The Real-World Application of JTC300

The Real-World Application of JTC300

Minh Anh Nguyen

Becoming an engineer and doctor was always an interest of mine. When I learned about biomedical engineering and the behind-the-scenes work of medicine, I knew I wanted to continue in that path. I wanted to be able to design and implement medical devices that help people all over the world.  My dream job is working in a place where I am able to design and create medical products that can improve the quality of life for patients and where I can continue learning every day, contribute ideas, and enjoy working.

The last two days, I did some research on biomedical engineering jobs and companies that design or implement medical devices. The first thing I found was promising. The salary for biomedical engineers published on both the Salary.com and Occupational Outlook Handbook websites are higher when compared with other engineering positions [1, 2].  However, when I started looking for these kinds of jobs in Colorado, I became worried about finding my dream job here, especially in Fort Collins or Loveland. I could not find a single company that makes medical devices or hires biomedical engineer in either of these cities.  I decided to extend my search to all cities in Colorado, and I found only two companies, Medtronic and Covidien, which are currently looking for or hiring biomedical engineers. After further research on both companies, I would say that Medtronic is the ideal company that I would like to work in. This company has designed many healthcare products and devices such as diabetes products, electrosurgical products, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices, pacemakers, etc. [3].  I have always been curious and interested in learning and understanding how these devices work. For example, I have learned from both Biomedical Signal and Image Processing (BIOM 483A3) and Cardiopulmonary Physiology (BMS 420) classes at Colorado State University that a pacemaker is used to treat arrhythmia or rhythm of the heartbeat. It is a small implantable device which uses low-energy electrical pulses to prompt the heart to beat at a normal rate. This is the theory behind its operation; now I want to see how it works in real life.  According to the Medtronic’s history webpage, “Medtronic was founded in 1949 as a medical equipment repair shop by Earl Bakken and his brother-in-law, Palmer Hermundslie. They did have a deep moral purpose and an inner drive to use their scientific knowledge and entrepreneurial skills to help others. Today, Medtronic operates in more than 140 countries. The company employs over 85,000 people and has more than 53,000 patents”

In the JTC 300 class, I have learned the following: 1. The three main types of writing are literary, news and technical. 2. Three types of technical project reports are empirical, feasibility, and technical manual. 3. How to differentiate types of argument and evidence such as qualitative and quantitative researches, primary and secondary sources. 4. The advantages and disadvantages of emails, memos, and letters.  These technical writing skills and lessons are very useful for my dream engineering job.  I will have to write and create documents ranging from user guides to test reports, test release documents, and Troubleshooting manuals.  I will also write emails regularly to communicate with my team members, managers, and customers.  The lessons on what I should or should not do or write in emails are very helpful.  For example, when writing an email to my team, I should make the subject line meaningful. A “Hi” or “Hello” won’t do because the recipient decides whether to read my message or not based on who sent it and what it’s about. My tone is also important in communication through email, so I must choose words carefully and thoughtfully since the readers cannot see my face or hear the tone of my voice. Email is intended to be a brief communication. I must keep my message short and concise and use only a few paragraphs.

References

1.      Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Biomedical Engineers,
on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/biomedical-engineers.htm (visited May 21, 2015).

2.      Colorado Biomedical Engineer I Salaries | Salary.com (Colorado Biomedical Engineer I Salaries | Salary.com) http://www1.salary.com/CO/Biomedical-Engineer-I-salary.html

3.      Medical Device - Medical Technology and Services Company | Medtronic (Medical Device - Medical Technology and Services Company | Medtronic) http://www.medtronic.com/us-en/index.html

4.