A Career in Medical Appliance Technicians
In present senario people like to make their career in Medical appliance technicians or Biomedical engineering technology. The Medical appliance technology also known as Biomedical engineering is a branch of engineering which deals with the application of various principles and techniques of engineering in the medical field. It is involved with the development and manufacture of different drugs and other diagnostic and medical devices which are required to fulfill the medical needs of the masses. A number of artificial organs used in medical units like pace makers, kidneys, surgical devices such as laser machines for eyes and also magnetic resonance imaging machinery are innovative work of this special branch of engineering and technology. So it can be easily perceived that this field of study is here to stay and will only get better with time.
The increasing popularity of medical appliance technology round the world is mainly due to growing advancement in medical science and technologies over the last few years. This has raised the demand for trained personnel in this field. Therefore a lot of students are aiming to make a career in this field of engineering and technology in recent years.
Job profile
Medical appliance technicians have a job schedule which is similar to any regular engineering job. They need to construct, install, maintain and repair different surgical and medical appliances. They are also involved in assisting patients in using and maintenance of artificial limbs, braces, arch supports and joints etc. They have to follow the prescriptions and directives from orthotists who specializes on various support devices, corrective shoes and braces; and prosthestists who specializes in limb replacement. There are other technical persons who specialize in making other appliances such as hearing aids.
There are various steps involved in the manufacture and installation of these medical appliances and it is upon these medical appliance technologists to devote their time to this. From making wax impression to fabricating the structural components as per the prescribed norms is a laborious process that needs meticulous observation.
Once the fabrication is over, the medical appliance technicians need to test the devices for prim and proper alignment so that there is perfect movement and stability in the device. The measurements need to be accurate and absolutely ideal because even a slight error may lead to faulty correction measures that is harming in many ways. The technicians also need to maintain the devices through regular servicing and repair if any, so that the device functions in proper manner.
Work Environment
All of the medical appliance technologist namely, dental as well as ophthalmic laboratory technicians usually do their job in an extremely clean setting. The laboratories are absolutely well lighted as well as well aired. Their touch with the public is restricted and is limited to an extent and that too with proper guards against any contamination. The work hours are generally 8 to 12hrs a day. These technicians must wear proper gears like goggles, gloves and masks to defend their eyes, hands, nose and mouth respectively. Moreover they need to be careful when working with sharp tools and it is likely that they have to spend a lot of time being stranded.
Dental technicians are provided with their respective workbenches, which are equipped with their instruments. Over and above the environment they work must be clean and absolutely germ free.
Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criterion for students who want to enroll for a degree in medical appliance technology/biomedical engineering's 10+2 having physics, chemistry as well as biology. The course duration is of four years. If a student wants to pursue higher studies like M.Tech degree in the subject after the B.E or B. Tech degree then the course duration is of a couple of years. There are also diploma courses which need an eligibility of Class X and the duration may be either 2 or 3 years.
Courses
There are a number of courses which will lead to a degree in medical appliance technology.
The courses include:
Colleges and Institutes
Medical appliance technology / biomedical engineering programs are on offer in a lot of colleges and institutes all over India. There are veteran faculty associates and the institutions are well equipped with laboratories which have modern technologies. A few of well known colleges are listed below:
Career promises
Deciding whether medical appliance technology/engineering is the right career for you will depend on whether you are ready to embrace technological developments in medical field. Moreover there is an element of humanity related to this profession as the work is towards assisting medically disabled patients. It is such a career which is both challenging as well as rewarding. You are expected to come up with innovative and radical engineering solutions if you are in research field. In terms of pay packages too, there is no dearth of good salary packages for the deserving person. Being a moderately new career, this discipline is relatively unaffected by the aggressive competition that generally exists in the other fields.
Cost involved
Under prevailing education scenario in India, a degree in medical appliance technology/biomedical engineering is quite reasonable. A degree of B. Tech in will cost you nearly Rs. 3 lakhs. However present day private colleges may charge reasonably more than this. An M. Tech degree will also cost about Rupees 2 lakhs or more. If you are looking for some cheaper courses then you can try out the graduate or postgraduate diploma courses. The best institutions in India are definitely the Government colleges and institutes where the fees are also subsidized. However the competition is high in such colleges and institutions.
Job Prospects
The job prospects of a person with a degree in medical appliance technology are increasing in the recent years. There are tremendous job opportunities in the medical sector especially in the hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, medical gear manufacturing, medical and other educational institutions, administration regulatory organizations and health care units and various Non Governmental Organizations. Posts of technical advisors have been created in medical gear corporations which can be filled up by personnel having a degree or diploma in this profession. There are also huge opportunities in the sector of research & development in many government agencies in India as well as in a numerous universities round the world.
The job of a medical appliance technician within the private zone got a great boost in the year 1970. This can be owed to consumer campaigner Ralph Nader who had published an article claiming that a sea of people get injured everyday worldwide which needed devices that can be fitted to them so that they can lead a comfortable life.
These personnel need to perform a good deal of work in the area of biomedical/clinical engineering covering an array of diverse medical departments and specifications.
There are diverse sectors of medical appliance technology which are listed below:
These personnel work in close association with the nursing workforce and material supply employees to acquire various parts and other equipment.
Duties and other responsibilities
There are other responsibilities too such as;
Remunerations
An initial earning in this profession is something between Rs 15, 000 and Rs 20, 000 for a fresher. This is especially for government health care units and with experience and time the salary is likely to grow. However the remunerations for those working in the private sectors are high and may vary from one company to other. Big companies provide good salary packages and vice versa.
Conclusion
As the field of medical appliance technology/biomedical engineering is a relatively newer one there is a shortage of trained professionals. With the increasing pace in medical technology development more and more diagnostic and medical devices are sure to be innovated in the coming years. This means the profession will get further boost and the demand for technical persons in this field will increase manifold.
If we see individually also, the jobs of each of the departments say, medical, dental and ophthalmic appliance technicians is likely to grow much faster than the average. Even job opportunities is supposed to be favorable compared to other jobs because till now there are a very few people seek these positions. Of course with time and awareness the more and more people will develop interest in this field.
It is expected that the overall employment in these professions will grow around 14 percent in between 2010 to 2018. This is much faster than the average of all other occupations taken together. The medical appliance technicians therefore are likely to grow at 11 percent, and this sounds very promising. So if you were in a dilemma about taking up this profession, this should help you enough to have a clear idea of this noble job which not only will help you earn your daily living but also give you a satisfaction that you are helping to make the lives of various people comfortable in more ways than one.
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