The career possibilities for biomedical engineers are no longer constrained to land. Biomedical field service engineers are also needed on the world’s oceans, where health clinics aboard cruise ships carry a variety of complex, sensitive medical devices to help diagnose and treat people at sea.

VIKAND, the leading provider of total healthcare solutions at sea, manages more than 12,000 medical devices across 225+ vessels worldwide, including ventilators, x-ray machines, defibrillators, oxygen concentrators, incubators, infusion pumps, patient monitors and more.

“Our worldwide biomedical technicians take a hands-on approach, which allows for a global rapid response 24/7,” says Peter Hult, CEO of VIKAND. “Our experienced team ensures down time for vital lifesaving equipment is reduced while improving the asset management lifecycle by preventive maintenance, resulting in reduced healthcare risk.”

Led by Robert Wentworth, Vice President of Biomedical Operations, VIKAND’s skilled biomedical engineers handle the full medical device lifecycle alongside account managers, tech support, software administrators and administrative assistants. Robert’s team ensures that clients have the necessary medical technologies to deliver world-class health care at sea, offering device installation, monitoring, repairs, recall monitoring, comprehensive maintenance, recordkeeping, OEM parts sourcing and more.

As Wes Arnall explains, the work of a biomedical engineer is exciting and diverse: “I enjoy being a biomed because it feels great to know that my job plays a big role in saving people’s lives!” In addition to keeping medical equipment safe, maintained and properly configured, professionals like Wes must stay up-to-date on the latest medical technology, all while traveling to exotic ports of call.

“I enjoy going onboard the ships and meeting crew members from all over the world,” says Gary Thomas, a Biomedical Field Service Engineer. “Each ship is different from one another, so you are constantly seeing new things and being challenged, which is fun.”

Even in the most remote locations, where traditional support is scarce, our engineers are equipped to handle any challenge. They leverage strategic global partnerships and remote guidance to swiftly resolve issues aboard client ships, ensuring uninterrupted healthcare delivery.

From new builds to refits, facility and equipment needs vary from ship to ship, prompting VIKAND’s biomedical team to receive training in various modalities to suit each type of onboard medical facility.

“Medical facilities on these vessels range from a single treatment room on smaller ships to centers that have an Emergency Room (ER)/treatment room, up to three Intensive Care Units (ICUs), laboratory and multiple patient wards,” Robert Wentworth explains.

During the new build process, in particular, it’s crucial to ensure that medical facilities can meet the needs of everyone onboard.

“This requires collaboration between the biomedical operations, medical operations, and supply chain departments,” says Wentworth. “We analyze the equipment requirements and ensure that the shipyard is designing the medical center to accommodate them.”

Regardless of the circumstances, VIKAND’s Biomedical Operations team ensures that client ships operate in full compliance with all industry and governmental regulations. They work closely with management on capex planning, ensuring adequate budget for device maintenance, monitoring, and replacement.

Delivering total healthcare solutions worldwide is a challenging mission, but VIKAND’s biomedical engineers make it possible. Together with talented professionals and global partners, they equip ships of every size to diagnose and treat a range of health issues, giving passengers and crew members true peace of mind wherever they sail.