Theme 3 Session 5

The Value Added Proposition for BME Masters Programs and Views from Industry

Lawrence Boyd PhD

Palmetto Biomedical &

Clemson University

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Marissa Gray PhD

Brown University

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Location - CKB Agile Strategy (L-70)

Introduction

Today we will discuss the rationale for pursuing a Masters degree in BME

Graduate programs are an investment of time and money post-undergrad

Students have varying reasons for pursuing advanced degrees

There are disparities in access to graduate degrees for underrepresented minorities (URM) and first generation students that present challenges

A survey of hiring managers in industry has been administered related to the needs of industry and their outlook on hiring BME Masters graduates

Agenda – Value-added proposition for BME Masters programs and industry perspective

• Overview of workshop (20 minutes)
• Attendee survey results
• Summary of the literature
• Industry Survey Results
• Breakout objectives and ground rules
• Workshop session (25 minutes)
• Summary and debrief (5 minutes)

Participant survey results (N=137)

Q: Do you feel there are any differences in the need for post-graduate training for BME’s compared to other engineering majors?

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A: YES

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Undergraduate curriculum is very broad and multidisciplinary - a master’s degree allows for specialization

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Opportunity for focusing on industry-relevant skills versus research and basic science focus (regulatory, translation, innovation)

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Translational opportunities to take technology from bench to bedside

Participant survey results (continued)

Q: How can the expenses of masters programs be best addressed in order to provide equal access and diverse program enrollments?

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A: Year-round recruiting

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“Sponsored” fellowships

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Funding from state and local economic development orgs

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Paid internships or co-ops

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Company paid tuition benefits

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Concurrent or 5th year programs

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Background – Skill Employers Need

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• Specialized Master’s Programs (SMPs) cater to students with diverse educational backgrounds and apply translational science, business and engineering approaches to create healthcare solutions
• Authors administered a survey to determine specific skills and knowledge needed for jobs from the employer’s perspective - 55 alumni from 9 programs completed the survey
• Basis for survey was a list of 30 skills and knowledge compiled from Occupational Information Network (O*NET) – ranked by importance, scarcity and ease of training

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Stukes S, Bethke E, O’Donnell MJ, Amos JR (2023) Biomedical Specialized Masters Programs: What are They and How do They Meet the Needs of Employers? Biomedical Engineering Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/s43683-023-00115-5

Stukes S, Bethke E, O’Donnell MJ, Amos JR (2023) Biomedical Specialized Masters Programs: What are They and How do They Meet the Needs of Employers? Biomedical Engineering Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/s43683-023-00115-5

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There can be special challenges to career attainment by BME students

• BME students experience more barriers to their career attainment than other engineering majors
• Not being viewed as “real engineering”
• Not many opportunities at career fairs
• Company hiring representatives may be more familiar with traditional disciplines
• More consistent curriculum across different universities.
• Company hiring representatives may lack understanding of BME

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Desing, R.M., Shermadou, A.S., Nocera, T.M. et al. Identifying Supports and Barriers in Engineering Students’ Processes Toward Career Attainment. Biomed Eng Education (2023).

Industry Survey

• 28 responses
• Senior engineering leaders in medical device firms

(Avg 21 yrs experience)

• Titles include President, Senior Vice President, Team Lead, Director, Assoc Director, Manager of Product Development, Quality Manager, Vice President, Director of Engineering, R&D Director, Engineering Manager, Program Manager, Exec Vice President, CEO, Senior Manager, Clinical Director
• 5 open ended questions

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Industry Survey – What are the 3 most important professional skills you are looking for in a new hire at your company?

Industry Survey – Hiring managers understand BMEs?

Example comments

• Yes and no -- there's certainly a feeling that many BME undergraduates lack some of the skills ME students have, but they have better anatomy and systems understanding which is helpful for understanding clinical problems.
• I would say for the majority of hiring managers, the answer is no. … From my experience, different programs offer different specialties/concentrations, so it is harder to compare apples to apples.
• Mostly yes. There is a huge difference depending on program focus and concentration within biomedical engineering programs. This difference extends to master's programs where paper based vs hands on can make a huge difference in skill sets.
• I think it is important for new grads to highlight key courses to emphasize the intensity of the curriculum behind a Biomedical Engineering degree, whether the hiring manager understands or not. In my current company, I would say the hiring managers understand and appreciate.

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When would you hire a person with a biomedical engineering degree as compared to a person with a different engineering background?

Representative Individual Responses – Gaps in Prof Skills

• CAD modeling experience, drawing creation experience, designing for manufacturing, understanding mechanical principles
• Developing test methods and test method validation, understanding dimensioning and tolerancing and stack up analysis, biomaterial selection (PVC, PC, PP, PE) for different applications, and manufacturing methods.
• Real world applications such as: understanding how to take a concept from the design phase all the way through to production. Including but not limited to the URS, design inputs and outputs, design validations, design transfer, design for manufacturing, production validations, supplier requirements …
• I would like to see new grads come out with a better appreciation and practical application of the design control process…

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In your opinion, are there gaps in professional skills for recent BME graduates that we can address in our programs?

