such as gender before
  implantation.

52
Different Fields of Study

• A. Medical biotechnologist
• B. Research biotechnologist
• C. Forensics
• D. Geneticist

53
Medical Biotechnologist

• Works with production of antibodies for diagnosis
  or treatment of disease.

54
Research Biotechnologist

• A scientist that studies the use of
  microorganisms to perform specific industrial or
  manufacturing processes.
• Applications include the production of certain
  drugs, synthetic hormones, and bulk foodstuffs as
  well as the bioconversion of organic waste and
  the use of genetically altered bacteria in the
  cleanup of oil spills.

55
Forensics

• Biotechnology professional who works to aid in
  solving crimes is a forensics specialist.

56
Geneticist

• A geneticist is a scientist who studies genetics,
  the science of heredity and variation of
  organisms.
• Counsel families with history of health problems
  I.e. Sickle cell traits Down Syndrome.

57
Support Personnel

• Biomedical Engineer
• Biomedical Equipment Technician

58
Biomedical Engineer

• Designs instruments machines that are used to
  monitor treat disease.

59
Biomedical Equipment Technician

• Fixes / repairs medical equipment
• i.e. Monitor in ICU is not working properly..who
  would you call to fix it?
• Biomedical Equipment Technician