My name is Amber and I am a cardiovascular perfusionist. I have been a perfusionist for 9 years. As a perfusionist, my job is to operate the heart and lung machine during open heart surgery in the cardiac operating room. I have a Bachelors in Bioogy, Masters in Biomedical Science, as well as a Masters in Cardiovascular Science. I was once a struggling biology/pre-med major trying to get into medical school. When I saw the path to medical school was not working out for me, I was lost. I struggled to find other career paths in medicine. Once I found out about cardiovascular perfusion I fell in love!
A perfusionist plays a vital role in cardiac surgery. The cardiac surgeon cannot operate on the heart without the assistance of a perfusionist. Perfusionist operate the heart and lung machine. The machine acts as the patients heart and lungs while the surgeon operates on a motionless, bloodless heart.
Looking for a career in healthcare?
Are you in the healthcare field and looking for a change? Maybe you're a pre-med major, like I was, and now you are interested in becoming a perfusionist, or curious about what we do. If so, I made this page with you in mind. Let me use my expertise, years of experience, and my perfusion resources to help guide you to the wonder world of cardiovascular perfusion.