Healthcare Engineering

The Healthcare Engineering option is entirely in keeping with Centrale Nantes' focus on 'engineering for health' and 'industry of the future', preparing students for engineering professions in the healthcare sector.

Objective

• understand health challenges for patients, the general public and the health sector,
• become familiar with the underlying health principles in France, Europe and the world,
• anticipate developments in the health sector through new technologies,
• pursue a career in the public or private hospital sector,
• manage urbanisation of current or future information systems,
• to understand the industrial players in the health sector,
• to take part in technical and organizational projects alongside committed stakeholders.

Watch the video (in French) to learn more

Contribution to sustainable development goals

International students can follow this option, taught in French, via:
 

• A double degree programme - Open to international students selected by our partner institutions. Selected students spend two years studying courses from the engineering programme at Centrale Nantes. This usually includes one year of the common-core engineering curriculum followed by one year of specialisation. Double degree students are typically accepted after successfully completing two or three years of higher education in their home institution.
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• The fast-track engineering programme: Open to students with a Bachelor's or equivalent degree in science. Our fast-track programme gives international students who are qualified to bachelor level the opportunity to gain the 'diplôme d'ingénieur' in just two years.
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The course is divided into four parts (136 hours):
 

Part 1. Health: the fundamentals (24 hrs lectures / 6 hrs tutorials)

• Body and mind
  • A/ physiology: embryology / cell biology / biochemistry - basic anatomy - nervous, digestive, cardiovascular, respiratory, immune, haematology, nephro-urothelial systems - adaptability of the body: tolerance - senescence
  • B/ pathology, the different diseases: cancerology, vascular pathology, traumatology, autoimmune diseases, infectiology, toxicology, psychiatry, genetics.
• How medicine works on the mind and body
  • A/ Clinical examination and questions,
  • B/ diagnostic research: imaging, biology, invasive procedures,
  • C/ treatment: medication and pharmacy, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, dietetics, surgery or intervention, dialysis / chemo /transfusion, resuscitation, radiotherapy, pain,
• The human being (ethical debates and case studies)
  • doctor-patient relationship,
  • medical ethics: 4 principles (autonomy, benevolence, non-maleficence, justice),éthique médicale : 4 principes (autonomie, bienveillance, non harmlessness, justice),
  • psychology vis-a-vis medicine,

• Health on a large scale:
  • population and public health,
  • epidemics,
  • humanitarian medicine
• Health networks and service providers:
  • In the community: GP, home hospitalisation, out-patient care, networks with paramedic care,
  • shared medical records,
  • hospital: care network, role of the different service providers (medical, support and administrative services,)
  • Importance of time: emergencies, waiting times, community action.

Part 2. Engineering in hospitals (16 hrs lectures / 14 hours tutorials)

• Hospitals (general presentation of hospital engineering professions and hospital visit if possible)
• Biomedical engineering:
  • Health constraints,
  • Regulatory constraints,
  • Imaging,
  • Biology,
  • Operating theatres
  • Hospital equipment (Ultrasound, Scope, ECG etc)
• Software engineering
  • DSN organisation,
  • Service contrats,
  • Hospital information system urbanisation,
  • Project management,
  • Role of the compliance officer,
  • Hospital information system security
• Research engineering: 
  • Research organization,
  • Research professions
•  Quality engineering: 
  • Quality organization,
  • Health constraints
  • Regulatory constraints,
  • Certification

Part 3. Engineering in healthcare companies (24 hrs lectures / 6 hrs tutorials)

• Pharmaceutical firms
  • Presentation of the market,
  • Presentation of the industrial field,
  • Presentation of the engineering professions,
• Biomedical equipment firms:
  • Presentation of the market,
  • Presentation of the industrial field,
  • Presentation of the engineering professions,
• Digital businesses:
  • Presentation of the market,
  • Presentation of the industrial field,
  • Presentation of the engineering professions,
• Use of health data, AI
• Research:
  • Presentation of the profession with an example of research in nuclear imagery

Part 4. Health (hospital, private, public and industrial) projects

A list of projects - covering all three parts above - will be put together after specialisation launch.