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The differences between biomedical engineers and doctors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a doctor has an average salary of $208,582, which is higher than the $79,436 average annual salary of a biomedical engineer.
The top three skills for a biomedical engineer include patients, medical devices and biomedical equipment. The most important skills for a doctor are patients, customer service, and emergency medicine.
| Biomedical Engineer | Doctor | |
| Yearly salary | $79,436 | $208,582 |
| Hourly rate | $38.19 | $100.28 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 33,662 | 14,571 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Average age | 38 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
As a biomedical engineer, it's their main job responsibility to innovate advances that can improve human health care in all aspects. They analyze and create solutions to certain problems with biology and medicine to improve the effectiveness and quality of patient care. They also do complex tasks that include installing, repairing, maintaining, or providing technical support for biomedical equipment. Moreover, checking safety evaluation, efficiency, and effectiveness of biomedical equipment is also part of their job responsibilities.
A doctor is a medical expert who diagnoses and treats illnesses and injuries, often specializing in particular areas. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial interviews and examinations, studying a patient's medical history and laboratory results, providing consultations and care advice, prescribing medication, and referring patients to specialists when necessary. They must also coordinate and maintain an active communication line with nurses, administrators, and technicians for a smooth workflow. Moreover, a doctor must educate patients about their health conditions, helping them understand their situation better.
Biomedical engineers and doctors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Biomedical Engineer | Doctor | |
| Average salary | $79,436 | $208,582 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $108,000 | Between $106,000 And $408,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Green Bay, WI |
| Highest paying state | California | Ohio |
| Best paying company | Cornerstone Research | Saint Luke's Health System |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a biomedical engineer and a doctor in terms of educational background:
| Biomedical Engineer | Doctor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Most common major | Biomedical Engineering | Medicine |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Duke University |
Here are the differences between biomedical engineers' and doctors' demographics:
| Biomedical Engineer | Doctor | |
| Average age | 38 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.0% Female, 25.0% | Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 20.1% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.6% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |