Interested in saving lives and helping people to get healthy?
You don’t have to be a doctor, nurse or physiotherapist. There are lots of interesting jobs that use technology, engineering and science skills in a variety of ways, including:
- Product development engineers may develop products that help improve people’s health or ability to manage their medical condition. For example, engineers at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare design special breathing equipment.
- Technical specialists in areas such as medical physics help deliver treatments such as radiotherapy for cancer patients.
- Biomedical engineers and technicians design, build and maintain medical equipment and surgical instruments, or develop artificial body parts, drugs or treatments for a range of disabilities and diseases.
- Software developers at companies like Orion Healthcare create easy-to-use IT systems for doctors and other healthcare workers.
- Biomedical scientists research how the human body works – often at a cell or molecular level – in order to find new medical treatments for diseases and genetic disorders. They may also be involved in evaluating new treatments and in manufacturing diagnostic tests.
- Environmental scientists measure and analyse the air, soil and water around us, and can provide advice on how to improve our environment in order to lead healthier lives.
- Food scientists research how we can eat our way to better health, and how we can make sure that our food contains as many health promoting compounds as possible.
- Specialist technicians maintain and use complex mechanical and electronic medical equipment such as x-rays, MRI and CT scanners, and other imaging equipment.
Key tertiary qualifications include:
- Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering
- Bachelor of Engineering Technology or Engineering, specialising in Electronics, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Product Development or Software/Computer Systems Engineering
- Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, Biomedical Science, Environmental Science, Food Science, Human Nutrition or Molecular Biosciences
Required and recommended school subjects:
- Maths, especially Calculus (required for engineering pathways)
- Physics (required for engineering pathways)
- Digital Technologies