What Is Medical Technology?

• Mitral valve replacements, which negate the need for open-heart surgery

• Artificial irises and lenses, allowing people with blindness and near blindness to improve distant and close vision

• Continuous monitoring systems, placed on or near patients during their hospital stays to alert staff of falls, pressure sores or other injurious events

• Disinfection systems, such as Germitec’s Hypernova Chronos, that enable fully-automated anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-viral treatment of medical instrumentation

• Robotic or semi-robotic braces that can support those who struggle with movement or rehabilitative exercise

• Nanotechnological devices that can enter the body and destroy tumours or valve blockages through targeted radiation and vibration

With artificial intelligence and machine learning becoming ever-more powerful, emerging technology in healthcare can be designed and manufactured more rapidly and at much smaller sizes, allowing for less invasive procedures. As a result, robotics in healthcare is helping to streamline treatment and procedures while improving safety and patient outcomes. 

In addition, medical technology in mental healthcare allows people to fight treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, whilst organisations such as EndeavourRx are developing immersive, video game-based therapeutics to assist children with ADHD in building attention function.

In short, medical technologists are focused on creating machines, implants, and tools to diagnose, treat or prevent diseases and other conditions. 

The future of medical technology is bright due to the emerging capabilities of robotics in healthcare. From the innovations in soft robotics—a cutting-edge field in which engineers are taking cues from the plant world to design prostheses which allow for more fine-grained limb control—to the surgical assistance provided by robotic arms, robots are being employed across the surgical and clinical environment to enhance short and long-term patient care. 

Automation within the lab is enabling phlebotomists to test a greater number of samples than previously was possible, and continued efforts to develop new, artificially intelligent support for lab workers means that highly repetitive tasks can now be handled by machines, enabling these experts to focus on the research and development of new treatments. 

In a post-COVID-19 world, it’s difficult not to be conscious of infection control, and robotics are helping to reduce risk in this environment too. Robotic devices can clean operating theatres, clinical areas and patients’ rooms, assisting in reducing the likelihood that highly transmissible diseases will be spread around the hospital and potentially affect those with weakened immune systems. With the reduction of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) a primary concern of healthcare leaders, autonomous mobile robots are helping to provide high-quality care for patients. 

As artificial intelligence and machine learning come into their own, innovative medical instrumentation enables healthcare practitioners to gather more patient information, and parsing through vast data sets is becoming easier by the day—helping provide widespread treatment in deprived areas. 

With the minimisation of robotic devices and the development of new nanotechnological equipment, surgeries can be conducted in an increasingly non-invasive manner. Inserted through a small incision, this technology allows surgeons to perform procedures remotely, reducing the risk of infection and the long healing times associated with open surgery.

Physiotherapists are also benefiting from this emerging technology in healthcare, with modular robotics such as exoskeletons and prostheses helping in the rehabilitation efforts that often follow traumatic brain injuries or strokes. Likewise, social or “friendly” robots will be able to provide much-needed social interaction for patients on long-term hospital stays, helping to improve well-being and reduce the workloads of care staff.

How to Prepare for a Career in Medical Technology

Working in the people-centric field of medical technology typically requires candidates to possess a degree in an associated technical area such as mechanical, biomedical or electrical engineering or a scientific field such as biology or medicine. Many candidates will also have advanced degrees at the postgraduate level, focusing on a specific area of research within medical technology, such as nanotechnology or imaging. 

Scientists and engineers in the UK can apply for the NHS’s Scientist Training Programme (STP), a fixed-term programme which pays a salary over the course of three years. This programme focuses on workplace-based training with a specialisation in the final year of study and awards a postgraduate-level qualification.

Ambition and passion go a long way within the field and are essential—alongside proven work experience—for those looking to advance to more senior positions, and many high-performing, entrepreneurial specialists go on to work as consultants within the sector. 

The average salary for an engineer or scientist working in the medical technology field begins at around £35,000 in the UK, whilst candidates in the US will earn a higher figure of around $74,000. With seniority, these salaries could increase to almost £50,000 annually in the UK and $100,000 annually in the US.

There are several options for those interested in working in the private healthcare sector. From the dynamic and fast-paced environment of the start-up that has just secured venture capital funding to established medical technology giants, candidates who appreciate all kinds of working environments can find a place to thrive and advance in their careers. 

Several medical technology organisations provide lucrative opportunities for graduates and experienced professionals, with businesses such as Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson MedTech and Siemens Healthineers all achieving revenues of over $20 billion in 2022.