MINISRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION BURKINA FASO LITERACY AND THE

UNITY-PROGRESS-JUSTICE
PROMOTION OF NATIONAL LANGUAGES
-----------------------------------
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL OF THE
DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC HIGH SCHOOLS,
PREPARATORY CLASSES AND AGGREGATION
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PREPARATORY CLASSES FOR
THE GREATEST SCHOOLS OF BOBO DIOULASSO

ENGLISH SHOWING

THEME: BIOMEDICAL
ENGINEERING

MEMBERS OF THE GROUP:

NIKIEMA Patoinvikba David Honoré
OUEDRAOGO Abdoul-Karim

LECTURER: A. DRABO,
Doctorate Student in Anglophone Studies
UJKZ-Ouagadougou/BF
UAO-Bouaké/RCI

OUTLINE OF THE PRESENTATION

 INTRODUCTION

I. Who is biomedical engineer?

II. Studies and training
III. Qualities and skills needed
IV. Missions
V. Possible evolutions
VI. Main employers
VII. Some biomedical devices
VIII.Advantages and disadvantages
of the profession of
biomedical engineer
IX. Biomedical engineering in
Burkina Faso

CONCLUSION

Introduction
In healthcare facilities, patient safety is one of the major issues. The new medical technologies are
constantly increasing and have an important place in diagnosis and treatment of patients. It is for this
reason that the biomedical service is at the heart of this issue. It allows to carry out an effective
organization to meet this need. It is the biomedical engineer who is going to lead this organization. Yet,
what to know about biomedical engineering.

I. Who is biomedical engineer?

The function of the biomedical engineer emerged when hospitals became more modern by being more
professional and technical. During the 1970s, engineers’ biomedical workers were in low numbers, and
compared to the industrial environment their work was not recognized at its fair value. Nowadays, that
has really changed.
We can define biomedical engineering as the application of engineering techniques and principles in the
medical field. It is a mixture of medicine, engineering, biology, chemistry and physics. The biomedical
engineer is therefore responsible for developing devices for diagnosing patients, controlling biological
systems and so on. He designs medical devices of different kinds (scanners, resuscitation devices,
prostheses ...) and ensures their good functioning in order to provide the best quality of care to patients.
The biomedical engineer also has an advisory role in terms of new acquisitions and renewal of medical
devices. He is responsible for maintaining medical equipment and repairing it if necessary. In addition to
this, he ensures that the medical staff masters use his equipment correctly and organizes training sessions
if necessary.

II. Studies and training

What training and how to become a biomedical engineer?
Studies to become a biomedical engineer start after obtaining the bachelor’s degree. To be recruited on
such job, the candidate must have strong knowledge in technology, developing and engineering
equipment. The most classic way is integration into an engineering school with a specialization in
biomedical engineering. It is also possible to consider university studies after the baccalaureate. Students
wishing to exercise one of the maintenance and research trades in medical equipment can turn to a BTS
or a DUT in engineering sciences or a scientific preparation before entering engineering school. To
exercise the job as a biomedical manager, it is better to hold a biomedical engineering degree in this area
of activity. Many schools offer studies to access a job within a hospital or private clinic.

III. Qualities and skills needed

The medical engineer is called upon to work with the various departments of a hospital or a private
establishment. For this, relational qualities are essential. Thus, exchanges are facilitated. This
professional also has an advisory role. He must therefore know how to explain the right actions to adopt
to use medical equipment in an optimal way. His technical and analytical knowledge is more important.
They are often acquired during training in engineering school. Beyond these personal and professional
qualities, this expert must be rigorous. His responsibility may be incurred in the event of failure and poor
organization of the maintenance of health equipment: dialysis machines, MRIs, scanners, and so on.