Workshop 1: Discuss the survey results regarding industry perspectives

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Goal:   Discuss how the outcomes of the survey may influence how your own program is structured and administered. 

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Action: Identify 2-4 specific actions you can take immediately to align your program with the needs of industry.

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Workshop 2 Increase awareness of BME graduate capabilities

Goal:   Discuss courses, skills, workshops,etc that could be added to master’s programs so that graduates meet the needs and expectations of industry and increase awareness of our graduates’ capabilities

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Action: Identify 2-4 programs, workshops, surveys, or events that can be hosted by the BME community to help all programs better align their curricula with the needs and desires of companies that hire BME graduates.

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Workshop 3 Increasing access

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Goal: Discuss how under-represented students and international students may have difficulties enrolling in, financing, and graduating from BME master’s programs. Discuss how engineering schools may or may not support the programs and their diversity.

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Action: List 2-4 specific opportunities, strategies, and methods you can take immediately to increase access among your specific BME master’s programs. Where possible, connect industry participation and awareness with increasing diversity of BME master’s programs

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Workshop Instructions

1. Form groups of ~5
2. (5 minutes) Brainstorm session. One idea per sticky note.
3. (15 minutes) Share your ideas and discuss
4. (5 minutes) Choose 2-4 specific ideas and list on worksheet
5. Submit worksheet with sticky notes attached

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Discussion and Wrap Up

Collect worksheets

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Group reports

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Next steps toward a publication

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Slides available with more details in Appendix

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Future meeting at BMES Annual Meeting

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Survey - Circulate to those that hire and manage engineers

Share our survey!

Appendix

Background – Reasons for BME Masters

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The value of a BME Masters degree includes:

• Increased depth in field
• Chance for a career pivot and advancement
• Finding specific positions in field of interest and a boost in salary
• Useful as a gateway to advanced degrees like MD and PhD

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Gray M, Amos JR, Bailey S, Grande-Allen KJ, Kofron C, Stukes S (2024) BME Master’s Programs: Who Are They for and What Can They Offer? Biomedical Engineering Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/s43683-024-00141-x

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Participant survey

• 137 participants

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3 Questions

• 1) How many students are in each of these types of master's programs at your institution? MS/MEng/MEM?Other

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• 2) Do you feel there are any differences in the need for post graduate training for biomedical engineers as compared to other engineering majors? Yes/No. Why?

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• 3) How can the expenses of masters programs be best addressed in order to provide equal access and diverse program enrollments? Any and all ideas are welcome.

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Representative Individual Responses – Most important professional skills

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• Knowledge Foundation (not specific knowledge), Ability to create and hold Forward Momentum and Structured Problem Solving.
• Mechanical Design (Drawings, Tolerance Stacks with GD&T, FEA), Presentation Skills, and Time/Project Management with experience working on a team.
• Communication (written and verbal) Fundamental understanding of industry standards (ISO 13845 etc) and how it applies to the position they are hoping to obtain. Understanding of validations (IQ, OQ, PQ) and when to apply the different types.
• Quick learner, Team player, technical skills for the job (for us:CAD/mechanical design is tops).

Representative Individual Responses – When to hire a BME

• Biomedical engineering degrees are looked at more exclusively for product development and quality engineering roles…
• We look for an interest in mechanisms, desire for continuous learning, and willingness to address a broad range of problems. Those traits are more important than the specific degree.
• It really depends on the need, I see BME as more of a generalist. BME degree would be a great fit for Systems, Test engineer, or a field support engineer. Where a electrical or a mechanical engineer would be better suited for product design/development. I've seen BMEs make great Quality Engineers.
• I have greatly appreciated how biomedical engineers come into a job able to hit the ground running and with an appreciation of the unique aspects the job. Their understanding that this is a "team sport" makes them all the more useful and trainable.

Industry Survey – Most important professional skills

• Organizational/project management, working in teams, communication in writing and presentations
• Knowledge Foundation (not specific knowledge), Ability to create and hold Forward Momentum and Structured Problem Solving.
• CAD modeling experience, understanding of physical/mechanical concepts, and enjoyment of problem solving
• Technical engineering competency (e.g., CAD, mechanical design), strong communicator, trustworthy
• Mechanical Design (Drawings, Tolerance Stacks with GD&T, FEA), Presentation Skills, and Time/Project Management with experience working on a team
• Communication (written and verbal) Fundamental understanding of industry standards (ISO 13845 etc) and how it applies to the position they are hoping to obtain. Understanding of validations (IQ, OQ, PQ) and when to apply the different types

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• Technical Competency, Cultural Fit with the organization, Potential for growth
• Self motivated, good thinker (doesn't just take data at face value), excellent customer service skills (internal and external customers)
• I prefer mechanical engineers over biomedical engineers. I am looking for some proof of creativity, I am looking for some proof of leadership skills, I prefer someone with CAD, 6 sigma, machining, or GDT skills. I am looking for someone that has extracurricular activities/interests.
• Quick learner, Team player, technical skills for the job (for us: CAD/mechanical design is tops).
• Communication skills, business context knowledge (pricing, supply chain, etc), Problem solving/critical thinking
• Creativity, Tenacity, Resourcefulness
• Problem solving, Communication, critical thinking skills,
• Computationally sound, maturity, well spoken

Industry Survey – When hire BMEs?

