Any insight on this career?

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seedbraft

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I've been reading about something called Perfusion and it's something that sparked an interest in me. I know this is a doctor forum and 99% of people have never heard about this career anyways, but thought I'd ask and see what I can get back. All I can find online is old posts, no real solid information from those who actually know the career and can give advice. If you or anyone you know is familiar with this career, could you answer a few questions? What's it like? Is it a good job? Is it really as hard to get a job after graduation as all these old posts I'm reading say? I mean I don't want to spend thousands of dollars and years in school to not find work when I finish and end up having to do something else. What's the current situation, realistically? Anything else I should know? Anything will help! Thanks in advanced!!

edit: It's also really hard to find a perfusionist in my area to shadow, which is why I'm looking for info online. It might take months for me to be able to get in contact with one to shadow or ask these questions to.

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Like perfusion as in saline/PFA/fixative to preserve biological specimens?
 
Are you referring to a clinical or cardiovascular perfusionist? If so, there is some recent information on the subject from KeystonePerfusion and InnerBody (can't link) in regards to potential job growth for the field, opportunities for advancement, etc. which could be useful.

Reading up on it a little, it looks like there are about 17-18 training programs specifically dedicated to this area, producing around 4,000 currently certified professionals in the United States. Now, both sources do say that there will most likely be a growing job demand for perfusionists in the coming years, which would of course make it much easier to find a position after you graduate. However, I'm a bit weary of accepting the accuracy of those statements, considering that neither of them cited their own sources.

If you were to complete all of the recommended education for this field and were quite skilled, you definitely wouldn't have any issue whatsoever in finding a rewarding and beneficial position in the medical industry. For perfusion specifically, it's hard to say based on this information :/ It could certainly be a growing profession, considering the ever-growing demand that there is for trained cardiovascular professionals, but at the same time, I also wonder if other licensed faculty members who could be just as knowledgeable (RNs, DNPs, PAs, etc.) would fill in some of the demand for this field.

Perhaps you could reach out via email or direct mail to your local perfusionist(s) to see if you could get some basic questions answered, and eventually set up a time with them in person to discuss more detailed inquiries (even if it has to be a few months out)? Talking with them would probably be the best option, considering that they can give you a more extensive look at things :)
 
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Yeah, I meant the cardiovascular perfusion field (sorry I didn't clarify). Thank you so much for the insight RooskayAliskay! It seems like something I'm really interested in, but from what I've been able to find online, some people say there will be a high demand in a few years and others say there will be no demand in a few years, so it's pretty mixed. I definitely need to find a perfusionist to talk to! Thanks again :)
 
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Your best bet is to find a top-notch hospital. By top notch, I mean the ones that have just about EVERY type of physician working there, surgeons (including subspecialties), emergency, neurology, etc. I don't know what term is used to describe a hospital like this. Can someone please provide me with the term? I would say a comprehensive hospital, but that doesn't quite feel right.
 
Your best bet is to find a top-notch hospital. By top notch, I mean the ones that have just about EVERY type of physician working there, surgeons (including subspecialties), emergency, neurology, etc. I don't know what term is used to describe a hospital like this. Can someone please provide me with the term? I would say a comprehensive hospital, but that doesn't quite feel right.
I think you're looking for a tertiary care center.
 
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