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Employment
According to U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
bioengineers hold about 21,000 jobs in the United States. The medical
equipment and supplies manufacturing industry employed about 17 percent of
all biomedical engineers. Another 14% were employed in the scientific
research and development services industry. Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing accounted for about 9% of employers, with colleges, universities and professional schools employing another 8%, an healthcare and social assistance rounding out employers at 8%.
Biomedical engineers are employed in industry, in hospitals,
in research facilities of educational and medical institutions, in
teaching, and in government regulatory agencies. They often serve a
coordinating or interfacing function, using their background in both the
engineering and medical fields. 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. Government positions often involve product testing and
safety, as well as establishing safety standards for devices. In the
hospital, the biomedical engineer may provide advice on the selection and
use of medical equipment, as well as supervising its performance testing
and maintenance. They may also build customized devices for special health
care 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.
Some biomedical engineers are technical advisors for marketing departments
of companies and some are in management positions. Some biomedical
engineers also have advanced training in other fields. For example, many
biomedical engineers also have an M.D. degree, thereby combining an
understanding of advanced technology with direct patient care or clinical
research.
Employers
The following is a partial list of employers of
bioengineers:
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics and the Whitaker
Foundation.
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