BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SLT GRADUATES

As a biomedical engineering student I hope to give you a deeper insight.

Yes, biomedical engineering involves the applications of physics, radiology, imaging principles, programming to develop medical equipments.

1. Imaging modalities:
These medical equipments are used to examine the interior of a human body to some extent in a noninvasive way. Modalities like CT, MRI, PET, SPECT, ultrasound sonography, gamma camera, X-ray machine, fluoroscopy machines, etc. come under nonivasive imaging modality. Endoscopy is another imaging technique which is invasive.

2. Assistive and life supportive devices:
A biomedical engineer designs devices like hearing aids, artificial heart, artificial kidney (the dialysis machine), heart-lung machine, ventilators, bedside monitors (which monitors patient's vital parameters like heart rate, breathing rate, spo2, oxygen in blood, etc). Biomedical engineers also design wheel chairs with different types of controls (we might even have a thought controlled wheel chair in the future). Orthosis and prosthesis for handicapped and differently abled people.

3. Robotics and nanotechnology.
This field of biomedical engineering involves application of robotics in healthcare. Surgical robots like Da Vinci surgical robotic arm has helped the surgeon in controlling the surgery from another room! Biomems, lab on chip, cell chips and microfluidics will revolutionize the healthcare industry.

4. Image storage and communication
Storage of the patient data is one of the biggest issues amongst hospitals. Picture Archival and Communication System (PACS) and Digital Image storage and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) is now in trend to help the hospitals store and share patient data with each other. This field involves the use of computer programming, image processing  and computer technology. Which can be again done by a biomedical engineer. Teleradiology will help connect a patient from one end of the globe to the radiologist who is at the other end of the globe.

5. Nuclear medicine
Imaging sometimes need the use of radioactive material. A biomedical engineer researches the radioactive materials for biocompatibility and most suitable drug which can be used.

6. Artificial organs and implants
Dental implants, stents, pacemaker, hip joints, knee joints, sutures, bionic eye, etc. are products of biomedical engineering.

7. Diagnosis
Diagnosis of diseases using Radio Immuno Assay (RIA) also falls into biomedical engineering to some extent. Spirometers, audiometers, etc. help in diagnosing medical conditions in patients.

In short, almost all kind of electronic or mechanical equipments associated with healthcare are the products of biomedical engineering (I know it sounds like I'm exaggerating but it is what it is).

Now, the careers for a biomedical engineer has a vast scope. Most of them include working as a technician or clinical engineer at a hospital. Or working as a service engineer or system engineer at healthcare companies. Or taking up sales and marketing profession in medical devices. These are the most common professions chosen by a fresh biomedical engineer. Experienced engineers can take up jobs as a consultant for hospitals who helps hospitals in choosing the right equipment they need. Or one can pursue MBA in healthcare management (I don't have enough knowledge about this). A specialization in a particular stream of this vast course is also preferred.  There are also job profiles like interfacing analyst which involves interfacing of different imaging modalities. And many more..........

Conclusion: Biomedical engineering is a field with vast scope which is continuously thriving to improve the healthcare industry and raise the quality of healthcare to help save millions of precious lives. And as a biomedical engineer, we contribute our part in serving the society. Proud to be one.


Melodie Benford
PhD in Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical engineering is a very broad field. We support doctors and those in the medical profession

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SLT Ofuoma visits Ministry Of Health

It was a breakthrough achievement and a milestone record in Nigeria as the Department of Science Laboratory Technology (SLT), School of Health Technology, Ofuoma, Delta State which became the first Health Institution with SLT department in Nigeria to be accredited by the Nigerian Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT) paid a courtesy visit to the Honourable Commissioner of Health Dr. Mordi Ononye at his office.

The accreditation team of NISLT alongside the Staff of the Department being headed by Mrs Preye Bowen Oyimi and Comr. Efe Cletus Akpomedaye intimated the Commissioner on the need to support the Department in all ramifications as SLT in the school will pave way for research and advancement in health related issues.


The Commissioner expressed his joy over the visit saying he has envisage an environment where all health professionals would work together to create a research friendly workplace that will lead to advancement of the health sector.
        

He agreed to support the Department at all level and see that it becomes one of the leading research environment in the state.

Good Clinical Laboratory Practices (GCLP)

By Disu Tajudeen

Laboratories are a fundamental source of scientific evidence critical for clinical and industrial research and decision making in clinical diagnostics, product development and improvement and patient care, and epidemiological responses. High quality laboratory results, from patients, epidemiological survey, clinical trials participants are a key part of the diagnostic, epidemiological response and clinical trial process.

They provide critical data that is used for evidence-based decision making about an investigational medicinal product’s safety, efficacy and mechanism of action, and to improve standard care. This data is also required to protect the health and safety of the patients and the participants involved. Because of this, it is essential that laboratories meet quality and management standards so that the results they produce are unbiased, accurate and complete.

