biomedical engineering??

[brownboi512]

anyone on ATOT a biomedical engineer? what was the starting pay? do u like ur job? where do u work? is it rewarding? just some questions because i was thinking of this as a major next year. lmk thanks!

/edit
thinkin bout BS in MechE or MSE and a minor/masters in BME. anyone have experience in this situation? lmk!

 

[Deeko]

haha....

My roommate just graduated in biomed. Along with several other friends of mine from college. 1 of them has a job so far...

It is actually a very good field with a lot of jobs, but not many of them are entry level.

 

[Epic Fail]

It's a popular major to study if you want to apply to medical school down the line.

 

[Tiamat]

you need a ph.D to get job offers. Typical range for ph.D Biomed that I have seen for minimal work experience is north of 90k$ starting. BME is quite a rigorous program, if you are interested in it, check out johns hopkins university as they are the best university for such a program.

Typical setup is B.S.BME -> ph.D/MD. Other popular choices are B.S.EE/ECE -> ph.D BME

 

[Yreka]

.

 

[rgwalt]

Keep in mind that biomedical engineering has only recently been accredited by ABET, so there most schools with a college of engineering will not necessarily offer the degree, or be accredited. Check Abet.org for a list of schools with accredited degree programs. Do not attend a college for biomed/bioeng if the program is not accredited or in the process of becoming accredited.

Most jobs in the area require an MS or PhD as the field is not fully developed yet. In years to come, there will be more positions for BS level engineers, but I wouldn't go into the field without planning on some graduate work. Nice thing about biomed/bioeng is that typically you can switch to chemical engineering within the first couple of years without losing too much ground, or you can switch to chem, biochem, molecular bio, etc. easily as well. Plus, it is a launching platform for pharmacy school or med school.

R

 

[brownboi512]

interesting...i do not want to become a MD down the line tho. anyone else?

 

[rgwalt]

Originally posted by: brownboi512
interesting...i do not want to become a MD down the line tho. anyone else?

What do you think you want to do with this degree? Most positions right now are in the pharm. industry, either in R&D or in manufacturing. Other positions exist in areas for medical implants (artifical limbs) but these typically have a more mechanical engineering "bent" to them.

R

 

[WombRaider]

Originally posted by: brownboi512
interesting...i do not want to become a MD down the line tho. anyone else?

then you should probably pick a different degree.

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: brownboi512
interesting...i do not want to become a MD down the line tho. anyone else?

then get a ph.D...

Most of the work done by BMEs are heavy on the research aspect, and not yet at manufacturing levels. This is most of the reason why ph.D is recommended and sought for by companies -- they need the independent thinking ability and the experience that comes with strong academic background as well as a diversified background in coursework - not something you can get fully with just an undergrad degree.

 

[George P Burdell]

Originally posted by: WombRaider

Originally posted by: brownboi512
interesting...i do not want to become a MD down the line tho. anyone else?

then you should probably pick a different degree.

Agreed.

 

[ed21x]

Originally posted by: George P Burdell

Originally posted by: WombRaider

Originally posted by: brownboi512
interesting...i do not want to become a MD down the line tho. anyone else?

then you should probably pick a different degree.

Agreed.

disagree on both counts. I'm a biomedical engineer with a BS and currently work for Johnson&Johnson. Expect to make a little less than most engineers with starting at around $50k. However, the field is just beginning and my company is struggling to find more employees because there are so few BioE's around and so many companies- both starting (Watsons, BioRad, BioMarin, Irvine Biomedical, etc...) to more established ones like Amgen, Genentech, and of course the one that I'm currently in. However, I will be getting a Masters soon because like any engineering job out there, a glass ceiling exists without an advanced degree.

 

[Funyuns101]

I also disagree. I know TONS of BME's (obviously graduated) that were not pre-med's. In fact a bunch of them went on to work for financial companies and consulting firms instead of plain old engineering.
As an aside, yes JHU is #1 BME - but it's pretty freaking hard major. You also will have a concentration in something like Computer science, Elec/computer Engr, ChemE, etc.

