Which Skills Are Most Valuable for Biomedical Engineers?
Some skills can be learned more easily than others
Biomedical engineering is the union of medicine and engineering. Professionals in this field are responsible for creating new devices, products and processes that advance the field of medicine. The possible career paths for biomedical engineers are numerous, from software development to research and development or manufacturing. Apart from technical skills, there are a number of different skills that are valuable for biomedical engineers to have.
Curiosity
Developing new technologies starts with a natural curiosity about how things work and how to make them even better. Although for many, curiosity is innate and you don’t have to try to develop it, curiosity can be developed by learning to ask a lot of questions and find out as much as you can about medical technologies.
Problem-solving
Just about every successful new technology does one thing: solves a problem that people experience in their lives. While problem-solving is almost a cliche skill these days, it is one of the most important in biomedical engineering. After all, you can’t develop new technologies that will actually be useful unless you figure out what problems need solving and fill those needs.
Problem-solving also comes in handy when you run into problems with your design or things don’t work the way you want them to. Troubleshooting design and production problems is an important part of making sure everything works just the way you want it to.
Interpersonal Skills
Whether you work in a lab with other biomedical engineers and medical professionals or in a more people-rich environment like product testing or teaching others how to use new devices, interpersonal skills are needed to navigate the field and work successfully within it. In today’s increasingly collaborative professional environments, the importance of interpersonal skills really can’t be overestimated. Effective interpersonal skills can make the difference between getting a job or continuing to search, in many cases.
Creativity
There are already many products on the market and technologies in use by hospitals, medical clinics and at-home care staff. A creative way of thinking about existing technologies will lead to improvements and new ways of doing things that people can use to make their lives better.
A college with a focus on creativity and creative thinking in biomedical engineering will encourage the development and creation of new devices and technologies as students learn to grasp medical terminology, current best practices, and needs.
How Creative is Their Approach?
Biomedical engineering is typically a graduate-level program after students earn an undergraduate degree in engineering first. Both engineering and the biomedical field are a combination of technical knowledge of math, spatial concepts, and various sciences that can be used creatively in many ways.
A graduate school that knows creativity is important will encourage it and provide opportunities to exercise that creativity for innovation and meeting unmet needs. A program that offers opportunities for fieldwork in biomedical engineering also helps students develop the creative thinking skills needed to succeed in their careers.
Learn more about our undergraduate biomedical engineering degree program and the advantages of Florida Tech as your college of choice.
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