Perfusionist

Duties and responsibilities:

 The clinical perfusionists operate circulation equipment during the medical situations only when it is necessary to temporarily and artificially replace the patients circulatory or the respiratory functions. This only occurs during heart surgery and similar operations. The perfusionists are also control the temperature of patients during the surgery. The perfusionists duties are:

·       Operating the heart lungs machines

·       Administering some types of anesthesia

·       Administering some type of medication

Average salary:

 $50,000

Educational requirements:

The only thing that is required in the perfusionist training programs are a high school diploma with a strong background in biology and chemistry. Admissions preference is given to students with college science work or experience in respiratory therapy and medical terminology.

The perfusionist training programs are given at academic health centers and medical schools and universities. They emphasize hands-on, practical training. The course length varies, but for the school to be recognized by the American Academy of Cardiac Perfusionists, the curriculum must include the supervised performance of 150 procedures to include 20 pediatric and infant cases.