Medical Equipment Engineering And The Future Of Its Study

Medical Equipment Engineering is a branch of the Faculty of Engineering concerned with the manufacture and maintenance of equipment and devices that are involved in the medical fields of various kinds, and this specialization has been classified as a medical engineering specialty due to the importance of having an independent specialization concerned with medical devices and their maintenance.

In this article, you will learn about the future of studying medical equipment engineering. With the development of technology, the field of medical equipment engineering is expanding rapidly. Therefore, countries are interested in teaching students medical equipment engineering and preparing for the future to keep pace with changes and innovation in this field. Which contributes to the development and refinement of advanced medical technology and devices.

Medical equipment engineering is one of the modern disciplines for other engineering disciplines, As medical equipment engineering is the actual translation of the relationship between the field of medicine and the field of engineering, and it is the best choice for those who wish to study medicine and the rate did not help him.

While the field of medicine is looking for the diagnosis of diseases and access to the best medical diagnoses and this specialty is the main pillar in the success of medicine and solving medical problems in diagnosis and treatment.

In this article, we will learn about all the academic and future information to study this specialization and whether the study of this specialization will be suitable for you.

List of Topics

1 What is the specialty of Medical Equipment Engineering?

Medical Equipment Engineering is a specialty that focuses on solving medical problems in the manufacture of medical and biological devices in order to develop modern and accurate methods in medical diagnosis and treatment in both medical and healthcare fields.

The specialization of medical equipment is the solution to all problems related to the medical field, It is interested in applying the latest studies and engineering solutions on the human body, starting from specialized devices in surgical operations and electromagnetic laser devices to devices specialized in solving vision and hearing problems, lenses and devices that specialize in treating them.

Medical engineering also provides us with many devices specialized in rehabilitation after surgeries and motor problems resulting from various accidents, modern care devices, pressure and glucose measuring devices, and imaging devices of all kinds such as (radiography, CT, MRI devices, echo).

The broader field in this specialization is the field of prosthetics, which has become the hope for all people who have lost one of their limbs as a result of accidents, diseases or victims of mines and wars.

What is the importance of medical equipment engineering?

Medical engineering has become one of the most important engineering sciences that were born for the development of medicine, After the doctor was the only one who performs all the tasks of diagnosis and treatment, the medical equipment has become the one who performs these tasks as best as possible, and with very high accuracy better than the doctor, and the most important tasks performed by medical equipment are the following:

1- The use of medical equipment in therapeutic diagnosis.

2- Radiation devices that are used in medical diagnosis.

3- Medical structures and drug synthesis.

4- Patient monitors.

5- Medical equipment devices used in examinations.

6- All devices used in therapeutic diagnosis.

All medical and diagnostic devices on which the doctor relies fully in diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of patients’ condition.

In view of the urgent need to develop medical equipment and devices for the benefit of serving humans in detecting pathological causes and speeding up their recovery, Many fields and subspecialties of this specialty have been invented to design and develop many devices in the medical fields

2 What are the specialties of medical equipment engineering?

Medical equipment engineering specialization studies the relationship between the human body and manufactured organs to reach devices that suit the body in diagnosis, treatment and understanding of the pathological condition, and one of the most important subspecialties of medical equipment engineering is the following.

Chemical Medical Engineering

Chemical medical engineering is a discipline that is concerned with the study of the relationship between the human body and chemical structures such as medicines, medical analyzes, laboratories, radiology and many chemical medical structures.

Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering in medical equipment is divided into two parts.

The first section: (Biomechanics) and studies the transitions of biological substances in the human body and the extent of their impact on the occurrence of diseases.

The second section (Biokinetic Mechanics) is concerned with the treatment of the effects resulting from natural human movement and its negatives.

Electrical Medical Engineering

Electromedical engineering is divided into two parts:

Section I: (Bioelectrical effects) is concerned with the study of electrical effects in medical devices and equipment that are involved in measuring and examining vital organs in the human body.

Section II (Bioelectrical Signals) This section is concerned with the study of medical equipment specialized in radiology and examinations for drug diagnosis.

Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering is a medical specialty that is concerned with the study of genetic genes, which we call genetic engineering, and is concerned with the design of microdevices, identifying the genetic causes that are the cause of these diseases, and determining the treatment plan.

Tissue and Cell Engineering

Tissue and Cell Engineering is a specialty that is concerned with the study of how damaged tissues and cells are designed and artificially replaced to address emerging disorders in human cells and tissues, and this branch is the most important branch of biomedical engineering.

Neuron Engineering

Neuronal engineering is the specialty that treats any element found in the nerve cells in the human body or replaces it with another. This section focuses on the use of sensitive devices that allow different signals to be delivered to the brain so that the body’s organs respond well.

Electronic Medical Engineering

Electronic Medical Engineering is a discipline that focuses on the study of signals and measurements recorded on medical devices.

Clinical Medical Engineering

Clinical Medical Engineering is a specialty that is concerned with determining the standards for the quality of medical devices in the composition of drugs and medicines.

