Bachelor of Science
"There often will be a number of qualified candidates for an open role, so distinguish yourself by who you know and how you communicate. Network, build relationships, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Job search engines are great for identifying companies, but you’re much more likely to get your foot in the door if you build a contact there. LinkedIn is a great tool to get started with this."
"Search for medical device companies and apply to any position that looks interesting; apply to all positions even if you don’t feel fully qualified – the company can decide whether to consider you or not (i.e., don’t filter yourself out by not applying); at my company, a lot of biomedical engineers work in the quality role. the best way to land a role is to network – I did this by finding an internship when I could not find a full-time position and then used the internship to network and find a full-time position."
"Find an area of science/engineering (or any related field) that is continually challenging and don’t hesitate to apply to positions where your qualifications may not perfectly match. Obtaining a degree in Biomedical Engineering means a student is equipped with the necessary skills to learn on the job and to lead."
"Regardless of whether going to graduate school or into the workforce, first identify your interests and then aggressively pursue your options! The jobs will not come to you, but rather use all available resources, most importantly networking, to get your foot in the door. Once there, be confident in yourself and know that you’re well-trained to be successful."
"A short bit of advice for entering industry would be: Try to discover what really drives and motivates you, and also what skills you want to gain in your next career development goal. Use these pieces of information to guide you in your job search and to strengthen your interview. Most likely your first job will not be your ideal job, but once you get an opportunity to join a company, you can utilize your skillset and networking to find a job that can help you move forward in your career. (Who knows, you might discover something you didn’t even know you liked!)"
"I’ve always put the work of being a prosthetist into a unique context of including more than one activity, and/or type of activity. First, one must enjoy people, and be a comfortable and effective communicator. Second, one must understand elements of anatomy, physiology, tissue dynamics, kinesiology, physics/gait dynamics etc. Third, there are hand skills that are required to be proficient in this field, such as ability to sculpt/mold and work with tools/machines. Fourth, computer skills, CAD, software for knees/hands etc., including much more of this type of knowledge are under development. Fifth, there’s the satisfaction of fairly dramatic and short term results; can’t walk, but then they can; can’t pick up a thing, then they can, etc. And lastly, that nearly every patient presents somewhat differently, and mixing that fact with all of the various bits of engagement of the first five things, leads to a reduction of the monotony factor that can burnout others in certain jobs."
"A couple of pieces of advice I would give to undergraduates, as well as graduates is to get as much experience as you can while you are in school. Whether that is through co-op experiences(particularly if they want to directly enter industry), summer internship, or research experiences. Kensey Nash extensively uses co-op and summer students, and will often hire them following graduation (think of it as a 3-6 month interview) if they are good. We work with many medical device companies and I can say that most want some experience when they are hiring, which is tough to get coming directly out of school. If they don’t have this experience coming out of school, and can’t find a permanent position, they might try looking for a longer co-op position to get some experience. As you mentioned, networking is also a good idea, you never know where it could lead."
