- The Accreditation Committee -- Perfusion Education has guidelines for 11 areas that any perfusion program must cover: basic science, cardiopulmonary bypass, mechanical assist, principles of laboratory analysis, biomedical engineering, safety, continuous quality assurance, ethics, history, research and business practices. Some perfusion programs grant a certificate, some a bachelor's degree and some a master's degree.
- Entrance requirements vary by program. Some programs require that you have a bachelor's degree with a science emphasis, and other programs don't require a degree but do require the successful completion of college-level science courses. Some programs also require previous experience in the medical field. Most perfusion programs are small, accepting fewer than 15 students. Some programs accept only three or four students.
- Most perfusion programs run between 18 and 24 months. The shortest available program, at 12 months, is from the Texas Heart Institute, which requires applicants to have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, including successful completion of specified courses. The institute awards a Post Graduate Certificate in Perfusion Technology. The only other program less than 18 months is the 15-month program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre, which accepts the 12 most qualified students from Carlow College who meet all academic pre-perfusion requisites. This program grants a B.S. in Biology and Certificate in Perfusion.
- After completing your perfusion education, you must become a board-certified clinical perfusionist by passing exams given by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion before you can become a practicing perfusionist.
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