Career Perfusionist: [2] Training & Education
Training and Education of Perfusionists
In the United States, a bachelor’s degree or junior-level prerequisites with concentrations in biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology are required to be admitted to a perfusion program.
As of 2012, there were 17 perfusion training programs in the United States.
Training typically consists of two years of academic and clinical education. Although the structure and training philosophies of perfusion programs differ, typically a perfusion student will begin their training in a didactic fashion in which the student will closely follow instructions from a certified clinical perfusionist in the confines of a cardiac surgery procedures .
Academic coursework may be concurrent or precede this didactic clinical instruction and is equally vital for their training.
Early in their clinical training, the perfusion student may have little involvement in the cardiac surgical procedure outside of an observational role. However, as time progresses, more tasks may be incrementally delegated to the perfusion student. These added responsibilities in the clinical environment are delegated to the perfusion student, with the ultimate goal of producing a capable and competent perfusion student.
Once a perfusion student graduates from a perfusion program, he or she is not a certified clinical perfusionist but must begin the certification process. In the interim, the perfusion graduate is typically referred to as board-eligible, which is sufficient for employment in cardiac surgery with the understanding that advancing their status to a certified clinical perfusionist is required for long-term employment.
Most hospitals or perfusion employers have stipulations on the duration of board-eligible status for an employed perfusionist.
Examinations & Certification
A two-part exam is required to become a certified clinical perfusionist and use the designation C.C.P. In the United States, this exam is administered and evaluated by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion.
Similar governing bodies exist in other countries with comparable examination processes.
The first portion of the two-part process is the Perfusion Basic Science Exam, and the latter portion is the Clinical Applications in Perfusion Exam. In order to qualify for this examination process, a perfusion student must have either graduated from or be enrolled in an accredited perfusion program, as well as have participated in a minimum of 75 clinical procedures during the course of their training[1].
A perfusion student may qualify for the Perfusion Basic Science Exam before they actually matriculate from their respective training program. Once employment is provided, and the perfusionist has participated independently in a minimum of 50 clinical procedures, he or she can qualify for the Clinical Applications in Perfusion Exam.[1]
Once the Clinical Applications in Perfusion Exam has been successfully passed, a perfusionist can use the designation CCP. In addition, there are recertification requirements for perfusionists in which proof of a minimum number of clinical procedures and attendance to scientific or educational meetings must be provided to a certifying body (i.e. American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion).
These recertification requirements and subsequent verification process occur every three years and are mandatory to maintain certified status to use the designation CCP (certified clinical perfusionist).
As of February 2010, there were 3,766 certified perfusionists in the United States American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion.[2]
Other Countries…
In Canada, there are two training programs – located in Toronto, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec.
Applicants to the Michener Institute program in Toronto must have a bachelor’s degree. The training program is 16 months to two years.
The perfusion program of the Université de Montréal is a three-year bachelor’s degree of 90 credits in biomedical science of which 27 credits are specific to clinical perfusion and in addition a diplôme d’études supérieurs spécialisées (D.E.S.S.) of 30 credits in clinical perfusion of one-year at the master level.
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In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences is a pre-requisite to enrolment on the perfusion training course. Employment as a trainee perfusionist is also required.
Trainees must complete a two-year academic and practical course, during which they will complete academic assessments (essays and exams), while in the workplace, moving from a purely observational role to one in which they are capable of managing the patient while they are on cardiopulmonary system with minimal supervision.
Once a trainee has been the primary perfusionist in 150 clinical procedures they must undertake a practical exam, in which they will be observed by two external examiners whilst building and priming a cardiopulmonary circuit, then using it during a surgical operation.
After the practical exam, trainees must complete a 40 minute viva voce exam, which tests their academic knowledge. After this is successfully completed, they are awarded a postgraduate diploma and the status of qualified clinical perfusion scientist.
They must maintain this by performing a minimum of 40 clinical procedures per year. There are number of countries that you have to be an MD and do a subspecialty in perfusion.
Next:== Perfusion Schools / Programs & Certification
Acknowledgements:
Nadia Azuero, BS, CCP (Top picture)
Marianne Veir Pilger, BS, CCP (Last picture)
Content:
Click to Donate
Any Donations are for the cost and development of an International Perfusion Art Gallery, Framing, Printing, Matting, and Expenses associated with delivering the Gallery to future Perfusion Conferences.
A project of this nature hasn’t been tried before, but it would be a lot of fun to see something like this at a perfusion conference, as an effort to improve and develop our international awareness as well as appreciate some very dynamic art !
Anything helps- $10 -$25 or whatever- It will all add up…
🙂
Frank
