Perfusionist

A perfusionist operates a heart-lung machine, which is an artificial blood pump, during any medical situation where it is necessary to support or temporarily replace the patient’s circulatory or respiratory function. During a cardiac surgery when a cardiac surgeon needs to operate on a stilled heart, a perfusionist will temporarily replace the patient’s circulatory and respiratory function with a  heart-lung machine. While the cardiac surgeon operates on the heart, the perfusionist manages the physiological and metabolic demands of the patient. They are knowledgeable in anything concerning the equipment used in extracorporeal circulation, consultation with the physician, and selection of appropriate equipment needed for the operation. 

Alongside their knowledge in the equipment, perfusionists must be able to identify appropriate mechanical, pharmacological, and thermal manipulations needed to maintain physiological state. They have to have a strong understanding of both the respiratory and circulatory systems. 

For more information about perfusion, check out the American Academy of Cardiovascular Perfusion (AACP).

Perfusionist Preparation

  • Timeline

  • 1. Obtain a Bachelor’s degree (4+ years) and complete all pre-prefusion requirements, including prerequisites, the GRE (if applicable), and experiences
    2. Attend an accredited perfusion program (1.5 to 2 years) and earn a master’s degree or certificate
    3. Pass the Certified Clinical Perfusionist (CCP) credential exam administered by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion
    4. Maintain certification

    Upon matriculation into a health professional program, there are additional steps students must complete in order to obtain a professional certification. These steps vary by field and by program, and may include board examinations, supervised clinical hours, background checks, or other program-specific milestones. Once you are in your graduate program, your graduate program advisor will provide guidance on the post-graduation next steps.

  • Pre-Requisites

  • Prerequisite courses are the academic foundation that most programs require students to complete before beginning a perfusion program. No matter which major you choose, you will need to fulfill the specific science and non-science prerequisites set by each school. Always review and cross-check the requirements of your major with the prerequisite coursework for Perfusion program(s) to ensure you are completing both UCD requirements as well as the requirements of the professional school(s).

    While HPA has developed a suggested prerequisite chart from a sample of schools, prerequisite coursework and entrance requirements will vary by program, hence it is important to check individual schools' websites to familiarize yourself with their exact prerequisites.

    Program Prerequisites

    Courses to Take at UC Davis

    Most schools require: 

    		 

    General Chemistry

    CHE 2ABC OR CHE 4ABC 

    Physics

    PHY 7ABC OR PHY 9ABC

    Human Anatomy

    (EXB 106 & EXB 106L) OR (CHA 101 & CHA 101L)

    Human Physiology 

    (NPB 101 & NPB 101L) OR (NPB 110C & NPB 101L)

    Mathematics

    MAT 17ABC OR MAT 21ABC

    Statistics 

    STA 13 OR STA 100

    Some schools may require:

    		 

    General Biology1 

    BIO 1 & 2 & 3 AND BIO 1L & 2L

    Organic Chemistry

    CHE 118ABC

    Biochemistry

    (BIS 102 & BIS 103) OR (BIS 105)

    Microbiology

    MIC 102 AND MIC 103L

    Medical Terminology 

    Course not offered at UC Davis

    Social & Behavioral Sciences 

    Any combination of SOC, PSC, or ANT courses

    English

    Combination of writing-intensive ENL and UWP courses 

    Prerequisite Chart Footnotes:
    1. While general biology may not be required for most perfusionist programs, it is required to take it for UCD upper-division biology courses.

    HPA Recommendations:
    1. Complete all prerequisite courses for a letter grade, not P/NP.
    2. Earn a “C” or higher in all prerequisite coursework. Some programs may require no lower than a B in any of your prerequisite courses.
    3. Maintain a minimum undergraduate and science GPA of 3.0 or higher. A competitive GPA will likely be higher for most programs.

    Please note that perfusionist programs do accept community college work in varying degrees, some accept all transferable work, some a certain amount of units, and others accept a very limited amount. If you have any questions about your major, prerequisite courses, or grade/GPA concerns, you are encouraged to make an appointment with one of HPA Staff Advisors.

  • Exam

  • The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) may be required by some perfusionist programs and it is strongly recommended to be taken prior to applying. You can speak with a HPA Staff Advisor about your specific timeline. Check each individual program’s admissions webpage that you are applying to to see if they require it.

