Perfusionist

Perfusionist
Duties and Responsibilities: Clinical perfusionists operate circulation equipment during medical situations when it is necessary to temporarily and artificially replace the patient’s circulatory or respiratory functions.  This occurs during heart surgery and similar operations.  Perfusionists also control the temperature of patients during surgery.  
Salary: $50,000
Education: A high school diploma witha strong background in biology and chemistry is required to be accepted in perfusionist training programs. The admission perference is given to students with college science work or experience in respiratory therapy and medical terminology. The perusionist 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 toe supervised performance of 150.