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#1 October 24 2010

mesa177
Member

What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

So since I'm getting this question alot recently especially from Grade 11 and 12 students who are looking forward to join a university soon, I am opening this topic to discuss rather thoroughly what is biomedical engineering and some other related issues like degrees required and job opportunities both local and abroad.

What is a Biomedical Engineer?

A Biomedical Engineer uses traditional engineering expertise to analyze and solve problems in biology and medicine for providing an overall enhancement of healthcare. Usually students who are torn apart by either going for the medical or engineering track find it the ideal field of expertise since they can be of service to people, partake the excitement of working with living systems, and apply advanced technology to comlex problems in medical care. A biomedical engineer can be called upon for designing instruments, devices and software, bringing together knowledge from many technical sources to develop new procedures, or conducting research needed to solve clinical problems.

Specialty Areas

There are several areas of specialty mainly bioinstrumentation, biomaterials, biomechanics, cellular, tissue and genetic engineering, clinical engineering, medical imaging, orthopaedic bioengineering, rehabilitation engineering, system physiology, and management and sales. I'll only discuss the fields of specialty that are highly requested in Lebanon and the Gulf area (other fields would be discussed upon request).

Bioinstrumentation

It is the application of electronics and measurement techniques to develop devices used in diagnosis and treatment of disease. Essentially, computers are the core of this specialty from microprocessors in a single-purpose instrument to microcomputers needed to process the large amount of information in a medical imaging system. Usually bioistrumentation is incorporated with every other specialty field in biomedical engineering (even management).

Clinical Engineering

It is the application of technology to health care in hospitals. In other words, these engineers work with hospital staff (physicians, nurses, technicians) as members in the biomedical engineering department which is also a part of the hospital maintenance department, or they work within medical companies that affiliate with hospitals. Clinical engineers are responsible for developing and maintaining computer databases of medical instrumentation and equipment records and for the purchase and use of sophisticated medical instruments. They may also work with physicians to adapt instrumentation to their specific needs (and the hospital's), i.e. they devise a plan of developing new or improving current hospital departments (bring in new equipment, updating software, selecting what medical instruments and how many are needed for the department). The latter is known as "Property and Plant Development", and is often affiliated with the Management option. Clinical engineers also interface instruemtns with computer systems and customized software for instruemtn control and data acquisition and analysis. Clinical engineers can have expertise in bioinstrumentation and/or medical imaging. This is the most common field of application and employment for biomedical engineers, and they are highly requested in Lebanon and the Gulf area.

Medical Imaging

It combines the knowledge of aunique physical phenomenon (sound, radiation, magnetism, etc...) with high speed electronic data processing, analysis and display to generate an image. Medical imaging engineers work on developing new schemes of imaging (most research these days involve integrating optical fibers and CDMA with medical imaging machines) and devising imaging procedures with minimal or complete non-invasive involvement with human body, which in turn makes them less painful and more readily repeatable than invasive ones as well as less costly for the hospital and patient alike.

Orthopaedic Bioengineering

A less commonly art of biomedical engineering, it is the specialty where methods of engineering and computational mechanics have been applied forthe understanding of the functions of bones, joints and muscles, and for the design of artifical joint replacements. Orthopaedic bioengineers analyze the friction, lubrication and wear characteristics of natural and artificial joints; they perform stress analysis of the musculoskeletal system; and they develop artifical biomaterials (biological and synthetic) for replacement of bones, cartilages, ligaments, tendons, meniscus and invertebral discs. They often perform gait and motion analyses for sports performance and patient outcome following surgical procedures. They can also conduct studies on cellular function and mechano-signal transduction. Rehabilitation engineers must have the knowledge of orthopaedics, and orthopaedic bioengineers know about prosthotics as well (same concept but instead of foot or ortho, they target hands and arms or prostho).

