Biomedical engineers design, develop and maintain the equipment used for diagnosing illness and treating patients. Your job could involve:
- testing equipment, such as walking aids, wheelchairs and speech synthesisers
- developing artificial limbs that attach to the patient’s own tissue, giving them greater control
- making artificial joints, heart valves and hearing implants from new materials to lessen the chance of rejection by the patient’s body
- designing equipment that allows doctors to try new medical techniques, for example, optical instruments for keyhole surgery
- day-to-day management of medical equipment, such as scanners, imaging machines and monitoring systems
- carrying out quality assurance checks to ensure all equipment is working correctly and safely
You’ll usually work for the HSE, biomedical manufacturer or research institute.
Biomedical engineers work in offices, laboratories, workshops, manufacturing plants, clinics and hospitals. Some local travel may be required if medical equipment is located in various clinics or hospitals.
Most biomedical engineers work standard weekday hours. Longer hours may be required to meet research deadlines, work with patients at times convenient to them, or work on medical equipment that is in use during daytime hours.
Salary and other benefits
These figures are only a guide, as actual rates of pay may vary, depending on the employer and where people live.
- Graduate salaries may start at around €30,000 a year.
- Experienced biomedical engineers may earn around €55,000.
- Senior biomedical engineers earn up to €80,000
Getting In:
A degree in sengineering,biomedical engineering or science is the normal entry requirements
Useful Links:
The Biomedical & Clinical Engineering Association of Ireland
Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine
Relevant Courses:
Cork Institute of Technology
Bachelor of Engineering – Biomedical Engineering BEng (Hons)
Dublin City University
Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering (Hons)