OP, if you're still in high school you can rest assured that you'll probably be able to get a decent job depending on how well you do.
A lot of people here will tell you that your eventual job doesn't always have to related to your major in college.

But I digress, other BMEs will end up working for Boston Scientific, the Mayo Clinic, or one the ones that ed21x listed. There's another one in Minn that I forget.
Defense contractors like Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin will also be looking to hire BMEs.

more questions?

 

[CycloWizard]

Go chemical engineering. You'll learn all the same things and then some, with the end result of getting paid more when you graduate. It's a lot harder though, so be prepared.

 

[erub]

As a EE, BME's have the hottest group of chicks of all engineerings, with ChemE a close second and CivilE 3rd. Well, at least we EE's rank ahead of the CS! My sample size is 2 large engineering universities, so as always YMMV.

 

[NoShangriLa]

It is a good field to get into, because of the war there will always be a need for orthotic prosthetic BioEng. It may not be glamorous or highly pay as other fields, but it is definitely interesting.

Do what you love & the money will come.

 

[brownboi512]

also thinking of chem engineering now. i plan on going to ga tech. i wouldnt mind going into the research field. same questions for chem engineering now. thanks so far guys, and yes i am a senior in high school right now.

 

[PhaZe]

I'm an EE at the university of houston and I know that they have to take some of our hardest classes. I looked at their course flow chart and they have a mix of everything. Sadly, the mix of EE courses are the hardest IMO.

 

[CraKaJaX]

Originally posted by: PhaZe
I'm an EE at the university of houston and I know that they have to take some of our hardest classes. I looked at their course flow chart and they have a mix of everything. Sadly, the mix of EE courses are the hardest IMO.

But it's all fun stuff

 

[mrrman]

I am an EE and have worked in the med field for 10 years...I am now considering an entire career change

 

[CraKaJaX]

Originally posted by: mrrman
I am an EE and have worked in the med field for 10 years...I am now considering an entire career change

What do you do in the med field?

 

[mrrman]

lung cancer research, anaesthesia and respiratory( assisting Dr's)

 

[SludgeFactory]

Originally posted by: erub
As a EE, BME's have the hottest group of chicks of all engineerings, with ChemE a close second and CivilE 3rd. Well, at least we EE's rank ahead of the CS! My sample size is 2 large engineering universities, so as always YMMV.

That's pretty much what I've seen. Except change "hottest group of chicks" to "any chicks at all"

OP, never say never to MD or anything else, you will most likely be seeing things from a completely different frame of mind after 4 (or likely 5) years of college.

The engineering degree in general is a safe choice, while it's basically the toughest way to go as an undergrad, it can open more doors to future careers & education than just about any other major. Whatever you major in, keep above 3.0 GPA and definitely do some internships to be a competitive job applicant at the end of it all, and have some fun along the way.

 

[BrownTown]

Originally posted by: erub
As a EE, BME's have the hottest group of chicks of all engineerings, with ChemE a close second and CivilE 3rd. Well, at least we EE's rank ahead of the CS! My sample size is 2 large engineering universities, so as always YMMV.

That's pretty much what I've seen. Except substitute "hottest group of chicks" for "any chicks at all"
[/quote]

lol, d@mnit that was EXACTLY what I was about to post. BME is like 50% girls, here, everything else is like 10% at MOST. That having been said, there is very little opportunity for a BME job with just an undergraduate degree. Either you get a MD or PH.D, or you go use your undergrad BME degree at a non-BME firm (half our BME grads probably end up doing this which is just silly, they shoulda gone a different major from the start). The one that ALOT of them THINK they are gonna do is get a combined MD/PHD and do all kinds of research, but good luck with that people you gotta be uber-motivated to handle that shit and few likely ever make it. I would Vanderbilt BMEs split 1/3 med school, 1/3 grad school, 1/6 BME jobs with bachelors and 1/6 non-BME jobs with bachelors.

 

[SludgeFactory]

Eh, I forgot about Industrial Eng, there were a good percentage of girls in that major, I might put them in at 3rd.

ME and EE were just dismal at my school for # of females, I think CS was better off at the time.