Rehabilitation Engineering

It is the growing specialty area of biomedical engineering. Rehabilitation engineers enhance the capabilities and improve the quality of life for individuals with physical and cognitive impairments. They are involved in orthotics and prosthetics, the development of home, workplace and transportation modifications and the design of assistive technology that enhance seating and positioning, mobility, and communication.  They also develop hardware and software computer adaptations and cognitive aids to assist people with cognitive difficulties.

Management and Sales

As previously discussed in "Clinical Engineering", almost all general managers of medical companies and biomedical engineering departments at hospitals have knowledge in clinical engineering. They also have completed an MBA in Engineering Management (more on that later). Furthermore, biomedical engineeers can become sales engineers; this is mostly the position that general managers partake in their junior years before qualifying to become members of the management board. Sales engineering is often affiliated with technical service enegineering which is a form of post-sales maintenance of medical equipemtn that was sold in the first place. This is a highly requested field of application in virtually any field of engineering in Lebanon and the Gulf area.

Hospital Departments and Medical Equipment for Biomedical Engineers

This is going to be an image only discussion. Any technical details will not be discussed because they require prior knowledge of bioinstruemtnation and medical imaging concepts. There are also metrnity wards, E.Rs (emergency room) and O.Rs (operating room) that use some of the grouped equipment at the end.

Cardiology and Telemetry
Passport_%202_%20patient_%20monitor.jpg
ct8000i_interpretive_seca_ecg_monitor_1057.jpg
telemetry.gif 
3781-telemetry.jpg
insert_Telemetry.jpg

Medical Imaging

Angiography (Usually Precedes Open Heart Surgery)
angiography.jpg
coronary-angiography-md.jpg

Ultrasound (You're definitely familiar with this one)
toshiba_ultrasound.jpg

Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI
chris_closed_MRI.jpg
mri-brain.jpg

Computed Tomography or CT
CT-Scan.jpg
2%20CT%20Scans.jpg

Positron Emission Temography or PET (Conducted in what's known as a "Hot Lab")
pet_scan.gif
large_PET_scan.jpg

X-ray
x-ray.jpg (Guy swallowing sword)

Panoramic Dental Imaging
istockphoto_8051480-panoramic-dental-x-ray-machine.jpg
Xray_Dental_Panoramic_4.gif

Dialysis for Kidneys
hemodialysis.jpg

Orthotics and Prosthetics
rheo_knee.jpg Orthotic
prosthetic-arm-2.jpg Prosthetic

Commonly Used Equipment

Defibrillator
HP43100_large.jpg

Infusion Pump
graesby_infusion_pump2.jpg Syringe Pump
Infusion-Pump-SP-800-.jpg Volumetric Pump

Bypass Machine for Open Heart Surgery or Transplants
pump.jpg

College Degrees and Courses for Biomedical Engineering

Let's split the courses according to their degrees first:

* You'll need to complete your BS (Bachelor of Sciences) or BE (Bachelor of Engineering) in Electrical Engineering (EE) or Biomedical Engineering (BME). If you do a BS, it takes 3 years while the BE takes 4 years to complete. Frankly speaking, doing a BS/BE in EE is a better foundation than in BME since more courses concerning electronics and electric systems are given => you'll have stronger base concerning electrical concepts. As for the BME, you'll be taking introductory courses in medical imaging and biomedical instrumentation (which will be REPEATED in the Masters level) and a lot of physiology courses (which really don't add up to much) in addition to the basic courses of EE like electric circuits and power electronics.

* As for Masters level, there's the Masters of Sciences (MSc.) in BME or Masters of Engineering (ME) in EE with a minor in BME (this option is available at AUB only). There is no ME in BME in Lebanon. In this level, you'll be taking a lot of courses that other EE or CCE students take like digital signal processing (DSP), optimization, linear systems, and stochastic (random processes). These courses are common because they are like Math, a tool used to analyze systems or problems with a difference in the application field (BME, CCE, EE,...). As for the major corses, they include biomedical instrumentation (I & II: dealing with sensors, actuators, data converters, and other electronic devices from the perspective of the biomedical equipment in addition to concepts about the human body and how to model it as an electrical system), digital image processing (how to generate a digital image and analyze it by applying different filters and processing schemes), medical imaging (I & II: basic concepts of what are MRI, CT, X-ray, Ultrasound, PET, etc.. which are different imaging modalities, how to transmit and receive the images, and how to build the imaging machines ie major components), and of course physiology (ie advanced biology course, it's just one course and it's VERY EASY).

