Biomedical Engineer
Employers and Working Conditions
The top employers that want biomedical engineers or who provide work for the biomedical engineers so they can get paid are the government and the health-care industry. These 2 alone are the biggest employers (generally) however going into specifics in the healthcare industry there are many different companies and business who employ biomedical engineers. Workplace for biomedical engineers is dependent. Biomedical engineers can work in hospitals, offices, labs or even manufacturing settings. They can work in hospitals for hours on devices and then they might return and go to another/different manufacturing settings if they need to make improvements to a device. The workplace for a biomedical engineering is constantly changing. Biomedical engineers work full time and even additional hours to meet the needs of the patients, colleagues, clients etc. This is a job that could also take place in clinics or universities. Overall this job is considered to be a good one as the interaction levels are high while the stress levels are low. It has a good work-life balance and it's easy to be flexible with a job like this.
Financial Reward
Someone who is fairly new at being a biomedical engineering can be payed the lowest amount in their salary which is 51,000.
The minimum wage and median can be estimated to be around 80,000-90,000.
People who have been working in the profession for quite a while are more likely to be experienced and experts who usually earn anywhere from 130,00 to 145,000
Responsibilites
On The Job Duties and Responsibilities:
Use technology to solve clinical problems. Work with equipment and develop new software and machines to conduct research and get an in depth understanding of living systems and technology. Also work in development, research or quality assurance. They develop systems and products such as artificial body parts and organs as well as machines to run and diagnose medical issues. Biomedical engineers are apart of the technology, medical and STEM fields. They work with advanced prosthetic, robots and even pharmaceutical drugs. Biomedical engineers usually work with life scientists, chemists and medical professors (nurses, therapists, etc.) and discuss engineering therapies and analyze biological processes and systems using their technology and computers.
Education
School 2: McMaster University - Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences
Program Length - 5 Years
Minimum Average - Low 90’s
Credentials Awarded - Bachelor of Engineering and Health Sciences
Education Required - Secondary School
Courses Required - Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
Grade 12 English (ENG4U)
Grade 12 Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U
Grade 12 Biology (SBI4U)
Grade 12 Chemistry (SCH4U)
Grade 12 Physics (SPH4U)
One additional Grade 12 university level or university college level course
Students are expected to have completed Grade 12 Advanced Functions (MHF4U)
Co-op is an option
School 2: McMaster University - Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences
Program Length - 5 Years
Minimum Average - Low 90’s
Credentials Awarded - Bachelor of Engineering and Health Sciences
Education Required - Secondary School
Courses Required - Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
Grade 12 English (ENG4U)
Grade 12 Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U
Grade 12 Biology (SBI4U)
Grade 12 Chemistry (SCH4U)
Grade 12 Physics (SPH4U)
One additional Grade 12 university level or university college level course
Students are expected to have completed Grade 12 Advanced Functions (MHF4U)
Co-op is an option
School 1: University of Waterloo - Biomedical Engineering
Program Length - 5 Years
Minimum Average - Low 90’s To High 90’s
Credentials Awarded - Bachelor of Applied Science
Education Required - Secondary School
Courses Required - Grade 12 English (ENG4U)
Grade 12 Advanced Functions (MHF4U)
Grade 12 Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U)
Grade 12 Physics (SPH4U)
Grade 12 Chemistry (SCH4U)
Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
One additional Grade 12 university level or university college level course
A minimum grade of 70% is required in all prerequisite courses
Co-op is an option
School 1: University of Waterloo - Biomedical Engineering
Program Length - 5 Years
Minimum Average - Low 90’s To High 90’s
Credentials Awarded - Bachelor of Applied Science
Education Required - Secondary School
Courses Required - Grade 12 English (ENG4U)
Grade 12 Advanced Functions (MHF4U)
Grade 12 Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U)
Grade 12 Physics (SPH4U)
Grade 12 Chemistry (SCH4U)
Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
One additional Grade 12 university level or university college level course
A minimum grade of 70% is required in all prerequisite courses
Co-op is an option
Career Profile
Biomedical Engineers have to:
Design equipment and work with technology to run medical equipment
Use their background in engineering and in medicine to conduct research or make up procedures to solve clinical problems
Design instruments, electrical circuits software and run computer simulations, all of this would relate to the medical field
Overall job outlook and growth for the future is considered to be good in most parts of Canada
The highest education needed for this occupation/workplace would be university
Pay would also be considered above average/good:
Low - 51,000
Medium - 88,000
High - 144,000
Biomedical Engineers have to:
Design equipment and work with technology to run medical equipment
Use their background in engineering and in medicine to conduct research or make up procedures to solve clinical problems
Design instruments, electrical circuits software and run computer simulations, all of this would relate to the medical field
Overall job outlook and growth for the future is considered to be good in most parts of Canada
The highest education needed for this occupation/workplace would be university
Pay would also be considered above average/good:
Low - 51,000
Medium - 88,000
High - 144,000
Conclusion
I like the medical and technological field. I want to develop a deeper understanding of medicine and how it works and how to work with technology. Prosthetics and working with scientists also interest me. Using softwares and electrical circuits to test out artificial organs and see how they work also sound interesting. Making artificial organs while working with technology is another Biomedical Engineers do.