IV. Missions
What are the missions that you can achieve as a biomedical engineer??
A biomedical engineer performs multiple missions during a work week. His main mission is to ensure the
proper functioning of the medical equipment or institutions for which he works. This mission can then be
divided into many daily tasks: implementation of a device maintenance strategy, programming of medical
equipment purchases, training of agents to the use and handling of equipment, taking position in the
distribution of the budget concerning the medical equipment, Coordination of the team of maintenance
technicians, and so on. By carrying out these missions, the medical engineer acts as manager, responsible
and trainer to ensure the quality and safety of care. This work is part of the key trades in the industry for
the proper functioning of the health career.

V. Possible evolutions
What to do after biomedical engineer?
Often, the biomedical engineer continues to practice his job throughout his career by winning
responsibility. He can thus be led to take the direction of a biomedical service with a more developed
management function. This engineer can also focus on the search and development of medical
equipment. This engineering professional must constantly follow the technological evolution to offer the
best health monitoring of patients. His technical expertise is increasingly pushed as his years of
experience. His remuneration will increase according to this expertise acquired.
The future of biomedical engineering
Biomedical engineers play a vital role in the advancement of clinical treatments. Thanks to revolutionary
innovations such as crutches, medical imaging, prostheses and exercise equipment, biomedical
engineering transforms the world of health services. In the future, we expect the applications of artificial
intelligence, virtual reality, robotization and 3D printing to be advancing in the field of health care.
However, given growing environmental concerns, the IBM world could shift from clinical innovations to
innovation to combat climate change and sustainability. For example, by genetically modifying
biodiversity, producing bio-based materials, creating organic clothing and improving carbon capture, use
and storage.

VI. Main employers

Which companies can recruit a Biomedical Engineer?
Most of the time, the medical engineer is employed within a hospital. He can work for a private or public
health establishment, but also for an industrial company in the health sector. When exercising his
profession in a large establishment, this professional may find himself leading a team of biomedical
technicians. This engineer generally intervenes in several departments to set up a maintenance strategy
for medical and diagnostic devices. The main employers of a biomedical engineer are therefore private or
public health establishments and private companies specializing in medical research and development.

VII. Some biomedical devices

To treat their patients, doctors have imperatively needed adapted materials. Whether for testing,
practicing care or simply to perform a diagnosis on their patients. There are many types of devices for
that and they are categorized according to their function. We can find some of these diagnostic
equipment, therapeutic equipment, those that are vital in order without forgetting laboratory medical
equipment.
Medical diagnostic device:
This category brings together all the material to make the diagnosis of a patient. In other words, it will
make it possible to seek the cause of the evil-being of the person concerned and thus bringing
appropriate solutions and remedies. It can be the scanner or simply the sphygmomanometer, glucometer,
stethoscope or other devices of the same kind.
Therapeutic equipment:
This kind of equipment is generally used for treatment of the disease strictly speaking. In fact, in addition
to administering drugs, the doctor will also use the patient devices such as the crutch as care. It can last a
few days, or even a few weeks depending on the severity of the patient’s condition.
Patient life support equipment:
This type of device is used in the most critical and urgent situations. When a patient finds himself
between life and death, for example, it is necessary to keep it alive and it will only be possible using one
of these devices. As an example, the medical fan, the dialysis device or the oxygen bottles accompanied
by their gas masks, can be mentioned as an example.
Laboratory equipment:
Laboratory material is quite close to the diagnostic devices, as it allows to do analysis and thus determine
if there is something abnormal in the patient treated. Doctors generally use these tools to analyze urine,
blood or any other substance secreted by the patient.