* As for Ph.D, it is only offered at AUB and sponsored by one of the most prestigious univeristies of biomedical engineering (John Hopkins in Philidelphia, it is also an affiliate of CMC or Clemanceu Medical Center in Hamra). Abroad, you have John Hopkins, Rutgers, and Ohio State for USA; there are also some good universities in Germany, mainly in Munich, and France (home of the EMB IEEE society which is an engineering society that states the rules and ISO standards for biomedical engineering.

Lebanese Colleges for Biomedical Engineering Studies

The following Lebanese colleges offer this study (order of colleges is done according to preferance to where you should study: evaluation based on professors' performance, lab equipment availability and programming langauges taught):

1- University of Balamand or UOB: Eventhough I really prefer doing the BS in EE somewhere else (basics in programming not that much not because of professors but rather students even excelling ones don't really work on themselves cause they're not driven to), BME at Balamand is the best for those who truly consider a carrer in BME. You have to complete 3 years for BS in EE, then 2 years MS in BME. With Dr. Abche in tow, you'll be in safe hands cause you'll bust you a** working for his courses but all worth the knowledge given. Programming with C/C++, Matlab, NI Labview and Biopac are taught (most of the work comes from your behalf though, but the professors are more thn glad to help). Best option since you can take couple of courses (4 to 6 courses) to have a minor in management.
2- Lebanese International University or LIU: Based on reviews from my cousin who is currently studying there and two of my friends who completed their BS in BME before continuing their MS in BME at UOB, the courses completed at the BS level would be repeated at MS but more thorough approach. The professor who started the program (Dr. Diab) left the Islamic University for LIU and HCU to start the program there; he is truly one of the best in his field. Programming with C/C++ and Matlab taught.
3- American University of Beirut or AUB: Eventhough it is considered the Ivy League of Lebanese universities, when it comes to BME, the program gives an EE or CCE degree with minor in BME (ideal option for those who want to land a job in Lebanon and want equal chances in fields of EE or CCE as well as BME). Programming with C/C++, Matlab, and NI Labview taught.
4- Islamic University: A lot of graduates from there know what they're doing, but a lot of negative reviews come from the students there concerning professors.
5- Hariri Canadian Univeristy or HCU: My first alma matar but would not recommend it these days cause all the good professors are bailing out due to struggles with administration (creative differences). Dr. Diab is still there, so there is slight hope, but a cousin of mine is studying there and she says that she's suffering a bit (what else is new?). Programming in C/C++is taught and in Matlab and NI Labview is left to you to learn but assignemtns are sometimes requested in those langauges (DIY).

Job Description for Biomedical Engineers

In Lebanon and Gulf area, they do sales, perform preventive maintenance (ie checking if medical equipments are operating correclty every 3 to 5 months according to their frequency of use), provide technical service (ie fix a problem when it arises), and give training sessions to nurses and doctors on how to operate the equipment that is newly installed and on new medical standards that have been announced. In some hospitals and companies, biomedical engineers also design a plan on what equipment to bring to a hospital if it is updating its devices or opening new wings (departments). Abroad in Europe and USA, some also conduct Research and Development (R&D) which are tests on improving current medical equipment or operation schemes and of course design new equipment or improve them.

