Biomedical Engineering
Your skills and the employment market
Skills gained during your studies include:
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Analytical Skills
Communication Skills
Computer Literacy
Capacity for Detail
Creativity
Interpersonal Skills
Research Skills
Time Management / Prioritising
Biomedical engineers can be employed in industry (e.g.
pharmaceutical, medical devices), in universities, in
hospitals, in research facilities of educational and medical
institutions, in teaching, and in government regulatory
agencies.
Sample Job Advertisements
Some jobs advertised recently that may suit students /
graduates (these jobs are not currently available and are
shown here for illustration purposes only).
Graduate Engineer, Innovation Centre, Creganna
Medical Devices. Providing engineering support to new
products and technologies projects and assist in
development. Must have strong mechanical aptitude,
innovation skills, work on own initiative, flexible
approach to work with results oriented attitude, customer
focused, team worker with good communication and
organisational skills.
Global Traineeship, Johnson & Johnson. Auditing,
planning, completing design specifications, developing
design standards, executing process validation, and
providing regulatory submissions. On completion you will
be offered position in Engineering, Operations or Quality
within the Johnson & Johnson family of companies.
Research
Engineer
for
Biomedical
Platform
Development, Biomedical Diagnostics Institute.
Mechanical Design Engineer, Synecco Galway. Design
Engineer responsible for providing mechanical design
support for new product developments (primarily medical
devices), working with teams locally and in China.
Graduate R&D Engineer Interns, Medtronic Galway to
provide technical input in the commercialization of new
products.
Possible Career Opportunities / Specialisms
Medical Devices
Design
Process Engineer
Medical
Informatics
Patent Officer
Manufacturing
Engineer
Quality
Engineer
Healthcare Sales
Representative
Health & Safety
Research &
Development
Lecturer
Healthcare
Purchasing
Technical /
Medical Writing
Note: Further qualifications may be needed for certain
positions. This list is a sample representation of positions
available.
Up to 40% of graduate employment opportunities are
open to graduates of all disciplines. In most cases,
however you will need further postgraduate study or
professional training.
Often Biomedical Engineers work in the research, design
and manufacture or modification of medical products
(such as artificial organs, joints etc) and work closely with
other medical personnel.
There are many other areas directly related to this field
such as computer analysis of patient data, using artificial
intelligence in patient support, biological / tissue
engineering, equipment maintenance and much more.
See overleaf to view what past graduates of this course
have done after graduation.
Deciding on your Career
Choosing a career involves more than just finding out
what is open to you. Knowledge about yourself is vital to
the process. It is valuable to start by looking at your
strengths, weaknesses, interests, abilities and skills in
order to relate career options to you.
NUI Galway students and recent graduates can arrange an
appointment with one of our staff or browse through the
careers library.
There are also resources available on our website for help
deciding ‘what next?’ including Psychometric Tests at:
www.nuigalway.ie/careers/students/careerinfo.html .
Further study opportunities
Resources in the Careers Information Room
For certain career choices, employers may look for
candidates with further qualifications and training.
The Career Development Centre has valuable information
resources, experienced career development advisers and
information staff on hand to help you with your queries.
Some of the courses chosen by Biomedical graduates in
the past at NUI Galway were:
 Structured Ph.D (Engineering)
 PhD
 M.Sc. Software Design & Development
 Higher Diploma In Business Studies
See www.nuigalway.ie/courses for the full range of
programmes available.
Other courses that graduates have taken include:
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Masters in Biomedical Engineering, TCD
 MSc Biomechanics, Edinburgh
 MSc Bioengineering & Neurotechnology, London
 Graduate Entry Medicine, UCD
 Masters in Business Management, DCU
 MSc in Bioengineering, TCD
Reference material in the Information Room includes:
 Engineering as a Career [book]
 Occupational Folder – Engineering
We also have a range of titles to reference on taking
psychometric tests, going for interview, writing a CV or
personal statement… and much more.
Drop into our information room and we will be happy to
assist you – there’s no need to book an appointment to
browse through our resources.
Be sure and pick up our free booklets ‘Your CV’ and
‘Interview Skills’.
Useful websites
www.nuigalway.ie/careers has sections on studying in
Ireland and studying abroad with useful links for many
countries worldwide.
The website www.postgradireland.com also contains
useful information on postgraduate courses in Ireland,
www.prospects.ac.uk is an excellent site for researching
opportunities in the UK and http://ec.europa.eu/ploteus/
covers the EU.
What past graduates have done
It is always interesting to know what fellow graduates
have done after obtaining their degree at NUI Galway.
These have been taken recent Graduate Destination
Surveys.
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Design Engineer, Arrotek Medical
Graduate R&D Engineer, Veryan Medical, Galway
Research and Development, Medtronic, Galway
Quality Control, Medtronic, Galway
Research & Development Engineer, Lake Region
Medical , Galway
Technical Services Department, Pfizer Biotech
Campus, Dublin
Supplier Quality Assurance Engineer, Atlas Copco
Airpower, Belgium
Engineer, Novate Medical, Galway
Consulting Analyst, Accenture, London
Engineer research and development, Neuravi
Biomedical Galway
Manufacturing Engineer, Abbott Ireland
Design Assurance Engineer, Boston Scientific
Galway
Biomedical Engineer, Baxter healthcare Castlebar
Manufacturing Engineer, Boston Scientific Galway
We have found that the following websites contain
relevant and interesting information on opportunities with
a degree in Biomedical Engineering.
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www.nuigalway.ie/careers
www.nuigalway.ie/ncbes/
www.gradireland.com
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www.beai.ie
www.engineersireland.ie
www.biotechnologyireland.com/ Directory section
has list of Irish and Multinational Biotech companies
www.imda.ie Irish Medical Device Association
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Europe
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www.prospects.ac.uk
www.newscientistjobs.com/graduate/
www.europabio.org European Assoc for
Bioindustries
http://efbweb.org/activities/jobs.htm European
Federation of Biotechnology
Abroad
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http://bmes.org/careerconnections Biomedical
Engineering Society
www.ifmbe.org/ International Federation for
Medical and Biological Engineering