Commentary: An Open Window…

Editor’s Note:

An interesting commentary of soon-to-be current events from a colleague South of us @ THE Texas Heart Institute 🙂

An Open Window…

We are entering uncharted territory.

In the next six years, more than a third of all CCP’s plan on retiring*. When they leave, they will take with them a wealth of knowledge that includes not only clinical experiences, but professional ones as well.

A large percentage of those leaving were present to watch perfusion education morph from “On the job” training to structured educational programs, often associated with institutions of higher learning. They also saw the birth of multiple professional organizations where there previously had been none.

The culture of a profession is determined mostly by it’s members. Often, those most senior members of a community influence the culture more than all the others combined. Over these coming six years, the time will be ripe for cultural change. With such a large swing in the number of CCP’s, perfusionists will face both great risk AND great opportunity.

There is a great risk that the culture could degenerate into infighting, monetary disputes, and a general decline in professionalism.

There is also a great window of opportunity for those that remain to shape the culture in line with their vision.

The question comes down to this…What do you value?

Do you value evidence based interventions? Do you value professional associations? Do you value high quality clinicians who do their jobs well and advance their practice as opportunities arise?

Whatever you value, now is the time to focus on it. Leadership opportunities will be opening in nearly every part of the profession. But in seven short years, this window will be closed. If we’ve dug ourselves into a hole, we probably won’t have adequate experience and manpower to get ourselves out. If we’ve lifted ourselves higher than we are today, a fresh base of professionals will allow us nearly unlimited upside.

The window is opening…

Michael Colligan RN, MS, CCP

St.Luke’s Hospital, Home of the Texas Heart Institute

* Perfusion Manpower Survey 2013