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 * What do you do?**

Biomedical engineers design and build technology that is used in health care. For example, they might work on a surgical laser, which is used in an operating room instead of scalpels, or on a machine that temporarily replaces the functions of the heart and lungs during open-heart surgery.

What other people do you work with?

A lot of health care devices today are software-driven, so computer programming is an important part of my work as well. Computer programs do all kinds of things—from allowing doctors to access patient information online to creating algorithms that analyze the heart rate of a patient.
 * Typical Projects **

very expensive health care technology
 * What tools do you use **

Biomedical engineering training is cross-disciplinary. It enables you to become comfortable tackling new challenges.
 * Occupational Upside **

Keeping current. You are expected to be an expert on all state-of-the-art technological issues. This includes medicine, engineering, communications, and chemistry. You have to be up-to-date in all of these areas. 
 * Occupational Downside **
 * Employment Benefits **

This profession is small, but growing steadily as more and more technology is used in health care.

Most positions are in large urban centers, so you will likely have to look nationally for work. Generally, only large hospitals have clinical engineers.


 * Most satisfying Experience **


 * “I really like the feeling that what I achieve in research and development will be helping someone, whether it’s comparing the reliability of non-invasive blood pressure measuring devices or developing an implantable wrist joint that will help people with rheumatoid arthritis use their hands again.

Also, like many biomedical engineers, I work in an academic setting and that certainly has its benefits. I have the intellectual freedom to pursue the research that I think is important—provided, of course, I can get the funding. And I get to interact with students and young researchers, who always have new, and fresh, and exciting ideas.” ||
 * Advice for people interested in System Engineering **
 * “You must be really passionate about this job. If you only have a passing interest in it, you’ll likely not be any good at it, and if you’re not good at it, in a hospital environment, you’ll be eaten alive.” ||

Information from: Career Cruising [|1] [|2]