Perspectives on Bioengineering Clinical Immersion: History, Innovation, and Impact

Abstract

Opportunities to provide clinical immersion experiences to bioengineering undergraduate students have expanded over the last several years. These programs allow students to observe the clinical environment in order to better understand workflow processes, the context in which medical equipment is used, and identify unmet needs firsthand. While each program focuses on identifying unmet needs, these experiences vary in content and implementation. Here we discuss features of clinical immersion programs, share details of our program after six years, and present data regarding post-graduation employment of our participants. Students who participated in the University of Illinois at Chicago Clinical Immersion Program are not more likely to pursue careers in industry as compared to non-participants, nor do they demonstrate an ability to find a job more quickly than non-participants. However, participants who did enter into industry self-reported that the program was impactful to both their career interests and ability to find their first employment position.

Clinical Immersion for Biomedical Engineers: Pivoting to a Virtual Format

“…2 CI programs for BME students help students feel better prepared for their capstone design experience, 3 promote a strong understanding of user centered design, 3,5 an improved ability to work with clinicians to define unmet needs, 4,5 and positive impacts on the students' career interests and ability to find their first employment position. 6 To bring CI opportunities to more BME students, NIH/ NIBIB has provided funding to create these programs at more than 25 institutions across the United States through the R25 ''Team-Based Design in Biomedical Engineering Education''. 6 Through this NIH/NIBIB funding mechanism, CSU and University of Colorado Health Medical Center of the Rockies (UCH-MCR) have run a collaborative summer CI program for BME students in summer 2018 and summer 2019.…”

“…6 To bring CI opportunities to more BME students, NIH/ NIBIB has provided funding to create these programs at more than 25 institutions across the United States through the R25 ''Team-Based Design in Biomedical Engineering Education''. 6 Through this NIH/NIBIB funding mechanism, CSU and University of Colorado Health Medical Center of the Rockies (UCH-MCR) have run a collaborative summer CI program for BME students in summer 2018 and summer 2019. In this program, students attended patient rounds, observed surgical procedures and engaged with clinicians at UCH-MCR and related clinics, and interacted with product/device representatives on a full-time basis for 7 weeks.…”

Learning Environments and Evidence-Based Practices in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering

“…Participants placed high importance on providing clinical 20 and industrial 8 context for student design projects. Specifically, most attendees reported integrating these clinical and industry exposures in their course learning outcomes.…”

Factors Influencing Private Hospitals’ Participation in the Innovation of Biomedical Engineering Industry: A Perspective of Evolutionary Game Theory

“…Most extant literature about BME collaborative innovation focused on the cultivation of innovative talents in BME. Kotche et al discussed the impact of clinical immersion programs on the cultivation of BME undergraduates [ 36 ]. They found that these programs were impactful for both their career interests and ability to find their first jobs.…”