Medical Device Jobs Overview

People working in medical device jobs invent, develop, manufacture and market products for use in the medical sciences. Medical devices are instruments, machines, reagents, or implants that are useful in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of illnesses and injuries.

People who work in medical device jobs typically work with:

Electro-medical equipment – pacemakers, patient monitoring systems, diagnostic imaging equipment, MRI machines, and ultrasound machines

Irradiation devices – x-rays, computed tomography (CT) machines

Surgical or medical instruments – syringes, needles, catheters, anesthesia apparatuses, orthopedic equipment, optical diagnostic equipment

Surgical supplies and appliances – surgical dressings, artificial joints and limbs, rubber gloves, wheelchairs

Dental supplies and equipment – drills, dental hand instruments, amalgams, cements, dental chairs

Medical device jobs usually require a strong background in biology and the biological sciences. Many require additional skills, such as an education in computer technology or experience in sales. Medical device jobs in management and sales require strong communication and “people” skills. Sales positions often require a great deal of travel.

Medical Device Job Salary

The average medical device job salary depends largely on the position and education required. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists the annual mean wage for several medical device jobs for May, 2014 as follows:

• Chief Executives of Medical Device Manufacturing - $220,180
• Computer and Information System Managers - $131,090
• Wholesale and Retail Buyers - $55,810
• Sales Representatives - $60,430
• Medical Equipment Repairer - $55,590
• Assemblers and Fabricators - $30,830
• Medical, Dental, and Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians - $37,510

Medical Device Job Outlook

The medical device industry currently has market size of about $110 billion and it will likely reach $133 billion by 2016. More medical devices – and more technically advanced medical devices – will be required to meet the needs of a growing and aging population. BLS projects employment of wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives, who would market the medical devices made by others in the industry, to grow 9 percent from 2012 to 2022.

There should be ample funding for robust growth in the medical device industry. The United States is highly regarded for its medical device industry, with investments in research and development (R&D) more than doubling during the 1990s. Today, R&D investment in medical devices is more than twice the average for all manufacturers in the country.

Top Medical Device Companies

Medical device jobs are most common in the private sector and in small companies. There are more than 6,500 medical device companies in the United States, and most are small- to medium-size enterprises (SMEs). These SMEs may produce only one or two products. Some medical device companies produce no products but instead focus on research.

The top U.S. companies operating in the medical device industry include:

• Covidien
• Boston Scientific
• Johnson & Johnson
• Thermo Fisher Scientific
• Medtronic
• Baxter International
• Stryker