    Please note: The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is not a course-dependent test, meaning there are no specific UCD courses you need to take to prepare. The best way is to give yourself time to study the test by buying test prep books or taking a test prep course.

    To learn more about the standardized exam and preparing for it, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Standardized Exams and HPA’s Test Prep Events & Resources.

Applying to Perfusionist Program

  • Choosing Schools

  • There are over 15 perfusion programs in the U.S. Check out the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs’ (CAAHEP) list of accredited U.S. perfusion programs.

    There are a variety of factors that go into choosing which perfusion program to apply to, including degree awarded, location, environment (i.e. urban), tuition, class size, focus or mission statement, etc. Spend some time researching programs online and create a spreadsheet that tracks the factors most important to you. On average, pre-health profession students apply to 2-4 perfusion programs. HPA also recommends meeting with an advisor to discuss your school list.

  • Application System

  • Applicants typically apply the year before they matriculate into the perfusionist program and the Advancing Health Professions Centralized Application Service (AHCAS) is a centralized application system that is used by some perfusion programs. To learn more about AHCAS, visit AHCAS Quick Start Guide and FAQs. Students are encouraged to refer to the AHCAS Applicant Help Center for additional guidance on how to complete their applications. Some programs will have applicants participate in AHCAS and will also have applicants complete an application through their own internal graduate school applications, while other programs do not use AHCAS at all. HPA recommends for applicants to carefully review the application process of each individual program that they are applying to.

    The AHCAS opens in September and closes September of the following year; these dates may vary for schools who are not utilizing the AHCAS. While AHCAS closes in September of the following year, participating schools of AHCAS may have earlier deadline dates, which are the deadlines applicants should be submitting by. These deadlines may also vary by schools or some may admit students on a rolling basis; please check your individual schools for specific dates. If that is the case for your school of choice, be sure to submit your application early, but only when you are ready. Come see an advisor at Health Professions Advising to review your application.

    Schools and application systems may have specific guidelines about what is considered a completed application, and these components may vary based on the application system and/or individual school. Some examples include but are not limited to submitting the application fee and receiving letters of recommendations and official transcripts. Students are responsible for ensuring their applications are complete, submitted, and verified by the application deadline.

    To learn more about applications and application timeline, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Applications and Application Timelines.

  • Personal Statement
  • The prompt and/or character or word count may vary per year. HPA recommends applicants  begin drafting their personal statement in advance of the application opening. It is very common for applicants to write multiple drafts before they finalize their personal statement. To learn more about approaching personal statements, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Personal Statements.
  • Experiences and Activities

  • Experiences and activities help students learn more about their motivations, interests, and goals, and to explore the field of perfusion. What you do with your time helps define who you are in your application. Whatever you choose to do, be sure you are dedicated, passionate about it, and understand your motivation for pursuing it. It is important that you balance your co-curricular activities with your academics to ensure you are maintaining strong academic performance while still engaging meaningfully outside the classroom.

    Some perfusion programs may have additional requirements or preferences of having certification in Basic Life Support from the American Heart Association, shadowing hours with a perfusionist, patient-care clinical experiences, and more at the time of applying.

    To learn more about experiences and various on- and off-campus opportunities, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Experiences. UC Davis students are also encouraged to subscribe to HPA Today (HPA’s newsletter).

  • Letters of Recommendation

  • Letter of recommendation requirements vary by health professional schools. For many health fields, HPA recommends two lecture-based science instructor recommendations (this excludes research PI), one lecture-based non-science instructor, and additional letters from your co-curricular experiences. This can include a research PI, mentor, volunteer coordinator, professional you shadowed, etc. Your specific school list will determine what letters you may actually need.

    To learn more about the etiquettes for letters of recommendation, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Letters of Recommendations.

  • Supplemental Applications
  • Supplemental applications (or secondaries) may be required for some perfusion programs and some may not require it. Students should carefully review the application process of the programs they are applying to. Supplemental/secondary applications may include additional fees and/or essays. To learn more about supplemental applications, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Applications.
  • Interviews
  • Interviews may be required for some perfusion programs and some may not require it. Students should carefully review the application process of the programs they are applying to. To learn more about preparing for interviews, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Interviews and HPA’s Interview Week.

More questions? Check out the frequently asked questions or schedule an appointment with an advisor.