Job Opportunities

Now for employment chances, I'll be very frank with you, no: the opportunities are not as broad as that of CCE or Mechanical Engineering. Don't get me wrong, there are over 35 medical companies and over 500 hospitals in Lebanon in which you can work in, but in this field those with 3-5 years of experience are employed more than just frsh grads. So, you'll have a hard time landing a job once you graduate, but once you get it, you won't face any problems. If you are considering to work abroad, even more chances and opportunities are available in BME, but they require alot of years of experience (8+ years) especially in the Gulf region. Some exceptions can arise though. Since your BME degree is actually an EE/CCE degree, you can also work as an electrical engineer or computer communication engineer (in the union, you'll be considered an electrical engineer/computer communication engineer).

What I really want to say is that the market now is searching for CCE fresh grads and IT students, but too many students are already majoring in CCE it would at a certain point satisfy the market need (2 or 3 years later). A good option for you would be majoring in CCE and then working in the biomedical engineering field, where currently companies don't mind employing CCE students and with some exceptions EE students. If you select to do so, study CCE with minor in BME at AUB.

HOWEVER, since more and more BME students are graduating anually from UOB (max 10 students per year), LIU (max 25 students per year), Islamic Univeristy (max 20 students per year), and AUB (max 5 per year), the hospitals and medical companies are prefering to employ these students rather than CCE or EE majors.

As for abroad, especially in USA and Germany, the request for biomedical engineers actually matches that for CCE or EE engineers.

This year, the request for biomedical engineers in Lebanon was quite high (6 technical engineers and 8 sales engineers were requested for the past three months) and for the Gulf even higher (8 technical engineers and 16 sales engineers were requested for the past three months).

Salaries

Figures based on this year's business offers:

* Starting (fresh grad to 1-3 years experience): 800 - 1000$ local and Gulf; 1000-1500$ abroad
* Junior (3-10 years experience): 1200-1500$ local and Gulf; 1700-2000$ abroad
* Senior (10 years+ experience): 2000-2500% local and Gulf; 2000-3500$ abroad

Most high saleries are in field of sales, management, and software engineering for medical applications.

Personal Review

So it's really up to your interest (I was going to do CCE then work in the BME field, but I realized that I was bored by some of the CCE classes, so I chased BME courses and was exstatic that I majored in BME, especially with medical imaging, fascinating subject :)).

I would recommend that you check this website and this pdf guide for more information.

If anyone has further questions, please feel free to PM me.

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#2 October 24 2010

J4D
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

Ultrasound (You're definitely familiar with this one)

What ? you think we all are pregnent women ?! 

good article, w belik kteer fadi !

BTW, we have a very prominent BME program at AUST. supervised by doctor ziad abi faraj. We have the one and only DNA lab in Lebanon .

Last edited by J4D (October 24 2010)

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#3 October 24 2010

mesa177
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

J4D wrote:

Ultrasound (You're definitely familiar with this one)

What ? you think we all are pregnent women ?! 

good article, w belik kteer fadi !

BTW, we have a very prominent BME program at AUST. supervised by doctor ziad abi faraj. We have the one and only DNA lab in Lebanon .

God Jad, ultrasound is not only used for pregnant women you know, it can also be used to track blood flow in arteries.

As for the "article", I had to write it for 3 friends and one of the lebgeeks members. Since I'm constantly repeating myself, I thought why not write it and just hand them the link to the post next time they ask.

As for your BME program at AUST, this is new news to me. Please elaborate on the subject. When was the program founded? What kind of experiments do BME students conduct in the DNA lab?

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#4 October 24 2010

J4D
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

Im joking !

Well if you remember the incident of the Ethiopian plane crash. all the DNA test samples were compared at AUST to know the family of each victim. the Lebanese investigative force also sometimes uses our labs to compare DNA samples from murderers and criminals. as for when was it founded, I don't know :)

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#5 October 24 2010

mesa177
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

J4D wrote:

as for when was it founded, I don't know

Please ask around Jad, much appreciated :)

J4D wrote:

all the DNA test samples were compared at AUST to know the family of each victim. the Lebanese investigative force also sometimes uses our labs to compare DNA samples from murderers and criminals.

Then it is used by medicine and medical lab students, but do the BME students get to perform preventive maintenance or testing of their own?