3 What are the fields of work of a medical equipment engineer?

The fields of work of the medical equipment engineer are involved in all medical fields of manufacturing medical devices, maintenance, development and control of devices in hospitals, medical institutions, medical centers or in scientific research centers.

The specialization of medical equipment engineering gives a prominent position to the engineer, and it comes from the human dimension of this specialization as it develops solutions and helps patients to continue a normal lifestyle and increase their ability to adapt to their health conditions, and the most important jobs of the medical equipment engineer are the following:

Medical Equipment Engineer Jobs

Perform new medical procedures such as computer-assisted surgery and tissue engineering.
Coordination with the medical, scientific and engineering staff.
Design, develop, modify and test equipment, products and devices.
Training doctors to use equipment safely and correctly.
Documentation and report writing.

Maintenance of medical devices and ensuring that they comply with health conditions.
Paying attention to the management of medical equipment and training technical personnel to use them and carrying out all maintenance work, whether periodic maintenance of devices or repair of emergency malfunctions.
Supervision of imaging devices.
Carrying out all engineering calibration works for medical devices.
Work in the field of prosthetic design and development.
Qualifying technical cadres to be an effective element that performs its tasks to the fullest.

4 How much do medical equipment engineers make?

The importance of this specialization also comes from the large financial return of this specialization in addition to the lack of specialists in this field. This gives the possibility of creating job opportunities with a good financial return, as according to statistics, job opportunities in this field will grow by 62% in the next decade.

Compared to the growth in average work for other types of engineering disciplines, this growth is much faster. Where the salary of a medical engineer ranges from more than $ 81,000 per year, depending on the place of work

In scientific research and development services $ 88,000.
In the pharmaceutical industry and drugs 82000$.
In the manufacture of medical equipment and supplies $ 81,000.
In colleges, universities, international, local and private schools $68,000.
In medical and surgical hospitals $59,000.

These figures may vary by country and their per capita income.

5 Qualities of a medical equipment engineer

A medical equipment engineer must have a set of qualities, which are as follows:

To be able to solve emergency problems to which medical devices and equipment are exposed through the ability to apply mathematical, physical and engineering laws.
The ability to carry out many experiments and analyze the results accurately and logically.
To have a wide knowledge of all technical, professional and ethical responsibilities.
Ability and willingness to work in a team.
Ability to communicate effectively socially.

6 What are the admission and coordination requirements in medical equipment engineering?

People wishing to study medical equipment engineering must meet many qualities and conditions, and the most important conditions required by the College of Medical Equipment to accept the student to study Bacrylius are the following:

The average of the general secondary certificate should be greater than 95%, and the rate of the rate varies from one university to another.
To be able to pass the admission test in the Faculty of Medical Equipment that focuses on scientific subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and English.
His level of English must be advanced and he has a TOEFL certificate.

These are the most important conditions required by the College of Medical Equipment to accept the student to study the specialty of medical equipment, either of the qualities that must be available in the student to succeed in the specialty of medical equipment engineering are the following:

Personal qualities for success in the specialty of medical equipment

The student should have a strong and extensive background in scientific subjects such as:

Chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics in all its branches such as algebra, geometry, trigonometry, integration and calculus.

He also took educational courses to teach mechanical drawing, drafting and computer programming, Because studying medical engineering is not an easy study.

7 What are the subjects in medical equipment engineering?

The study of medical equipment engineering is included in many engineering disciplines, and in the undergraduate stage, the student is taught many subjects that fall into other engineering disciplines, such as the study of equipment, devices, electronics, software, physical and chemical engineering, and many disciplines.

One of the most important disciplines that medical equipment is interested in studying is mechanical engineering. This is due to its importance in knowing the mechanism of movement and operation in medical equipment.

Also, the most important subjects that go into the study of medical equipment engineering are the following:

Physics.
Electrical engineering concepts.
Mechanism of operation and mechanical systems.
Chemistry.
Biologics.
Computer engineering and programming.
Electronic engineering and its theories.
Therapeutic diagnostic systems.
Prosthetic medical devices.
Hardware design and how to deal with them.
Physiology.
And a lot of engineering materials.

The best universities to study medical equipment engineering

Although the specialization of medical equipment engineering is relatively recent relative to the rest of the branches of engineering, as we mentioned earlier, but it is present in many universities, especially well-known ones, such as:

Harvard University.
University of Michigan.
Stanford University (in America).
National University of Singapore.
Kyoto University in Japan.
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia.
Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran.
The Hashemite University in Jordan.
، German University of Science and Technology.

How many years of study of medical equipment?

The duration of studying medical equipment engineering varies according to the country or university and the approach that it provides to study this specialization, but the number of years of study ranges from four to five years.

8 What are the pros and cons of medical equipment engineering?

Pros of Medical Equipment Engineering

Providing the latest medical devices and equipment that help humans solve pathological problems.
Medical progress in all its fields.
Biomedical engineering graduates work in interdisciplinary fields
Salaries are rewarding and special despite their risks.
Salaries increase significantly in the event of obtaining a master’s or doctoral degree, And according to the specialty in which they also work.
Salaries in the medical fields reach 102 thousand US dollars annually and in the pharmaceutical fields up to 98.6 thousand dollars.
Providing the latest equipment for physical therapy and rehabilitation after surgeries and motor problems resulting from various accidents.
Providing the latest equipment in intensive care, pressure and glucose gauges, And imaging devices of all kinds.
Providing modern equipment in (radiography, axial stratification, MRI machines, Echo devices).

