Cardiovascular Perfusionist: Career Overview and Salary

Background

A cardiovascular perfusionist is a specialized health professional who operates the heart-lung machine during cardiac surgery and other surgeries that require cardiopulmonary bypass (Goeckner, Hicks, & Wanzer, 2011, p. 136). The perfusionist is a highly trained member of the cardiothoracic surgical team whose responsibilities center on supporting the physiological and metabolic needs of the cardiac surgical patient so that the cardiac surgeon may operate on a still, non-beating heart (Lackatta, 2002, p. 29).

Perfusionists are vital to the completion of such operations and to the hospitals in which they work, as these individuals are often responsible for purchasing equipment and supplies relative to their duties, hiring support technicians, and overseeing department management and quality improvement within their area of expertise. In addition to playing a vital role in both the surgical and hospital administrative processes, cardiovascular perfusionists contribute to their field through consistent professional development and ongoing acquisition of knowledge regarding advances in their profession.

Educational Preparation, Certification, and Continuing Education

In the United States, a bachelor's degree or junior-level prerequisites with concentrations in biology, anatomy, and physiology are required to begin training in a perfusion program (Perfusion.com, 2011, p. 1). Training takes place within one of 17 perfusion training programs in the United States and typically consists of two years of combined academic and clinical education. During this period, students work under the guidance of certified clinical perfusionists in cardiac surgical operating rooms while simultaneously completing academic coursework in areas relevant to their training.

Once a perfusion student graduates from one of these programs, he or she is not yet considered a certified clinical perfusionist and must continue on the path toward formal certification. The American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion notes, "A two-part exam is required to become a certified clinical perfusionist and to use the designation C.C.P." (ABCP, 2010, p. 1). Upon successful completion of these certification examinations, C.C.P.s are expected to maintain their credentials through continuing education, with annual recertification requirements established by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion. To meet these requirements, C.C.P.s must provide proof of a minimum number of clinical procedures performed and attendance at scientific or educational meetings to their certifying body (Mayo Clinic, 2011, p. 1).

Cardiovascular perfusion is practiced exclusively in the hospital setting, under the standards and restrictions established by each institution's overarching surgical department and its cardiac surgical division. Services are paid for largely through patients' insurance providers or, in some cases, through patients' own finances via out-of-pocket payment plans. Cardiovascular perfusionists operate under the same payment standards as the physicians and surgeons with whom they collaborate in the operating room.

Practice Settings, Payment, and Starting Salary

Because cardiovascular perfusionists work within the hospital context, billing is handled through the hospital's billing department, allowing perfusionists to focus solely on their clinical work rather than taking on the added responsibility of managing patient accounts. Perfusionists are employed directly by the hospital, which is responsible for paying their salaries.

Cardiovascular perfusion is not only an exciting specialty within the medical profession but also offers a notably high starting salary. In 2006, the salary range for most entry-level perfusionists was $87,569 to $105,609 annually, with a median salary of $96,144 (University, 2011, p. 1). In addition to this substantial annual compensation, perfusionists generally receive benefits including health care, disability insurance, paid vacation, and retirement plans.