PS: About the joking part, forgive my rudeness, but I'm sick of the people who say: "Ah, pregnant ladies" when I even mention ultrasound (can't blame them, about 70% of the ultrasound application is targeted towards pregnant women and fetuses).

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#6 October 24 2010

Kassem
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

J4D wrote:

Im joking !

Well if you remember the incident of the Ethiopian plane crash. all the DNA test samples were compared at AUST to know the family of each victim. the Lebanese investigative force also sometimes uses our labs to compare DNA samples from murderers and criminals. as for when was it founded, I don't know :)

I believe it was founded at least 4 years ago. Before I actually decided to go for an MIS degree, I started as a biology student in LU - Faculty Of Sciences. I had plans to either proceed with a medicine degree or a genetic engineering degree. I took a genetics course in my second semester and I fell in love with it. Hence I started researching my options and AUST was the only available option, otherwise I'll have to travel and study genetic engineering abroad. After doing the math I ruled out the studying abroad option because that would've cost me at least $40,000 per year (or for free in Iran, but the language issue didn't appeal to me). Then I checked the AUST genetic engineering program and I was really impressed, but it wasn't totally approved by the ministry at that time so... my dream hit the wall and literally shattered.

But then again, I'm doing MIS now and I'm very satisfied with it. I love programming and building software so I might go for Software Engineering degree next year (after I'm done with my MIS BS this year). I'll have to check with UPA, I heard that it doesn't cost much over there.

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#7 October 24 2010

EddieEC
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

Wait, you could actually do Genetic Engineering in Lebanon? Seriously?

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#8 October 24 2010

jadf24
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

Thanks a lot for the info on biomedical engineering. Just one question that's been cinfusing me lately ? What's the difference between EECS , CCE, and BME .. And are these the minors through which you can continue a Masters in BME ?
If someone can elaborate this ill be thankful

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#9 October 24 2010

jadf24
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

And to be frank despite BME sounds exciting w hek the salaries are low. Yi3neh I was hoping for a more wealthier career and future in BME .. :/

Well my options are between computer engineering, biomedical, and industrial .. Should I go into EECS and then choose between them .. And which would you guys most recommend regarding salaries job offers ecr ect .. ?

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#10 October 24 2010

mesa177
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

EE: Electrical engineering => focuses on studying complex electrical systems (such as high power towers and electric machines and drives) especially on construction sites, electronics and electromagnetism.

CCE: Computer communication engineering => focuses on the study of computer networks and the communication processes between them (exchanging data via three types of networks: internet - intranet - extranet, studying various forms of networks such as LANs and WLANS, studying different media of communication such as coaxial cables, optical fibers and power lines, etc...)

BME: Biomedical engineering => details above

EE and CCE are majors on their own, so both the BS and Masters MS degree must be completed in either one of the fields. For a minor in BME, your major electives during your persuit of a BS degree would have to be related to BME such as bioinstrumentation and medical imaging. They are not as detailed as the courses taken with a BS major in BME, but they are enough if you wanted to start a career in BME (later on you would have to take extra courses to complement what you know).

Having a minor in BME is actually not a requirement on the level of BS to continue a Masters (MS) degree in BME. You can have a BS in pure EE or pure CCE (i.e. without minor in BME) and still continue your MS in BME. I did my BS in pure electrical engineering which provided an even stronger base for my persuit of an MS in BME. On the other hand, if you plan on continuing your Masters MS in EE or CCE, and you plan on working in the BME field, then it is obligatory to complete you elective courses in BME. The minor in BME during the BS level introduces somewhat the same topic courses of a minor in BME during the MS level, but those in the MS would be much more elaborated and thorough than in the BS level.

As for the salaries, yes they dropped quite much this year after the depression in Wallstreet. The monthly salary range abroad for a senior engineer was between 4,000$ and 6,000$ (in addition to commissions, healthcare, transportation, and more perks). This range is expected to rise again over the next 3 years, and may even exceed last year's ranges.