I like to interact with other and in groups and in this job - Interactions are very high.
I like a job that is flexible, and has a good work to life balance. When in my career I don’t only want to think about work and be stressed. The stress levels for a biomedical engineering are low and I prefer/like that.
Also the salary for this job is high
I like the medical and technological field. I want to develop a deeper understanding of medicine and how it works and how to work with technology. Prosthetics and working with scientists also interest me. Using softwares and electrical circuits to test out artificial organs and see how they work also sound interesting. Making artificial organs while working with technology is another Biomedical Engineers do.
I like to interact with other and in groups and in this job - Interactions are very high.
I like a job that is flexible, and has a good work to life balance. When in my career I don’t only want to think about work and be stressed. The stress levels for a biomedical engineering are low and I prefer/like that.
Also the salary for this job is high
Barriers
Barriers
Have a very deep understanding of Chemistry, Biology and Science in General
Maintaining a high enough average - High 90’s to get into a University such as Waterloo or McMaster that offers the program
Problem Solving Skills
Presentation and Speaking Skills
Solutions
Practice and Study things related to these fields and have a good understanding
Studying hard and getting good enough marks in all my classes - Tutors and in my free time I should be looking at things to help me do better - Books
Analyze problems, break it up and try to practice problem solving skills
Since in this job you are most of the time going to be interacting with others, I am going to need these skills and in Grade 11 I have chose a course for this
Barriers
Have a very deep understanding of Chemistry, Biology and Science in General
Maintaining a high enough average - High 90’s to get into a University such as Waterloo or McMaster that offers the program
Problem Solving Skills
Presentation and Speaking Skills
Solutions
Practice and Study things related to these fields and have a good understanding
Studying hard and getting good enough marks in all my classes - Tutors and in my free time I should be looking at things to help me do better - Books
Analyze problems, break it up and try to practice problem solving skills
Since in this job you are most of the time going to be interacting with others, I am going to need these skills and in Grade 11 I have chose a course for this
Action Plan
Co-op is an option for this career and in order to get even more experience in this field I will have to take Co-op. In the programs selected in Waterloo and McMaster Co-op is also available which is beneficial.
After high school I will go into University as that's the highest level of education required
To get into this career:
Some of the courses I would have to take are Grade 12 Physics, Chemistry, Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, Biology and English
Barriers
- Have a very deep understanding of Chemistry, Biology and Science in General
- Maintaining a high enough average - High 90’s to get into a University such as Waterloo or McMaster that offers the program
- Problem Solving Skills
- Presentation and Speaking Skills
Solutions
- Practice and Study things related to these fields and have a good understanding
- Studying hard and getting good enough marks in all my classes - Tutors and in my free time I should be looking at things to help me do better - Books
- Analyze problems, break it up and try to practice problem solving skills
- Since in this job you are most of the time going to be interacting with others, I am going to need these skills and in Grade 11 I have chose a course for this
Experiences
In a career of Biomedical Engineering I’m going to have to prepare myself in understanding the works of their job, so the basics of engineering, medical and technology work.
Something I already know would be a very basic understanding of chemistry which is required when working with medicine.
Being a biomedical engineer you are going to have to develop an understanding of how technology works as most of the time you are working with it. I know the fundamentals and basics of technology (coding with computers, etc.)
In a career of Biomedical Engineering I’m going to have to prepare myself in understanding the works of their job, so the basics of engineering, medical and technology work.
Something I already know would be a very basic understanding of chemistry which is required when working with medicine.
Being a biomedical engineer you are going to have to develop an understanding of how technology works as most of the time you are working with it. I know the fundamentals and basics of technology (coding with computers, etc.)
Trends and Future Outlook
The outlook for this career is considered to be good. In terms of New Brunswick, Alberta and British Columbia the outlook is extremely high. In terms of Ontario and Manitoba it is undetermined. Overall, the growth of this job is said to be around 7% from 2016-2026. The demand will increase and that means the employment growth will also increase. Technology is always growing and evolving which means new possibilities for a biomedical engineer. Looking at employment graphs at the bottom of myBlueprint it shows that there will be a small growth of Biomedical Engineers and by the end of 2022 it would have around 90,000-100,000 people. Over the years from 2012-2022 the employment rate only goes higher and higher as technology is also evolving. The trend of this career is looking good and this impacts the world of work as we expect the demand of a biomedical engineer to increase.
