The amalgamation of the principles and design concepts of engineering with medicine and biology for healthcare purposes has led to the evolution of a new and innovative field of study called Biomedical engineering. This mainly focuses on to improve human health and health care at all levels. . Biomedical Engineering is an up-and-coming field that combines the problem-solving skills of engineering and medical sciences to develop long-term solutions for advanced healthcare and treatment. While still in its nascent phase, the impact and advantages of this biomedical engineering are very much visible in the healthcare sector through MRIs, EEGs, biomedical chips, biocompatible prostheses. Many of the medical devices that we use in our day-today-life like BP monitor, blood-sugar monitor and others are also a result of rapid development of technology in Biomedical engineering.

The rising demand of medical technology that aids in monitoring and treatment of patients has brought biomedical engineering to the limelight. This has also translated into rising employment opportunities in this field. Today, many students have started looking at biomedical engineering as a field of study that offers excellent career prospects in terms of further studies, research opportunities and even employment opportunities. Biomedical Engineering as a field of study is surely on a rise, but still not many are aware of the immense opportunities that are on offer. To help such students, we have compiled a comprehensive guide detailing all aspects related to biomedical engineering, its scope, career prospects, eligibility criteria and top institutes that offer academic programmes in this field.

Scope of Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical Engineers have one of the most versatile job profiles with job responsibilities ranging from medical to engineering and even pharmaceutical fields. Talking about scope of Biomedical engineering as a field of study, the subject deals with many interesting topics like:

• Biomechanics: This field deals with study of structure and function of biological systems with help of mechanics
• Tissue Engineering: This field deals with the development of tissue-based biochemical & physiochemical artificial organs that can operate as organic body organs.
• Genetic Engineering: Deals with the study of manipulation of human/biological genome using biotechnology and study its impact at different levels.
• Neural Engineering: Neural engineering applies the engineering techniques to develop, replace and enhance neural systems in human and other biological beings.
• Pharmaceutical Engineering: Involves study of medicines, drug development, novel drug delivery mechanisms, pharmaceutical technology and other factors.
• Medical Devices development: Development of complex and everyday health technology products that diagnosis, monitoring, cure, drug delivery and other activities
• Clinical Engineering: Deals with the implementation of medical equipment and technological products in a clinical setting in a hospital or medical centre.

In addition to these, the field of Biomedical engineering also has several other sub-domains that are yet in their evolutionary phase and will surely become very important part of this domain. Students interested in taking up biomedical engineering should consider all the sub-specializations before taking a final call.

Eligibility

There are a few different ways through which students can choose to become a biomedical engineer; some of the common ones are listed below:

• Candidates aspiring to become biomedical engineers can join a 4-year Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering (B.E./ B.Tech in BME) after completing their Class 12/10+2 examination. Some institutes also have an entrance exam to grant admission to B.Tech BME programmes. This is the most commonly adopted approach.
• In case you are not sure about choosing Biomedical Engineering as your core domain after Class 12, you can do B.Tech in any of the traditional engineering fields like Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electronics Engineering or Chemical Engineering. After completing your B.Tech, you can pursue postgraduate academic programme in biomedical engineering and become a biomedical engineer
• Another popular way of becoming a biomedical engineer involves completing your B.Tech in any of the traditional engineering domains and then complete a postgraduate degree in medical technology.
• Candidates from the medical background, who have completed their MBBS degree can also opt to become biomedical engineers by joining a postgraduate programme in Biomedical Engineering/ Medical Engineering/ Medical Technology.

Career Prospects as a Biomedical Engineer

Biomedical engineering is one of the toughest professions around today. Considering that the field involves knowledge and understanding of two of the most difficult scientific subjects i.e., medical and engineering; the domain is surely not for students who are seeking an easy way out. Despite being a difficult subject of study, Biomedical engineering as a career option has immense potential and lucrative career opportunities for students. Career as a Biomedical Engineer empowers an individual to contribute effectively in the development and improvement of healthcare solutions by application of medical and biological sciences. While some of the career opportunities on offer to biomedical engineers are very well known, some are not so. Below, we have discussed all major career opportunities that the domain of biomedical engineering offers.

• Hired by medical facilities like hospitals, clinics and healthcare centre for installation and upkeep of medical technology and equipment
• Hired as research and development field by pharmaceutical companies, medical research centres
• Hired in government regulatory agencies to monitor and implement modern technology in healthcare sector
• Hired in educational institutes as teachers/professors to teach the subject
• Hired as testing personnel for new and innovative medical technology being developed and to assure its results before the market launch
• Hired as design professionals, who can develop biomechanical components
• Hired as supervisor and technology expert in healthcare centres and research laboratories advising on incorporation of new technology
• Hired as marketing advisors and technical assistants in pharmaceutical companies

Pay Package offered to Biomedical Engineers

The field of Biomedical engineering is still quite new; therefore, the engineers in this field are faced with low competition and several job opportunities. This has led to increase in the overall remuneration and pay package attracted by these professionals. However, because biomedical engineering is a niche field; the pay range differs from one industry to another.

Top Biomedical Engineering Institutes

The most popular educational institutes offering undergraduate and postgraduate level academic programmes in Biomedical engineering are:

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