GxP is a general abbreviation for the "good practice" quality guidelines and regulations. The "x" stands for the various fields, including the pharmaceutical and food industries.  

Examples of GxPs include but not limited to

· Good agricultural practice, or GAP

· Good automated laboratory practice, or GALP

· Good automated manufacturing practice, or GAMP

· Good clinical data management practice, or GCDMP

· Good clinical practice, or GCP

· Good cell culture practice, or GCCP

· Good clinical laboratory practice, or GCLP

· Good documentation practice, or GDP, or GDocP (to distinguish from "good distribution practice")

· Good engineering practice, or GEP

· Good hygiene practice, or GHP

· Good horticultural practice, or GHP

· Good laboratory practice, or GLP

· Good microbiological practice, or GMiP

· Good pharmacovigilance practice, or GPvP or even GVP

· Good pharmacy practice, or GPP

· Good policing practice, or GPP

· Good research practice, or GRP

· Good safety practice, or GSP

· Good tissue practice, or GTP

Good Clinical Laboratory Practice guidelines, first described in 2003 by the British Association of Research Quality Assurance (BARQA), were created to bridge the gap between guidelines for good clinical practice (GCP) and good laboratory practice (GLP)

Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP) is a set of standards that provide guidance on implementing Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) principles to the analysis of samples from a clinical trial. GLP is a quality system that covers the organizational process and the conditions under which non-clinical laboratory studies are planned, performed, monitored, recorded, archived and reported (OECD 1998). This with the aim of promoting the generation of valid, high quality test data.

On the other hand, GCP is an international ethical and scientific quality standard for designing, conducting, performing, monitoring, auditing, recording, analyzing and reporting clinical trials that involve the participation of human subjects. Compliance with this standard provides assurance that the data and reported results are credible and accurate, and that the rights, safety and confidentiality of trial subjects are protected (ICH 1996 GCP Guideline).

By combining the GLP and GCP sets of guidelines, GCLP ensures the quality and reliability of the results and clinical trial data generated by laboratories. Consequently, GCLP is critical for diagnostic and clinical trial laboratory operations and it is expected that compliance with the GCLP standards, monitored annually by external audits, will help laboratories to maintain data integrity, provide safety to the personnel and related environment and produce effective results that are consistent, auditable, and repeatable. 

GCLP provides a bridge between GCP and GLP. It is also a framework in which organizations can base to develop facilities, systems and procedures that guarantee the laboratory work and results fulfil the GLP and GCP expectations.

GCLP encompass all aspects of clinical trial laboratory operations, namely: organization and personnel; facilities; equipment, materials and reagents; standard operating procedures; planning of the work; sub-contracting; trial materials; conduct of work; reporting results; quality control & quality audits; storage and retention of study records and reports; and confidentiality.

 There are many benefits to laboratories that are GCLP compliant, the main benefits include:

· Laboratory results (research or diagnostic) that are reliable, reproducible and auditable

· The incidences of false negatives and false positives are reduced

· Results are assured to be of the highest quality

· Results are comparable to those obtained in other compliant laboratories around the world

· Building the confidence of staff, sponsors and clients

· Resources are efficiently managed therefore minimizing waste

· Uniformity and standardization of systems

· International standards are generally followed and easily achieved ( ISO 15189)

Biomedical Engineering And Biomedical Technology: Reality and Facts

 

▪ Engineering and Technology are intertwined terms in society. To understand the difference between engineering and technology, one needs to know what the meaning of each word:  because if engineering’s role is more visible and better understood more people would be attracted to it as a career

▪ ENGINEERING

 In a simple term Engineering is a field of study. Engineering is the profession in which knowledge of advanced mathematical and natural sciences gained by higher education, experience, and practice is devoted to the creation of new technology for the benefit of humanity. Engineering education for the professional focuses primarily on the conceptual and theoretical aspects of science. 

 And engineering aimed at preparing graduates for the practice of engineering closest to the research, design, development, and conceptual functions. 

▪ ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

 Technology is an application of knowledge gained through science and engineering fields to make or produce complex structures. So Engineering Technology is the profession in which knowledge of the applied mathematical and natural science gained by higher education, experience, and practice is devoted to application of engineering principles and the implementation of technological advances for the benefit of humanity. 

 Engineering technology education for the professional focuses primarily on analyzing, applying, implementing, and improving existing technologies and is aimed at preparing graduates for the practice of engineering closest to the product improvement, manufacturing, and engineering operational functions.  

 Engineering Technology deals with the same topics as engineering, but the knowledge is more applied, as opposed to theoretical knowledge.  It lies in the occupational spectrum between the craftsman and the engineer at the end of the spectrum closest to the engineer.

