Upstate Medical University, in Syracuse, is part of New York's state university system. The university's College of Health Professions offers a B.S. in cardiovascular perfusion. The program limits admission to six applicants each year in order to provide the level of scrutiny necessary when the students begin their clinical training. Applicants must have completed at least 60 semester hours of undergraduate schooling in the sciences, including some combination of anatomy, biology or zoology, along with chemistry and English. Applicants must also witness a perfusion procedure. Graduates of the program go on to take their certification exams.
Chicago's Rush University offers both bachelor's and master's degrees in clinical perfusion. Admission requirements for the bachelor's program include 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of credits, with a cumulative GPA of 2.9 or higher. These credits must include chemistry and organic chemistry, anatomy or physiology and statistics. Admission requirements for the master's program include a Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited school, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Applicants to both programs are strongly urged to witness a perfusion procedure.
Midwestern University's College of Health Sciences, at its campus in Glendale, Arizona, offers a graduate degree in perfusion. Students complete the master's degree in Cardiovascular Science in seven consecutive quarters. Admission requirements include a bachelor's degree in science with a GPA of 2.75 or higher and successful completion of all listed prerequisite courses. The first three quarters are spent in classroom education and clinical observation, with hands-on clinical experience beginning in the fourth quarter. The clinical rotation lasts the remaining four quarters and takes place in various area hospitals.
After graduating from an accredited program, students are eligible to take the exams administered by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion. First is the Perfusion Basic Science Examination (PBSE). Each applicant must furnish transcripts, a letter from his school attesting to clinical competency and documentation showing at least 75 clinical perfusions as a student. After passing this examination, graduates may begin clinical practice. Once they've performed at least 50 independent perfusions, the technician may take the Clinical Applications in Perfusion Examination. If successful, the technician may then use the Certified Cardiovascular Perfusionist designation.