2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This paper examines the impact of two Biomedical Engineering (BME) courses, BME 6301: Engineering in Surgery and Intervention — Provocative Questions, and BME 6302: Engineering in Surgery and Intervention — Clinical Interactions. Designed to integrate an engineering approach into clinical practices, these courses aim to bridge the gap between theoretical understanding and real-world applications.

The first course in the sequence, BME 6301, is a structured clinical experience in the classroom that focuses on the intersection of engineering and surgery through synthesis of provocative questions, driving innovation in surgical techniques. The following course, BME 6302, is less structured and more immersive and delves into analyzing the workflow of surgery and intervention which assists class discussions on the translation of engineering research in clinical settings. The course centers on offering students the opportunity to shadow surgical procedures in the OR and attend clinical conferences.

To assess the courses’ efficacy, three researchers conducted an IRB-approved study, involving recruiting ten alumni of the courses to participate in a brief survey and interview. Half of the alumni are currently working in industry, two work at start-ups, while the other 3 continue to work in academia. The interviews were transcribed and imported into a qualitative data analysis program. Using inductive coding analysis and a constant comparative method, codes were then generated by identifying patterns and themes within the interviews. The researchers independently coded the data prior to reconvening and refined the generated codes through consensus among the group. The process yielded a total of 31 codes consisting of 11 main codes and 20 sub-codes through three rounds of coding review sessions. After all interview transcripts were coded, the frequency and coding types were analyzed.

Overall, the courses were found to be highly impactful. Many of the trainees generally reported a strong sense of engineering identity and self-efficacy for their work. Alumni reported benefits not only during graduate school but also immediately in their careers. During graduate school, they report that these courses pair well with more technical courses and that many students included their partner surgeon on their thesis committee. These benefits also include writing skills and shadowing experiences, giving them insights into the inner workings and workflow of the operating room. Trainees have carried these experiences forward into their jobs now.