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Dept. of Medical Welfare Engineering : the Cradle of Nurturing Rehab Medical Device Professionals

Hanseo University's Department of Medical Welfare Engineering is an academic department where students can attain many different state-sanctioned certifications including ones issued by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Not only the assistive devices for the disabled, but also various rehabilitation medical devices that incorporate cutting-edge technology are attracting attention of late with the increase in the elderly population. Let's hear from Prof. Lee Kang-seong, department chair, how professionals in this area who study and manufacture these devices are trained in our university. 

1. First, please introduce the Department of Medical Welfare Engineering.

Everyone knows what medical devices are in some ways, if not in detail. The academic department where students study is medical engineering and the one specializing in rehabilitation-related medical devices is called medical welfare engineering. Unlike the conventional medicine, the field of rehabilitation medicine relies heavily on technology. It is easy to understand if one thinks about an electric wheelchair used by a person who is paralyzed in the lower body due to an accident. In this area, a wide range of cutting-edge technologies are used, from the splint placed on a limb to electronic prosthetic limbs. These days, self-driving wheelchairs and even wearable robots that can help the person get up and walk are developed. So you can understand our department as a place to learn about rehabilitation devices out of a very wide field of medical devices.

The ultimate goal of rehabilitation is full return to society. The rehabilitation of patients or persons with disabilities has a decisive meaning in their individual lives. Given our society is facing a crisis in national productivity due to a rapidly shrinking population, this is even more important. Barring external population inflows, the only answer to this conundrum is to utilize the limited human resources as efficiently as possible. According to 2020 statistics, there are 2.63 million registered disabled people, or 5.1% of the total population. Although it is a hypothesis, if all of them can successfully return to society, it is a great solution to address the national productivity crisis. Our Department of Medical Welfare Engineering, which has the potential to make this possible, can be an academic discipline with a very important social value.

2. Please describe the main content of the curriculum.

As it is a medical-related major, students in our department must study basic courses such as anatomy and physiology, as well as human kinematics and biomechanics. Due to the convergence characteristics of the major, students will also take technology- and engineering-related subjects such as machinery, materials, electrical and electronic engineering, and digital technology. In particular, subjects for the national certification exams such as those for the "prosthetic and assistive device technician," issued by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, are also offered.

In the first semester of the fourth year, we offer students field and clinical courses for candidates of prosthetic and assistive device technicians and assistant engineers in places such as the National Rehabilitation Center, Veterans Health Service Rehabilitation Center, Chungnam National University Hospital, and Severance Hospital, as well as domestic large corporations.

3. Our students are making good achievements in various national exams. What kind of certifications do students acquire?

As the importance of our major has been widely recognized, the certification scheme for "prosthetic and assistive device technician" and "assistant engineer" is run through the national exam under the auspices of the Minister of Health and Welfare. Our students in the Department of Medical Welfare Engineering can take both exams. In these two major national exams, our students have achieved national top ranks every year. In addition, a national qualification scheme from "medical electronic technician" to "medical industrial engineer" and "medical engineer" as well as medical equipment regulatory affairs(RA) specialist, we are nation's the only university department that offers courses related to all these certifications.

4. What fields do graduates find jobs in?

Students who have obtained the "prosthetic and assistive device technician" certification can work in hospitals. Graduates of our department are finding jobs in the National Rehabilitation Center, Veterans Health Service Rehabilitation Center, and Chungnam National University Hospital. Students who have attained the "assistant engineer" certification are working at an assistive device center established by the state or local government or hospitals with an assistive device center. Once they have obtained the "assistant engineer" certification, they can get a job as a civil servant or military officer with this qualification.

Although the qualification for medical equipment RA specialist has not been implemented for a long time, it will be promising in the future as there is a shortage of professional manpower in this area.

Graduates of our department not only find jobs through the qualification scheme of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, but also advance into related industries. They can get jobs with global companies related to prosthesis, limb prosthesis, orthosis, and assistive products, such as Ottobock of Germany and Ossur of the US, both of which have Korean operations. In addition, in relation to robotics applied to rehabilitation, our students are hired in high-tech robotics companies. A typical example is a graduate of our department who is working as a robotics researcher at Hyundai Motor, which has recently started to promote itself as a robotics company beyond automobiles.

5. How do you assess the department's future prospect?

The prospect of our Department of Medical Welfare Engineering will likely last a long time as it is based on qualifications recognized by the national law. As our country is in the process of expanding its welfare benefits, and social demand is continuously rising as remarked above, such as to overcome the national productivity crisis, it is an area where the social role continues to expand.

In addition, our department is the oldest in history among similar university departments in Korea. Our faculty members have the qualifications in "prosthesis and assistive device technician," "assistant engineer," "physical therapist," "occupational therapist," and "Class 1 medical engineering expert" (predecessor to medical engineer). It is by far the best educational institution among similar departments in Korea. If the true value of our department starts to be promoted in earnest, it is expected that it will become a department that would receive continuous recognition in the future, although it has been an area with low public awareness. thank you.