Day in the Life of a Biomedical Engineer | Layoffs & is Biomedical a safe option?

Summary

Saloni Verma, a biomedical engineer, shares insights into her daily life, including work on medical devices, managing product improvements, and client meetings. She addresses tech layoffs, advising international students on the stability of biomedical engineering careers. Also, she discusses mentorship programs and answers a question about securing research assistantships as an undergraduate.

Takeaways

• 😀 Saloni Verma, the speaker, is a biomedical engineer who graduated from Cornell University and works in Upstate New York.
• 📚 Saloni discusses college admissions, particularly for international students interested in Ivy League and elite colleges through her YouTube channel.
• 🎓 She emphasizes the impact of tech layoffs in 2022, with 150,000 tech workers laid off, including 18,000 from Amazon, due to over-hiring and a lack of work.
• 🌐 Saloni advises international students to consider the current tech layoffs but not to be overly worried, as the situation is likely to improve by the time they graduate.
• 🛠️ Biomedical engineering is highlighted as a field with diverse skill sets, including lab work, programming, and working on medical devices, making it resilient to tech layoffs.
• 💼 Saloni's role has evolved from product development to managing and improving existing products, ensuring they meet FDA guidelines and client needs.
• 🔬 The day-in-the-life segment showcases Saloni's work, including site visits to hospitals, lab work, and meetings with clients to develop experimental protocols.
• 📝 The importance of documentation in biomedical engineering is stressed, with every step needing to be recorded for improvements or error tracking.
• 🍽 Saloni mentions her daily routine, including lunch breaks and responding to emails, highlighting the balance between work and personal life.
• 🎁 She promotes a perfume brand, Dossier Perfumes, for its travel-friendly and affordable luxury fragrances, offering a discount code for viewers.
• 📈 The video concludes with a discussion about mentorship programs for students, recent acceptances to various universities, and advice on research assistantships and funding.

Q & A

Who is Saloni Verma?

Saloni Verma is a biomedical engineer who graduated from Cornell University and works in Upstate New York. She runs a YouTube channel where she discusses college admissions, particularly for international students aiming to get into top Ivy League universities and elite colleges.

What is Saloni Verma's educational background?

Saloni Verma is a biomedical engineer who graduated from Cornell University.

What are the main topics Saloni Verma discusses on her YouTube channel?

Saloni Verma primarily discusses college admissions, strategies for international students to get into top universities, and occasionally rants about the lack of views and likes on her channel.

What is the current situation with tech layoffs mentioned by Saloni Verma?

As of the time of the video, there have been significant tech layoffs with 150,000 tech workers laid off in 2022 alone. Companies like Amazon announced cuts of 18,000 workers. This is largely due to over-hiring in the past and not having enough work for all the employees.

Why should international students be concerned about tech layoffs?

International students should be concerned about tech layoffs because those graduating and already in the workforce are facing the biggest hurdle of these layoffs. However, Saloni Verma suggests that the situation may improve by the time new students finish their degrees.

What is the impact of tech layoffs on biomedical engineering?

Biomedical engineering, being closely related to healthcare, is not affected by tech layoffs as severely as other departments like engineering management or software engineering. This is due to the nature of the healthcare industry and its continuous need for advancements.

What skills does Saloni Verma have as a biomedical engineer?

Saloni Verma has a variety of skills including lab work, programming (Matlab, Python, JavaScript), coding, working on medical devices, and handling both hardware and software aspects.

What is Saloni Verma's current role in her company?

Saloni Verma has shifted from being heavily involved in the R&D side of medical devices to managing existing products, identifying areas for improvement, and laying out plans of action while ensuring compliance with FDA guidelines.

What is Saloni Verma's advice for international students considering studying in the US?

Saloni Verma suggests that choosing the US for further education, especially in biomedical engineering, is a safe bet. She believes that by the time new students graduate, the current tech layoffs situation may have improved.

What is the significance of documenting every step in biomedical engineering work?

Documentation is crucial in biomedical engineering as it helps in identifying improvements and catching mistakes. It is a requirement for regulatory compliance, especially in the healthcare industry, and can be done through lab notebooks, online platforms, or specific SOPs and paperwork.

What is Saloni Verma's perspective on the flexibility of a career in biomedical engineering?

Saloni Verma believes that a career in biomedical engineering offers flexibility, allowing individuals to mold their career paths based on their interests and skills, rather than being stuck in a specific area like chemistry if they dislike it.

What is the typical pay rate for a research assistant (RA) position in Arizona?

The pay rate for an RA position in Arizona, using ASU as an example, is between $13 to $15 per hour before taxes, and about $12 per hour after taxes.

Can the income from an RA position be used as proof of funds for an F1 Visa?

No, the income from an RA position cannot be used as proof of funds for an F1 Visa. The amount on the I20 form must be shown as liquid funds, and future earnings from work cannot be counted towards this requirement.