If you plan on getting rich, then your ultimite choice would be having a software engineering degree (CCE as BS degree and software engineering as a focus in MS degree in CCE) and then working for companies that design software solutions for hospitals such as Euclidea Medical (local company, find out more here). You have a chance of raising your mothly salary up to 7,000$ or even 10,000$ (according to how skilled you are and of course which company you work for). If you plan on becoming a multi-millionare, then there is only one solution for you: open your own medical service company with as much focus on selling MRI and CT machines because these babies cost around 200,000$ to 3 million a scanner. Plus the hospitals have to pay overhead for maintenance contracts (they are mostly obligatory since the companies that produce the machines are meticulous about whose performing the maintenance => they certify only the engineers who work for the companies that affiliate with them and sell their equipment to the hospitals).

Your best plan is to start your BS in pure EE and then choose between computer engineering, biomedical and industrial engineering since Balamand university, which is as I can see the closest to your house, has also an MS program in CCE and general option (i.e. industrial engineering) for students who complete their BS in pure EE.

A recent request for employment at Euclidea medical went as follows:

Euclidia Medical is looking for IT engineers to work on Hospital Software development and installation. Applicants must be experienced in one of the following: server side backup and recovery for PACS systems or experienced in oracle-based software development. salary depends on experience. if you are interested, please send your resume-CV to sales@beirutsoft.com or call us at 05-559710

This can also indictae that you can complete you degree in CS (Computer Science) and become an IT member. However, the salary would not exceed 1500$ per month.

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#11 October 24 2010

jajoja
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

if your communication engineer you can do master's degree in biomedical engineer @ aub

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#12 October 24 2010

mesa177
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

download the major guide for "Electrical and Computer Engineering" at the following AUB website for more information about the minor in BME at AUB.

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#13 October 24 2010

Joe
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

I know ESIB runs a very selective Biomedical Engineering program. Definitely worth it.

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#14 October 24 2010

mesa177
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

Ok, so I took a look at the courses that AUB has to offer to complete a minor in BME at BE (Bachelor of Enginering) level.

It is expected to complete a minimum of 18 credits where the courses must meet the following requirements:

• EECE 401 [1 cr.]
• BIOL 201 [4 cr.]
• BIOL 202 or PHYL 246 [4 cr.]
• One core course [3 cr.] chosen from EECE 601, EECE 603, or MECH 633
• One elective course from list A below [3 cr.]
• One elective course from list A, B, or C below [3 cr.]

After checking with the course titles, the closest curriculum to that offered at Balamand is:

• EECE 401: Biomedical Engineering Seminar [1 cr.]
• BIOL 201: General Biology I [4 cr.]
• PHYL 246: Human Physiology for Paramedical and Undergraduate Students [4 cr.]
• EECE 601: Biomedical Engineering I i.e. Biomedical Instrumentation I (core course) [3 cr.]
• EECE 602: Biomedical Engineering II i.e. Biomedical Instruemtnation II (elective course from list A) [3 cr.]
• EECE 603: Biomedical Signal and Image Processing (another elective course from list A) [3 cr.]

Unfortunately, this is not enough; you have to compliment them with the following courses (additional 7 credits):
• EECE 693: Neural Networks (ok, I admit it, it's not offered at UOB but it's a crucial course... besides the material is a thrill!!)
• EECE 694: Digital Image Processing (extremely important)
• EECE 694L: Lab for course EECE 694

There you go 25 credits from AUB to have a good minor in BME. The ranking for AUB remains 3rd because of the credit cost (tuition) and the fact that there are some courses missing like optimization theory, linear systems, stochastic, etc... The missing number of credits is 21 (MS program needs 46 credits to complete), but if you complete your MS or ME that should be taken care of. Note that the remaining courses are actually common courses for all EE students at the Masters level.

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#15 October 24 2010

mesa177
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

rahmu, do you mean ESIB-USJ?

if so, what do you know about it?

