Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical Engineering involves design of instruments, devices, and software, to bring together knowledge from many technical sources to develop new procedures or to conduct research needed to solve clinical problems. A biomedical engineer uses the traditional engineering theory and techniques to analyze and solve problems in Biology and medicine providing an over all enhancement of health care.

The course curriculums in Biomedical engineering are clinical engineering, tissue and genetic engineering, biomechanics, medical imaging, rehabilitation engineering, system physiology, bio-mechanics, bio-materials etc. These methods are applied in medical health treatment.

Students choose the biomedical engineering field to be of service to people, to partake of the excitement of working with living systems, and to apply advanced technology to the complex problems of medical care. The biomedical engineer works with other health care professionals including physicians, nurses, therapists and technicians. 
  
Courses & Eligibility 

An individual aspiring for Biomedical Engineering should do Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) in Biomedical Engineering offered at select institutes in the country and abroad. One can also opt for any conventional branches of engineering and after the completion can go for postgraduate course in Biomedical engineering. Alternatively, one can do BE in any of the Engineering branches and go for a postgraduate course in Medical Technology, which is considered equivalent to a postgraduate course in Biomedical Engineering. An individual after completing his/her MBBS degree can also opt for a postgraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering/ Medical Engineering/ Medical Technology.
 
Career Prospects 

Biomedical engineering is one of the tough career options preferred by talented individuals in the field of engineering and medical sciences. There are enormous opportunities in this field.

Biomedical engineers are employed in universities, in industry, in hospitals, in research faculties of educational and medical institutions, in teaching, and in government regulatory agencies. They often serve a coordinating or interfacing function, using their background in both the engineering and medical fields. In industry, they may create designs where an in-depth understanding of living systems and of technology is essential. They may be involved in performance testing of new or proposed products. Government positions often involve product testing and safety as well as establishing safety standards for devices.

In the hospital, the biomedical engineer may provide advice on the selection and use of medical equipment, as well as supervising its performance testing and maintenance. They may also build customized devices for special health care or research needs. In research institutions, biomedical engineers supervise laboratories and equipment, and participate in or direct research activities in collaboration with other researchers with such backgrounds as medicine, physiology, and nursing. Some biomedical engineers are technical advisors for marketing departments of companies and some are in management positions.

Some biomedical engineers also have advanced training in other fields. For example, many biomedical engineers also have an M.D. degree, thereby combining an understanding of advanced technology with direct patient care or clinical research which further increases their job prospects. 
 
Pay-Package 

Remuneration of biomedical engineering professionals is quite high. In medical equipment manufacturing companies, you can get anything between Rs.20, 000 and Rs. 30,000 per month in hand apart from other perks and benefits. In research and teaching institutions salaries vary between Rs.18,000-25,000 per month. Private hospitals and clinics pay between Rs.15,000 and Rs.25,000 per month. In government sector, the monthly salary ranges from Rs.16,000 to Rs.22,000 per month.
 
Institutes/Universities 

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi  

Course (s) Offered: Postgraduate programs in Biomedical engineering

Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai
Course (s) Offered: M.Tech Biomedical engineering

Banaras Hindu University Institute of Technology
Course (s) Offered: MTech and PhD in Biomedicaal Engineering

Anna University
Chennai-600025, 
Tamil Nadu

Jadavpur University
Course (s) Offered: M.Tech Biomedical engineering (10 seats)

Dwarkadas J. Sanghvi College of Engineering
Plot No. U-15,
J.V.P.D Scheme,
Bhaktivedanta Swami Marg,
Vile Parle (West),
Mumbai 400 056
Phone: 610 7010 Or 610 7461
Fax: 619 4988
Email: djscoe94@rediffmail.com
Website: http://www.djscoe.org/
Course (s) Offered: B.Tech in Biomedical Engineering

Manipal Institute of Technology
Manipal, 
Karnataka
Phone:2571061 - 2571070
Fax:(0820) 2571071
Website: http://www.manipal.edu
Course (s) Offered : BE in Biomedical Engineering, M. Tech. in Biomedical Engineering

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research
University of Delhi, 
Delhi - 110007, India
Phone: + 91 - 11 - 27666272, 27667151
Fax: + 91 - 11 – 27666248
Course (s) Offered: M. Sc. - Ph.D. Combined Degree Program in Biomedical Sciences, M. Sc. Degree Program in Biomedical Sciences, Ph.D. /M. Phil. Program