Faculty of Health Science and Biomedical Engineering

SMBE 4032:
PROFESSIONAL BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING PRACTICE

Introduction

Dr. Jasmine Hau Yuan Wen

School of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences

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Table of Contents

 Background of Engineering
 Engineering as a Profession
 Engineering is Managing the Unknown
 International and National Engineering Society
 Registered Engineer and Professional Engineer

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 Background of Engineering
How many Engineering Field do you know?
What is Engineering?

High Pay Job !?

$$$$

High Tech and

Challenging Work !?
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 Definition of Engineering
By American Engineering Societies
The profession in which a knowledge of the
mathematical and natural sciences gained by study,
experience, and practice is applied with judgment to
develop ways to utilize, economically, the materials
and forces of nature for the benefit of mankind.

By Mike Lanigan – (Engineer in Business)

The application of Technology to wealth creation by providing cost-effective
solutions to human needs and problems.

By Mc Ginn – Engineering & Society

That highly specialized and professionalized branch of technological activity which
is devoted to systematic design, production, and operation of technics and
technical systems to meet practical human needs under specified constraints (time,
money, performance, reliability, etc.)
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Origin of Engineer

The words ENGINEER and INGENIOUS

both came from the Latin INGENIUM,

which meant;
- a talent,
- natural capacity,
- or clever invention.

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 Background of Engineering
What is Engineering?
 Work of engineer?
 Can affect public health and safety
 Can influence business practices and even politics.

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 What is Engineering Work?
Design of products, structures and processes by
managing a lot of unknown:
 How well does it work?
 How will it affect people?
 What changes will this lead to an society?
 How well will this work under all of the conditions that it
will be exposed to?
 Is it safe?
 If there are some safety concerns, how bad are they?
 What are the effects of doing nothing?

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Engineering is Managing the Unknown

 Engineering design is about creating new devices and product for

the use in future with lack of knowledge.
 An engineer can never be absolutely certain that their design will
never harm anyone or cause detrimental changes to society.
 MUST test the design as thoroughly as times and resources
permits to ensure that it operates safety and as planed.
 MUST use creativity to attempt to foresee the possible
consequences of their work.

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Responsibilities of engineers

Engineer are responsible not only to the employer but also responsible
to society, Environment and many others.
a) Organization (Customers, Employees, Shareholders etc)
– Organizational objectives
– Profit & Loss
– Safety
b) Profession
– Codes of Ethic
c) Society
– Protect the safety and well-being of public
d) Environment
– Protect the Environment
– Safety

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 Engineering as a Profession
Is ENGINEERING a PROFESSION?
What is PROFESSION?
PROFESSION = = JOB = = OCCUPATION???
 Job: any work for hire, regardless of the skill level involved
and the responsibility granted.
 Occupation: Employment through which someone makes a
living.
 Profession in modern society:
 To distinguish the practitioner from an unpaid amateur?
 Indicate some degree of skill acquired through many
years of experience which the practitioner able to
provide quality services?
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 What is a Profession?
Attributes of a profession [Martin and Schinzinger, 2000]:
1. Work that requires sophisticated skills, the use of
judgment, and the exercise of discretion. Also the work is
not routine and is not capable of being mechanized;
2. Membership in the profession requires extensive formal
education, not simply practical training or apprenticeship;
3. The public allow special societies or organizations that
are controlled by members of the profession to set
standards for admission to the profession, to set standards
of conduct for members, and to enforce these standard.
4. Significant public good results from the practice of the
profession.
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 What is a Profession?
Attributes of a profession [Martin and Schinzinger, 2000]:
1. Work that requires sophisticated skills, the use of
judgment, and the exercise of discretion. Also the work is
not routine and is not capable of being mechanized;
 Judgment:
 Making significant decisions based on formal training and
experience.
 The decision will have serious impacts on people’s lives.
 Often have important implications regarding the spending of large
amounts of money.
 Discretion
 Discrete in the performance of one’s duties: Keeping information
about customers, clients, and patients private and confidential.
 The ability to make decisions autonomously.
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Are these considered as Profession?

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 Is Engineering a Profession?
 Engineering requires extensive formal training and sophisticated skills.
 Judgment: How to use the available materials, components and services, to
reach a special objective.
 Discretion: To keep employers’ /clients’ IP and business information
confidential
 Primary concern: Public safety who will use the designed devices.
 Mechanization?
 A new situation require a new design or modification of an existing design
 CAD tools facilitate the design process, but not replacement for the skills
of an engineer.
 Serve public good: Providing communication system, transportation, medical
diagnostic and treatment equipment, etc.
 Has a profession societies: To set professional standard and frequently work
with schools of engineering to set standards for admission, curccicula, and
accreditation.
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Differences between Engineering and Other
Professions
Comparison Engineering Profession Others Profession
Criteria (except Civil Engineering) (Law, Physician, Accounting)
Employment Not self-employed. Self-employed in private practice
Part of larger companies Independent business, or in large
involving many different group practices.
occupations.
Large Corporation Rarely in significant managerial Retain much of the decision-
position, except with regards to making power
managing other engineers.
Training Employed as engineer after 4 Training does not begin until after
years of undergraduate education the undergraduate program has
been completed.
Profession Society Less powerful More powerful
Licensing Not required Required
Social Stature Lower Higher
Pay Lower Higher

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 Malaysia Community’s Perception of
Engineer and Engineers Profession

 Not very good as compared to doctors, lawyers or accountant

 Do not receive due recognition
 The status in society is quite low
 Lack of prestige and glamour

The Reasons:
 Blue collar
 Not much money to make
 Difficult course
 Not much limelight
 No novels on engineer
 No TV dramas on engineer
 Majority of public do not get to meet engineer directly.

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International and National Professional Bodies
 International:
 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
 Institute of Industrial Engineers
 Institute of Transportation Engineers
 Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate Management
 Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine
 Institution of Civil Engineers
 Institution of Chemical Engineers
 International Association of Engineers (IAENG)
 Hong Kong Institution of Engineers
 Many many more…….
 Malaysia
 Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM)
 Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM)
 Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Malaysia (IMechE - Malaysia)
 Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
 The Electrical and Electronics Association of Malaysia (TEEAM)
 MySET (Malaysian Society for Engineering and Technology)

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