VIII. Advantages and disadvantages of the profession

of biomedical engineer

1. Advantages
Engineers have a major impact on the world. Biomedical engineering is one of the most in-demand
engineering professions. So, when you are biomedical engineer, it is unlikely that you will remain
unemployed because it is a sought-after profile. Biomedical engineering has many advantages:

 What salary and how much does a biomedical engineer earn? The salary of a biomedical engineer
evolves according to his experience. The net salary of this professional is about 2500 euros at the
beginning of his career. Very quickly, this remuneration increases to 6,000 euros net at the end of
the career. This occupation is one of the health professions where the wage value is important. If
we examine its annual salary, the average salary of a biomedical engineer is about 50,000 euros.
Namely that an engineer of this type at the end of his career can receive up to 120,000 euros gross
a year. On average, the biomedical engineer working in the private sector will therefore be able to
receive nearly 60,000 euros, while a professional working in the public sector will receive average
remuneration of just under 50,000 euros. The remuneration of a biomedical engineer then varies
according to several criteria: seniority, experience, sector of activity (private or public), the receipt
of bonuses or not, etc. The gross salary of a biomedical engineer also evolves according to the
number of technicians he manages daily. The more the establishment, the higher its
remuneration. This allows the engineer to support himself.
 In addition, the profession of biomedical engineer is practical and pleasant and allows engineers to
travel around the world for professional reasons. He can also use his creativity every day. This will
save a large number of patients in his workplace and even elsewhere.
  Biomedical Engineers work closely associated with the doctors and medical scientists. So, if you
ever had the desire to become a doctor, this is an excellent branch to pursue your dreams. You
will be closely working with the doctors, and helping them work efficiently.
 Research opportunities in this field are huge. All other branches of engineering now, want to carry
out the research in Biomedical as their field is saturated. The amount of funding in this field
abroad is huge, and if you are innovative and creative, you can work really well in this field.
Biomedical solutions impact the society and you are able to improve a lifespan of an individual
which is the most valuable thing one has got. You can also be working closely with NGOs to
develop the society.
 The feeling of utility for the biomedical engineer is strong enough. The biomedical engineer helps
to better care for patients.

2. Disadvantages
 Biomedical engineers often work on crucial and time-sensitive projects. This means that they may
work during nights or weekends to complete necessary requirements.
 Even the most important biomedical engineering projects require basic skills like data entry. Some
biomedical engineers may not consider these tasks. But these simpler tasks may be necessary to
help projects succeed. Completing these tasks may give you the chance to apply your skills and
abilities to work that the complexity varies.
 Biomedical engineers may encounter dangerous materials or other workplace safety risks when
they complete projects.
 This profession involves great responsibilities. The biomedical engineer supports the organization
of the maintenance of medical equipment. A lack of rigor and analysis can lead to dramatic
consequences.

IX. Biomedical engineering in Burkina Faso

In view of the importance of biomedical engineering in the field of health, sad is to note that biomedical
engineering is unknown by the public in Burkina Faso. This can be explained by the fact that biomedical
engineering is quite new and there are also at most 5 biomedical engineering training schools that can be
mentioned: ESTA (School of Advanced Technology), the Bobo-Dioulasso IST (Institute of Science and
Technology). And since our dear country is one of the developing sub-Saharan countries, it says that
considerable potential areas such as the biomedical field is well taken into account in government
policies. For example, the biomedical engineering profession should be added first to renamed the actors
and then encourage other universities to have good training. Finally, policies need to be developed for
the training of biomedical design engineers. Indeed, most schools in Burkina Faso form technicians and
not designers. This lack of design engineer causes a deficit of biomedical devices. In addition to this, the
technicians we have are less qualified for the maintenance of our biomedical equipment. This makes
Burkina Faso is obliged to use technicians in Europe and Maghreb.
 Conclusion
To conclude, we can say that biomedical engineering is an excellent field for patient safety thanks to the
different advantages it provides. To be a biomedical engineer, technical and analytical knowledge are
important as well as rigor. Once a biomedical engineer, the latter has the possibility of carrying out
certain missions and an evolution in this field is possible. Biomedical engineers create and provide
medical devices that help health professionals perform their tasks in health facilities. They work in major
research institutes and health facilities where they form doctors for the use of technical medical
equipment and the repair of damaged equipment. Their services will continue to grow, because doctors
need their innovative medical products to deal with complex pathologies.