▪ BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING 

 The branch of Biomedical Technology concerned with the application of engineering design and principles to medical and biological issues is called biomedical engineering. It is also discipline that advances knowledge in engineering, biology and medicine and improves human health through cross inter disciplinary activities that integrate the engineering science with biomedical sciences and clinical practice 

▪TYPICAL FUNCTIONS OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

1⃣ Research in new materials for implanted artificial organs

2⃣ Development of new diagnostic instruments for blood analysis

3⃣ Computer modelling of the function of the human heart.

4⃣ Writing software for analysis of medical research data.

5⃣ Analysis of medical device hazards for safety and efficacy.

6⃣ Development of new diagnostic imaging systems.

7⃣ Design of telemetry systems for patient monitoring

8⃣ Design of biomedical sensors for measurement of human physiologic systems variables.

9⃣ Development of expert systems for diagnosis of disease

 Design and control systems for drug administration and delivery.

1⃣1⃣ Modeling of the physiological systems of the human body.

1⃣2⃣ Development of new dental materials

1⃣3⃣ Design of communication aids for the handicapped.

▪BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

 Biomedical technology is a broad term that combines engineering and technology to solve biological or medical problems involving humans, especially the design and use of medical equipment used to diagnose and treat various diseases. 

 Biomedical technology can also be broken down into smaller sub-fields, like biomedical informatics, engineering, science and research. 

▪ TYPICAL FUNCTIONS OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIST Include The Following

1⃣ Development of new diagnostic imaging systems.

2⃣ Improving the existing and redesigning medical equipment/processes.

3⃣ Troubleshoot complex medical equipment.

4⃣ Supervision and management
Interpretation/ evaluation of data analysis for healthcare system  

5⃣ Production and marketing
Testing, and carry out  quality control, 

6⃣ Estimating, surveying, inspection and diagnostic evaluation,

▪BIOMEDICAL TECHNICIAN

 Biomedical Technician, typically an Electro-Mechanical technician who ensures that medical equipment is well maintained, properly configured, Calibrate and safely functional. 

 There are also refer to Biomedical Engineering Technician or Biomedical Technologist or sometime Biomedical Equipment / Engineering Specialist (BES or BMES) In hospital or clinical environments BMETs often work with Clinical Engineers, although as in most technical fields there is a professional and legal distinction between engineers and engineering technicians.

▪ CORE FUNCTIONS OF BIOMEDICAL TECHNICIAN 

1⃣ Troubleshoot and repair general / low-risk clinical equipment

2⃣ Calibrate equipment

3⃣ Order parts per policies and procedures

4⃣ Perform scheduled maintenance and safety testing

5⃣ Assure inspections performed in accordance with requirements and standards.

6⃣ Use specialized test equipment and tools

7⃣ Document actions and results

8⃣ Know / comply with departmental policies and procedures.

9⃣ Participate in performance and quality improvement activities.

 Perform in a manner consistent with mission.

1⃣1⃣ Perform incoming inspections and setup.

1⃣2⃣ Assist with projects such as installation, relocation of equipment.

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▪Various BME Job Categories

General Domains

1⃣ Clinical Engineer (MBA in Hospital Administration is added advantage) 

2⃣ Sales Engineer (MBA in Marketing is added advantage) 

3⃣ Service Engineer

4⃣ Application Specialist

5⃣ Procurement Engineer (MBA in Material Management is added advantage) 

6⃣ Self Entrepreneur (MBA in Finance / Marketing is added advantage)

7⃣ Consultation Businesses (Technical Consultation / Valuation consultants)

8⃣ JCI or NABH consultanT for Hospitals (Certified course in Accreditation) 

9⃣ Healthcare Finance (MBA finance / marketing could add values)

 Healthcare IT (Skill on Software Programing for Healthcare IT related development)

1⃣1⃣ Rehabilitation Engineer (Developing new assistive devices; required 3-D modelling skills)  

1⃣2⃣ Patents (Intellectual Property Rights; required PG Diploma course on IPR) 

1⃣3⃣ Academic (Teaching & Training; required Masters/PhD Degree) 

1⃣4⃣ Scientist (Research and Development; required Masters/PhD Degree) 

Manufacturing Domain

1⃣5⃣ Product Design Engineer (related to non-electronic equipments, Example: Orthopaedic Implants / Biomaterials; need 3D modelling skills)

1⃣6⃣ Quality Control Engineer in manufacturing unit (candidate need to go for Short term (6 month to 1 year) course on QC)

1⃣7⃣ Validation and Verification Engineer

1⃣8⃣ Market Research Analyst (team research/ individual research, product / design / concept research; MBA in Health Care Management is added advantage)
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▪ All Job Categories are equally preference to female candidates. 

▪ If any job category missing please give comment. 
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By, 
Ibrahim S Usman
Biomedical Technician 
461 Nigerian Air force Hospital 
Kaduna Nigeria

Membership Status with NISLT

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