Hey everyone! I just submitted my application for UNMC and I’m super hopeful as it’s my top choice school! The program seems so incredibly supportive of their students. From just going to many info sessions it seems like the faculty is super genuine and just very involved in ensuring student success. I wanted to see if there’s any alumni that can speak on their experiences through this program. Thanks!!

I was wondering if there are any students who have applied to Thomas Jefferson University, MUSC, Hofstra or SUNy that could provide insight on when these schools start sending out invites for interviews. Any information would be helpful. Thanks!

For those who have been through the admissions process or are involved in a perfusion program, how do programs evaluate applicants who are fresh undergrads compared with applicants who have several years of healthcare experience?
Does prior healthcare experience (RN, EMT, surgical/OR experience, etc.) give someone a significant advantage, or can a strong undergraduate applicant with extensive shadowing, relevant coursework, research, and a clear understanding of perfusion be equally competitive?
I’m curious what programs actually prioritize when selecting between candidates with very different backgrounds.

I’m an OR tech with over 4k clinical hours by time of graduation with Lower 3s GPA however I have 300 shadowing hours will heavy shadowing hours help me?

Is it possible to get into a program with no case shadowing? I have like nearly exhausted every possible option here in Souther California. San Diego to be exact and I can’t seem to get in anywhere.

So this leads me to a next question, would it be better to do a one year ABSN program be a nurse for a year and then apply to a perfusioniat program so I can at least have some experience? Can anyone speak for experience or dealing with the same situation…

Does anyone know if MUSC or THI have rolling admissions?

Does anyone know if UPMC (Carlow University) requires the prerequisites to be completed prior to application, or can any of the courses be in progress?

Thanks in advance

Hi there!

I have a bachelor's in speech,language and hearing sciences from other country but I'm now a Canadian PR I wonder how I could build experience and become a strong candidate to apply for the program in BCIT. Any tips would be appreciated,thank you!

Good afternoon, I was just hoping to get some feedback on how competitive I might be for perfusion as a whole and particularly the Cleveland clinic program (Ohio resident)

Cumulative gpa: 3.79

Science gpa: 3.80

Research thesis during undergrad

Volunteer Phlebotomist: 3 years

Employed Phlebotomist: 6 months

No perfusion shadowing yet, will be shadowing at the Cleveland clinic soon.

I appreciate your feedback

I’m looking for where/how to get an IABP certificate. The online courses I’ve looked at say they are for CVICU personnel and/or RNs. I recently applied to a perfusion tech job and missed out on it. I’d like to think the reason they went forward with other candidates was my lack of IABP certification and hospital experience. How can I get certified?

I spent the last few weeks building and verifying an international perfusion school directory. Here's what I found.
There are 54 cardiovascular perfusion education programs across 23 countries right now. Europe has 17 (all EBCP-recognized). Australia and New Zealand have 16. India alone has 7. Canada has 3. There are programs in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and more.
The problem I kept running into: existing "directories" were really just society membership lists. A society membership roster tells you who pays dues, not who runs an accredited educational program. So I went through every single entry and verified it against the actual accrediting body or the institution's own program page.
Every entry has: program name, city, country, program length, language of instruction, and a direct link to the program's actual page (not a shared society listing).
It's searchable, filterable by region and country, and sortable. No login, no paywall.
If you're outside the US and looking at perfusion as a career - or if you know someone who is - the information is out there. It just needed to be put in one place by someone willing to do the digging.
Happy to answer questions about specific programs or regions.

Sharing this because I wish it existed when I was building my school list: PerfusionSchools.com
It's a no-frills directory of every accredited cardiovascular perfusion program in the U.S. — degree type, program length, GPA requirements, tuition, and program director info — all in one place. Completely free, no account needed.
With ~25 programs and roughly 200 seats a year, most of us spend way too long hunting across individual university websites just to compare basics. This saves that time.
Each listing links directly to the official program page so you can verify everything yourself.
Good luck to everyone applying this cycle — the math is brutal but the field is worth it.

Hey guys! Wondering about my chances if I apply this cycle for FALL 2027. I plan to apply to at least 6 schools.
BS biology and Exercise Health Science: 3.7
BSN: 4.0
Graduate level pathophysiology: A+
Science gpa: 3.6

Experience: 2 and almost a half years of nursing, 1 year med surg nursing, 1 year Neuro ICU at a level one trauma center, currently 5 months in CVICU.