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• If there was a specific skill/experience that the BME person had. All things equal, I would hire for core engineering degrees and teach someone the "biomedical" aspects specific the role.
• We look for an interest in mechanisms, desire for continuous learning, and willingness to address a broad range of problems. Those traits are more important than the specific degree.
• Biomedical engineering degrees are looked at more exclusively for product development and quality engineering roles. For design engineers (mechanical engineering) or software/systems engineers (electrical/software) we open up the engineering discipline search a bit wider.
• I always prefer to hire someone with a masters in biomedical engineering in addition to a traditional undergraduate degree (mechanical, aerospace, electrical, etc.). I am wary of hiring someone with just a BS in biomedical engineering. For an R&D role in the design of medical devices, I have found that a masters in biomedical engineering dramatically shortens the learning curve for new hires.

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• It really depends on the need, I see BME as more of a generalist. BME degree would be a great fit for Systems, Test engineer, or a field support engineer. Where a electrical or a mechanical engineer would be better suited for product design/development. I've seen BMEs make great Quality Engineers.
• When I am looking to fill a position that is either: broad scope of medical device / pharmaceutical, clinical / medical specialty related, and new product development oriented. However, I would not favor one candidate over the other solely on the title of their engineering degree, but would take into consideration their curriculum load, specialized skills, prior experience, and passion.
• We look at the individual and the totality of their experiences in making the appropriate hiring decision. There are other factors such as contributing to our diversity, military service, or other life experiences that contribute to braking the tie between top candidates.

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• Depends. For the roles I have hired I don't typically go into the process thinking "I need a Biomedical Engineer vs say a mechanical engineer". Being in Ortho we are heavily mechanical based and a good ME with the ability to pick up the anatomy will do as well or better than a BioME who doesn't have a knack for mechanical design.

Industry Survey – Skill gaps ?

• Project management, organizational skills and personal time management have been challenging in some recent hires
• There is practical value for adding exposure to new requirements such as usability testing, ISO risk management, biocompatibility via chemistry. As an industry view, engineers can benefit from business training (the best widget can still bankrupt your business), knowledge of the healthcare system and payments, methods of manufacture. Last and not least AI is here to stay, how can you find applications.
• CAD modeling experience, drawing creation experience, designing for manufacturing, understanding mechanical principles
• Yes. They seem to be jack of all trades and master's of none in the traditional engineering/problem solving sense.
• I do believe that BME graduates often lack some of the mechanical design skills (and associated skills like GD&T, engineering drawings, etc.) compared to colleagues who came from programs such as mechanical engineering.
• Experience as to what the design and development cycle is actually like - the failures, rationales, cycling through designs, and what ultimately goes into risk assessments to prove a device is safe and effective are the biggest gap. It's hard to get this experience without being hands on and going through the process actively instead of checking boxes like many students do in a design course.

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• Real world applications such as: understanding how to take a concept from the design phase all the way through to production. Including but not limited to the URS, design inputs and outputs, design validations, design transfer, design for manufacturing, production validations, supplier requirements and qualifications, etc. Understanding technical writing is a large gap I have recently experienced.
• Developing test methods and test method validation, understanding dimensioning and tolerancing and stack up analysis, biomaterial selection (PVC, PC, PP, PE) for different applications, and manufacturing methods.
• What I have noticed is a gap in interpretation of raw data and statistics, technical report drafting, presentation skills, cross-functional cooperation, and a more complete understanding of new product development in the medical device setting.

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• I would like to see new grads come out with a better appreciation and practical application of the design control process. Similarly it would be good for them to have a basic understanding or regulatory and quality functions and processes.
• Many have a vague idea of how quality systems and/or design control work, but exposure is generally fairly limited. Some universities seem to attempt to incorporate this with senior design or other project work, however it does not typically translate into being able to hit the ground running

Industry Survey – Other comments

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• I am a biomedical engineer myself, working at a medical device company, specifically in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. I work with all kinds of engineers; electrical, mechanical, biomedical, etc. I would not hold one specialty over another, as there are gaps for each one. What it really comes down to is the individual and their driving to progress professionally in the field.
• The majority of hiring managers are traditionally educated (Mechanical or Electrical) Engineers and need urging to consider BME. The more successful BME graduates that add value to organizations, the better that will be for BME programs.
• At our company we expect our engineers to not just grasp the mechanical concepts and render them through CAD design, but to also have the ability to fabricate and prototype their ideas. The BMEs we have hired have not been able to do the hands on fabrication portion well. They didn't have any small part skills or didn't know how to robustly fasten or join parts together. The gap was so wide we had to terminate the employment (with two different hires). For this reason we shy away from them.
• We expect them to learn quickly and be humble enough to know when they do not know something. If they come in with that attitude, they will learn and stay for a long time. If not, they are usually gone within 1 year.
• I have greatly appreciated how biomedical engineers come into a job able to hit the ground running and with an appreciation of the unique aspects the job. Their understanding that this is a "team sport" makes them all the more useful and trainable.