Cons of Medical Equipment Engineering

Biomedical engineers are exposed to many health risks such as: (diseases, burns, radiation, electric shock, and toxic fumes).
Working hours are long hours of 40 hours per week.
Engineers who work in hospitals anytime are called.

9 The difference between medical equipment engineering and bioengineering

Medical Equipment Engineering: It is a specialization that combines the sciences of mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering and medical sciences in the manufacture of medical devices and understanding the mechanism of their work.

As for bioengineering: it studies the vital organs and tissues of the human body, understands the mechanism of its work, and develops alternative devices or alternative artificial organs to solve the problems of damaged organs in the human body.

10 What is the study plan of Bkrelius medical equipment engineering

The study plans for medical equipment engineering in most universities are similar to some extent, and we take as an example Arab American University, As the total required credit hours is (167 credit hours) and is distributed as follows:

Electives:

Biomechanics.
Electronic circuits.
Electrical appliances.
Tissue engineering.
Magnetic resonance imaging.

Compulsory Materials:

Physiology and anatomy.
medical electronics.
Biomedical Devices Laboratory.
Principles of diagnostic and precision processing equipment.
Advanced biomedical instruments and biometrics.
Microcontrollers and embedded systems engineering training.
general biology, Digital signal processing.
The phenomenon of biomedical transition and thermodynamics.
Biomedical stereoscopic and transducers.
Statistics Biomedical Engineers.

11 What are the fields of specialization of the Master of Medical Equipment Engineering?

Studying the Master of Medical Equipment Engineering program covers many areas and discovers the limitations and advantages of technology that is frequently used in clinical and pre-clinical applications of medical equipment.

Master of Biomedical Engineering students choose a major according to their desire and inclinations, except in electronics, computer science or physics, Or histology or artificial rehabilitation systems and they can also specialize in health systems, biomechanics or any of the subspecialties of medical equipment engineering.

Persons who have completed the study of Bkerelius Medical Equipment Engineering are entitled to study a Master of Medical Equipment Bachelor’s degree, and the student is required to have passed one or more courses in each of the following ten subjects with a minimum average of very good:

Medical Imaging.
Medical devices.
Biology and physiology of the body.
Electrical signals and systems.
Biostatistics or engineering.
Electronic measurements.
Electronic devices and circuits.
Theories of electrical circuits.
Computer programming.
Microcomputer microprocessors.

12 PhD in Medical Equipment Engineering

The PhD in Medical Equipment Engineering includes many disciplines that are interested in health sciences, engineering, pharmaceuticals and biology.

There are many programs that provide students with methods of applying engineering principles to the study of biological processes.

Among the specific courses of study for the Doctor of Biomedical Engineering program that are different from one university to another, But professionalism is its only goal in everything related to biomedical engineering such as:

Computational bioengineering.
Biological nanoengineering.
Digital photography.
Optoelectronics and Biomedical Devices).

13 Leading companies in the medical device industry

Companies specialized in manufacturing medical equipment devices are distributed in different parts of the world, It has achieved large profits amounting to 189 billion US dollars, and the percentage of profits earned by American companies accounted for about 99.5 billion US dollars, As for the share of German companies, about 55 billion US dollars, The rest goes to companies in other countries.

Among the most important leading companies in the manufacture of medical devices are the following:

Medotronic Company.
De Boy Cyntheses Company.
Philips Medical Care.
General Electric Company.
Abbott Laboratories.
Stryker Company.

Among the most important Arab leading companies in the manufacture of medical devices are the following:

House of Medical and Scientific Equipment – Saudi Arabia.
CAD Pharmaceutical Industries.
Al-Razi Medical Supplies Company.
Saudi Mais Medical Products Company.

This is what makes this wonderful specialty witnessing a great demand in recent years and is recommended by many experts because of its advantages and prospects for the development of medicine in the future.

14 What are the leading companies to work in the field of medical equipment engineering?

The best companies that offer jobs for medical equipment engineering specialists are the following:

Siemens Healthcare.
Johnson & Johnson.
GE Healthcare.
Medtronic.
Drager.
Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co.
Maquel.
Stryker.
Philips healthcare.
Samsung Healthcare.

15 Conclusion

In the end, we have learned about the importance of studying medical equipment engineering and the importance of having specialized engineers in this field. The future of studying medical equipment engineering requires that the student have a strong foundation in both engineering and medical knowledge.

Also, the student of this specialization will need to understand how to develop an understanding of the medical environment, including the regulations, standards, and ethics associated with medical technology.

They will also need to be familiar with a wide range of engineering disciplines and have an understanding of design, development, and safety principles for medical devices to develop specialized medical diagnostic and treatment devices.

Finally, students who study medical equipment engineering will need to be able to collaborate with other medical and engineering professionals to create effective and safe medical devices.