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#16 October 24 2010

jadf24
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

Well thanks again for the info .. So I think I'm taking your advice of going into EE and then choosing for masters between continuing in computer, or biomedical, or industrial engineering !
Sure this plan technically works and is acceptable in colleges?
Let's hope for the best
What if I double major and work my a** off and get a degree in both computer and BME ?

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#17 October 24 2010

mesa177
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

jadf24 wrote:

Sure this plan technically works and is acceptable in colleges?

Yep, no problem what so ever, and the union accepts the BE degree from AUB as a 5 year study (pre-requisite to join it).

jadf24 wrote:

What if I double major and work my a** off and get a degree in both computer and BME ?

Your funeral  But yeah, if you got the funds and the aptitude, go for it although a BE in CCE and a minor in BME is a more reasonable alternative.

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#18 October 24 2010

jadf24
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

mesa177 wrote:
jadf24 wrote:

Sure this plan technically works and is acceptable in colleges?

Yep, no problem what so ever, and the union accepts the BE degree from AUB as a 5 year study (pre-requisite to join it).

I think you understood me wrong .. What I meant was are you sure it is possible that I can continue my masters in for example industrial or biomedical despite I have a minor BE degree in EE or CCE?

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#19 October 24 2010

Joe
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

mesa177 wrote:

rahmu, do you mean ESIB-USJ?

if so, what do you know about it?

Here's how it works at ESIB (USJ, yes).

First of all, teaching is dispensed in French, worth noting.


Then interesting part

ESIB is a 5 years program. There are various ways of getting in, at different stages of the program and depending on your background, but I'll only discuss the "standard" one here.

There are three ways to get accepted at ESIB. First is to get a 16/20 at either French or Lebanese baccalaureate. You get automatically in. Second is by sending your grades. Third one is by passing an entrance exam. (I don't know the ratios of each)

From the beginning you join one of two programs at ESIB, which are:

  • Génie Civil et Environnement

  • Génie Electro-mécanique

There is virtually no way of switching to the other program once you start.

First two years: Maths Sup et Maths Spé

First couple of years are common for the two "majors", with heavy emphasis on Maths, Physics and Chemistry. Courses cover Algebra, Calculus, Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Optics, Electronic Circuits, as well as an introductory course to Programming (this is where I discovered Matlab).

Final three years: Engineering years

This is where each major gets their specific courses. You also get to chose your specialization. Here are the choices:

Génie Civil

  • Batiments

  • Travaux Publics

  • Eau et environnement

Electro-mécanique

  • Informatique et réseaux

  • Telecom

  • Mécanique et électrique

  • Biomédical

Biomédical is the most selective one, with only 10 positions to fill. That's what I know. Note that my data date back from 2007, I'm not 100% positive it is completely accurate as of today :-)

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#20 October 25 2010

mesa177
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

jadf24 wrote:
mesa177 wrote:
jadf24 wrote:

Sure this plan technically works and is acceptable in colleges?

Yep, no problem what so ever, and the union accepts the BE degree from AUB as a 5 year study (pre-requisite to join it).

I think you understood me wrong .. What I meant was are you sure it is possible that I can continue my masters in for example industrial or biomedical despite I have a minor BE degree in EE or CCE?

No I didn't get you wrong, the answer is yes you can complete your masters in industrial or biomedical engineering even with a BE degree in EE or CCE (the BE is not a minor degree, minor simply means additional specialty like biomedical engineering in addition to the major specialty EE or CCE; you cannot complete a minor specialty without completing at least 60 credits from the main program, being of at least sophomore standing, and having a minimum average of 70). There are other minor specialties, but they're too many to count.

