Biomedical Engineer in UK

Job description
Biomedical engineers apply engineering principles and materials technology to healthcare. This can include researching, designing and developing medical products, such as joint replacements or robotic surgical instruments; designing or modifying equipment for clients with special needs in a rehabilitation setting; or managing the use of clinical equipment in hospitals and the community.
Biomedical engineers can be employed by health services, medical equipment manufacturers and research departments/institutes.
Job titles can vary depending on the exact nature of the work: as well as biomedical engineer you are likely to come across bioengineer; design engineer; clinical engineer (in a hospital setting/clinical situation); and rehabilitation engineer.

Typical work activities
Work activities vary, depending on where you work and the seniority of the post, but typically involve:
using computer software and mathematical models to design, develop and test new materials, devices and equipment. This can involve: programming electronics; building and evaluating prototypes; troubleshooting problems; and rethinking the design until it works correctly;
assessing the potential wider market for products or modifications suggested by health professionals or others;
approaching marketing and other industry companies to sell the product;
liaising with technicians and manufacturers to ensure the feasibility of a product in terms of design and economic viability;
conducting research to solve clinical problems using a variety of means to collate the necessary information, including questionnaires, interviews and group conferences;
liaising closely with other medical professionals, such as doctors and therapists, and with end-users (patients and their carers);
discussing and solving problems with manufacturing, quality, purchasing and marketing departments;
arranging clinical trials of medical products;
writing reports and attending conferences and exhibitions to present your work and latest designs to a range of technical and non-technical audiences;
meeting with senior health service staff or other managers to exchange findings;
dealing with technical queries from hospitals and GPs and giving advice on new equipment;
testing and maintaining clinical equipment;
training technical or clinical staff;
investigating safety-related incidents;
keeping up to date with new developments in the field, nationally and internationally.

Salary and Conditions
Typical starting salary: around £23,000 for a trainee in The National Health Service (NHS).
Range of typical salaries for biomedical engineers working as state registered clinical scientists in the NHS: £28,000 - £36,000.
More senior biomedical engineers may be paid on the same scale as consultants and may earn between £36,000 and £88,000.
The above figures relate to clinical scientists working in the NHS and are only a guide as actual pay rates may vary depending on the employer and location. Those working in or near London receive an additional allowance.
Salaries in the private sector may be higher.
Working hours are mainly nine to five-thirty, with local variations. Those involved in research often work in a flexible environment and longer hours may be necessary at certain stages of a project. Extra hours may also be worked when there are deadlines to meet or research reports to produce. On practical grounds, safety and maintenance work on hospital equipment is likely to be performed out of hours.
The workplace may be an office, laboratory, workshop, manufacturing plant, clinic or other medical setting.
Self-employment is unlikely, although there may be scope to work as a consulting engineer or a contractor to a hospital. However, you would need to have a good network of contacts due to the collaborative nature of the work; biomedical engineers rarely work alone.
The gender balance is approximately 55:45 male to female, but the number of women entering the field is increasing. It can be up to 50% in the NHS and in universities.
Jobs are quite widely available across the UK, particularly in NHS trusts. Flexibility in preferred geographical location may be necessary, both to obtain an initial training post and when seeking to move to a higher grade.
Local travel within the working day may be required, for example where the job involves the regional management and maintenance of medical equipment in hospitals, GP surgeries and patients' homes. Travel to meetings, conferences or exhibitions both in the UK and abroad is also possible. Some jobs in the private sector may involve extensive travel to introduce products and clinical trials to hospitals.
NHS employees are less likely to travel abroad than private sector or research staff, who are more commonly involved in international collaboration.