Biomedical Engineer
What the work is
Combines engineering principles with science, computing and medicine to develop and maintain medical systems, devices and equipment for health care purposes.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Designs and develops biomedical systems and devices, including artificial or bionic organs and parts, prosthetics, diagnostic machines and health monitoring devices
- Maintains medical equipment and devices, and performs safety checks to ensure compliance with regulatory standards
- Oversees the implementation of medical devices and systems in health care settings
- Provides support and training to Health Professionals to effectively use medical devices
- May work in clinical settings to diagnose and resolve problems, including analysing data from medical imaging technology
- May design software to run medical equipment or computer simulations to test new drug therapies and delivery systems
- May work with scientists in nanotechnology to design new materials to create medical products
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in the engineering workshop of a regional hospital, where the machines that help care for patients are tested and repaired. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A machine the ward thought was broken is back in service within the hour
- Staff tell you a new device is easier to use because of a change you suggested
- You design a small fix that makes a clumsy piece of equipment safer to handle
Hard days
- Two wards want the same machine and only one is available
- A device fails a safety check on the day you most need it in use
- You are called away from a long project to deal with a fault that cannot wait
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 243933, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.