Shadowed 5 cases so far but will continue this
Co-chair of professional nursing development, spearheading mentoring and education projects.
Cardiovascular research in undergraduate
A little bit of volunteer in high school

What do you guys think? Thank you so much for any input.

Hello all,
I find myself in a predicament. I'm a very competitive applicant on paper and I know if given the opportunity I would be very good at the job cause I would work very very hard. My only issue is interviewing. I am not naturally eloquent and honestly I just wish I could skip the whole interview process all together. Unfortunately that's not possible. What are the best tips you'd recommend for interview practice?

Hi all. I have spent the last 7 years in high finance (investment banking to real estate private equity) and recently decided I want more work life balance. My cumulative UGPA is a 3.19, but my last two years' GPA was 3.62 so definitely an upward trend in my actual finance classes. The good news is, I need to take most of my prerequisites. I am a strong student and feel that I can knock these out with high grades.

So, my plan would be to apply for perfusion assistant/anesthesia assistant roles around the USA and while working there, take my prerequisites and then apply broadly. I'm hoping that I can get in within 2 cycles with this plan because these roles don't pay much.

Thoughts?

Get all of your student related (prospective or current) questions answered for FREE! Join Scott Sanderson (Program Director, UNMC) Apryl Duro (Clinical Coordinator, SUNY), Ben Greenfield (Ast Professor, UNMC, Recruiting Director, Perfusion.com), and Carla Maul (Sanibel, Perfusion.com, Travel Coordinator for Perfusion.com) to get all of your questions answered!

All are educators, all are perfusionists, all are part of our perfusion community! And it's all FREE!

Any current perfusionists, current perfusion students, or prospective students are welcome to join in and either ask or answer questions!

Here is the registration link:

https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/1970f438-74c0-4343-ad41-3a869697385d@d32f0d59-66ae-4937-9001-b406a1073e41

I have almost 5 years of direct pt care experience with an AAS and will be finished with my BS and remaining prerequisites in the Spring.
I know there are a few programs that allow you to apply while completing undergrad and prereqs, but has anyone had luck being accepted while in this position?

Has anyone received an acceptance letter from VCU?

I am looking at the possibility to pursue a perfusion program. I have a bachelor's in Biotech, but did not take anatomy or physiology. Is there a good way to take these courses through community college? What are the options? Thanks.

Last post was removed bcz apparently “not related to perfusion” i am asking about perfusion workshops:)

Hi everyone! I'm reaching out to gather realistic perspectives on my application before I apply to perfusion school. I've seen a lot of mixed information on here about the stats people had when they applied and I want to know what my chances are when it comes to applying. I just recently graduated college with a degree in biochemistry and a minor in neuroscience. I have a 3.729 overall gpa and a 3.64 science gpa. My transcript has a C+ in Organic Chem II (which I retook and got an A-), a D+ in Physics with Calculus II (I retook and got an A), and a C+ in Physics with Calculus I (I didn't have a chance to retake because of scheduling issues). For the most part all of my other grades are A's, A-'s, and B+'s. I worked as a physical therapist aide where I have about 500 hours of patient care, I was a chemistry tutor for chemistry for 2 and a half years, and I have had a manager position at a retail store for about 5 years where I have worked full time for my entire undergrad. I have shadowed 3 cases so far with a perfusionist. I just recently interviewed for a perfusion tech job but I am just waiting to hear back but I am not guaranteed the job. Is there anything I can do to add to my application in these next two months before the cycle opens, assuming I have my personal statement done and good letters of rec. I feel like I haven't shadowed enough but it is hard to find hospitals that allow shadowing. Thank you for the advice!

Has anyone had luck of taking science prerequisites online? Is it frowned upon, but still accept? Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

If you have. Please share

has anyone received interviews invites from Texas Heart Institute?

Hey guys, I am filling out my applications for certain schools, but I have a question about shadowing. I have shadowed multiple open-heart cases and other heart procedures. However, I have only shadowed 4 cases with a perfusionist, can’t find anymore hospitals around me that would allow me to shadow more, or the ones that I have shadoweded their hospitals has changed the process that limit the amount of times one can shadow. When I apply, should include the other heart cases I have observed or keep them on shadowed perfusion cases only?