@rahmu: thank you for the information :)

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#21 October 26 2010

jadf24
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

Oh okay thanks for the info it was really helpful
Based on you knowledge on the job offers, salaries, and market demand; what would you most advise me to choose between for later on ? Biomedical or industrial or computer? (I have no problem with any )

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#22 October 26 2010

jadf24
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

As well, I've been searching a lot on the internet about these majors. Bas regarding biomedical engineering everyone talks about being a 'technician' and looking for 'technician' jobs. Is this what biomedical engineering most probably lead to ? Or is being a technician just the primary job you take before really going to biomedical engineering ?

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#23 October 26 2010

mesa177
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

For the current market demand and job offers I would rank them in preference as such: computer, biomedical then industrial (eventhough the need for biomedical engineers is increasing, so is the need for computer engineers). But since alot of students are moving into the field, I would say that the market need will be met soon enough and then we would have more students than job offers. The biomedical engineering track, though tough to locate a job, is a less discovered specialty field.

If you're a risk taker, go for biomedical; if you want a safe job, go for computer.

Last edited by mesa177 (October 30 2010)

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#24 October 30 2010

basam.D
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

hi... thanks for the very nice and useful information u gave...
but i want to ask u some questions..!
so it is an essential thing to continue masters in engineering and do not stop at Bachelor of science in biomedical engineering... and u advise me not to have masters in LIU uni!! as i stood.
another question is: if i want to open that medical company u told about in the future... how much it will cost?!!! knowing that as u said that these machines are expensive(200000 $ to 3 million $)
thank u.

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#25 October 30 2010

mesa177
Member

Re: What is exactly Biomedical Engineering?

basam.D wrote:

hi... thanks for the very nice and useful information u gave...
but i want to ask u some questions..!
so it is an essential thing to continue masters in engineering and do not stop at Bachelor of science in biomedical engineering... and u advise me not to have masters in LIU uni!! as i stood.
another question is: if i want to open that medical company u told about in the future... how much it will cost?!!! knowing that as u said that these machines are expensive(200000 $ to 3 million $)
thank u.

Almost all students who have completed their Bachelor of Sciences in any field of engineering and worked for a couple of months have found that it was necessary to complete their Masters degree in order to get ahead at work.

I didn't state that LIU is a bad choice to complete your Masters degree there (I've even ranked it second for a reason). I merely stated that due to the fact that financial support is hard to get and because of some negative feedbacks from the students currently studying there, it is not the ultimite choice. I'm not 100% sure if Dr. Diab is still teaching there, but if he is then you'll be in safe hands. On the other hand, there are other professors whom students have a hard time understanding their explanations. But you should be aware that each university has its sare of "staff problems" (even the glorious AUB). I personally found Balamand to be better because of their course offerings and financial aids permitted to graduate students. Plus, I had the chance to study with professors from various departments, and most of the staff has great academic background and is capable of conveying the message clearly (i.e. their explanation is exquisite).

As for starting your own medical company, you should not only consider the capital (which should be a minimum of 85,000,000 L.L if affiliating with a main foreign medical company or 100,000,000 L.L if you'll be another medical supplier) but also consider the other existing 35 to 40 medical companies who'll be your rivals in the industry. They have already established their names in the field and have their clients. If your starting up, you should either bring in equipment that no other company has selling rights for or you'll have to buy the exclusive selling rights from an already existing brand (just like two engineers who worked at Tamer Freres did with Karl Storz). You should also pay attention that some medical companies already have exclusive selling rights like GE Healthcare at Sad El-Bouchrieh and Fresenius Medical Care - Lebanon in Hamra.

If in the end you do gather the capital and your potential affiliates (exclusive or not), you then have your potential clients. You have to convince hospitals who have worked with other medical suppliers for probably over 10 years to switch services to your company: What do you have to offer that they don't?

My advice is to gain some experience in the work field, and then at an older age, say 45 to 50, when you have gathered capital, technical and business experience and business partners (not just the affiliating medical company but shareholders at your company: what if your comapny went bankrupt? you don't want to be responsible for all the losses cause you'll have to liquidate, i.e. sell in a public auction, your personal assests like your house and car to cover the expenses), as well as your personal list of clients, then you open your own company.

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