Frank Lloyd Wright, a famous architect, used to invite his students to intern at his home called Taliesin. Here they would live and learn from the best. However, many would grumble because they felt they were duped into domestic service, because instead of designing, he had them cooking meals or doing other activities not related to designing buildings and homes. Instead, what he was teaching them was that to design a kitchen to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing, you had to truly understand how to cook and use a kitchen. He wasn’t duping them; he was giving them valuable insight that would inform their future designs.
Arizona State University (ASU) has begun something similar in the medical field. They are launching a new program within their soon to be new medical school named the John Shufeldt School of Medicine, where they will co-train medical doctors as medical engineers as well. They call them “physician engineers”.
The first cohort of students will begin studies next fall. Upon graduation students will possess 2 degrees, a Doctor of Medicine and a Master of Science in Medical Engineering. More importantly, these students will have the opportunity and skillset to utilize the same types of valuable insights that Mr. Wright was trying to instill into his students and the results should be groundbreaking.
This innovative approach taken by ASU is sure to spark more programs across the country. They are teaching doctors think differently about how they diagnose and treat patients. Their ability to connect a problem to the potential solution will surely lead to life-saving technologies designed to prevent disease and illness.
Medical Doctors vs Medical Engineers
Most of us understand what a medical doctor is, they diagnose and treat patients who are suffering from any number of conditions, illnesses or diseases. Medical engineers on the other hand typically don’t interact with patients but they do design and develop medical equipment and technologies to help those medical doctors treat their patients.
Education Requirements
As expected, medical doctors require a lot of education. In addition to an undergraduate degree, they also attend medical school for another 4 years followed by years of residency. While medical engineers typically study biomedical engineering they can also study electrical or mechanical engineering. These 3 majors can usually be completed with a 4-year undergraduate degree. However, students can further their education with a masters in biomechanics or tissue engineering if they want to specialize in a certain area of medical engineering. The program as ASU would akin to pursuing a double major at the graduate level.
Ways to Pay for Graduate School
Graduate students have several financial aid options to help offset the high cost of their education. Loans are the most common way to pay for school, with federal loans usually preferred for their flexible repayment and forbearance options, though private loans may be needed to fill funding gaps but should be used cautiously due to fewer protections.
While some students may secure full-ride scholarships, most will need to combine loans, scholarships, fellowships, or tuition-free programs, as most aid does not cover all expenses. Scholarships and fellowships are valuable because they don’t require repayment and can range from partial to full tuition, while some schools offer tuition-free education with potential extra requirements like additional study or research.
Salary Expectations for Doctors vs Engineers
Medical doctors typically earn much more annually than medical engineers, $250,000 vs $110,000 respectively. That said, medical doctors are required to attend 4 additional years of medical school and complete a residency before fully entering their fields, whereas medical engineers were already well into their careers before the medical doctors have completed their residencies.
The Future of Medicine in a World with “Physician Engineers”
Given that the medical doctors are the ones spending day after day interacting with the patients and the technology used to treat them, they are the best ones to articulate the nuances of unmet needs, especially if they also understand the mechanics and technical requirements of meeting such a need. Someone who can appreciate where technology can lend a hand and connect the dots with insightful solutions for current medical needs will surely expedite the development process and implementation for ground-breaking medical technologies and healthcare.
