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Developing Biomedical Instrumentation Laboratory Exercises for Engineering Technology

Abstract With the rapid growth of the Biomedical Engineering field in recent years, many academic institutions have developed Biomedical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering Technology programs to address this growth trend. However, the number of Biomedical Engineering Technology programs that have been developed to address the need for qualified technologists in this filed have been few and far between1. The Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) program at Southern Polytechnic State University was recently approved to offer an option in Biomedical Engineering Technology (BMET). The primary objective for the development of the BMET option has been to produce graduates that will have the requisite skills for a successful career in the Biomedical Engineering/Technology field. Given the background to the development of this option, one of the key courses proposed for the option was a course in Biomedical Instrumentation. The traditional approach to teaching Biomedical Instrumentation has relied on a solid background in Engineering Circuit theory, advanced Mathematics and Engineering design. However, for Engineering Technology students, who, in most cases lack an advanced mathematical background, the need is for a more applied and hands-on approach. Unfortunately, the prohibitive cost of many of the kinds of equipment encountered in the Biomedical Engineering field makes it difficult to develop an effective laboratory component to a Biomedical Instrumentation course for Engineering Technology. In this paper a discussion of the approach utilized to develop a meaningful laboratory experience for ET students in the BMET option is presented.

I. Introduction

The Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) program at Southern Polytechnic State University was recently approved to offer an option in Biomedical Engineering Technology (BMET). This option was developed with the primary objective of producing graduates who will have the requisite skills for a successful career in the Biomedical Engineering/Technology field. One of the key courses proposed for the option was a course in Biomedical Instrumentation. Traditional approaches to teaching Biomedical Instrumentation has relied on a solid background in Engineering Circuit theory, advanced Mathematics and Engineering design. However, for Engineering Technology students, who in most cases lack an advanced mathematical background, the need is for a more applied and hands-on approach. This implies that students will need to be exposed to the different types of equipment to be encountered in the medical environment. Unfortunately, the cost of such equipment can be prohibitive and not practical for many college programs. For example, an MRI can cost upwards of a million dollars. Also, as a result of rapid advances in technology medical equipment tend to become obsolete rather quickly. In addition, some of the equipment can pose health and safety hazards that programs are

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Asgill, A. (2009, June), Developing Biomedical Instrumentation Laboratory Exercises For Engineering Technology Paper presented at 2009 Annual Conference & Exposition, Austin, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--5723