Cardiac Perfusion

[hijinxx7]

Hi,

I am an engineering student that graduated last year from the University of Waterloo here in Canada. I graduated from the mechanical engineering program with a specialization in biomechanics (where I took extra courses in occupational biomechanics, anatomy, physiology, bioengineering, etc).


I have recently applied to cardiac perfusion programs as well as chiropody programs and have interviews coming up this month. The perfusion program is 14 months whereas the chiropody program is 3 years.


I would love to open up my own clinic and be self employed here in Ontario, and chiropody would allow me to do that, but I have been receiving varying responses as to the profitability of the field, which is a bit discouraging. I have heard salary ranges from 50K - 200K+, and that it takes many years to get established as a chiropodist starting out.

I feel that there would be more prestige in being a cardiac perfusionist but what discourages me is the demand that is out there for them. I would be worried that I wouldn't be able to find a full time perfusion position at a hospital afterwards.

Hospitals seem to pay perfusionists ALOT more than they pay chiropodists. I have researched ALOT about both professions but I am sort of stuck at a crossroad between what to do.

Anybody in either of these fields or have colleagues in either of these field feel free to input?




-Vince

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[songaila]

Hi, I am in the same boat. However, I investigate a lot on "podiatrist". I go as far as interview and got accepted to all of them. Trust me, it's not worth it. The reason I say that is that salary is extrmly important to me. If you just want to be called "doctor". Then, it might be worth it.

One "sleeper" is "denturist" in Canada. You should check that one out.

I reserach on Perfusionist. The pay is high but the profession is small. You are going to have to work wherever work is. It is not a bad profession. However, you can not own your own practice like podiatrist.

The way medicine is. Pay sucks unless you are MD. I kinda figure that.

Liking the profession is also an important part though.

I am still searching too.

laterz

 

[jonwill]

Hi, I am in the same boat. However, I investigate a lot on "podiatrist". I go as far as interview and got accepted to all of them. Trust me, it's not worth it. The reason I say that is that salary is extrmly important to me. If you just want to be called "doctor". Then, it might be worth it.

One "sleeper" is "denturist" in Canada. You should check that one out.

I reserach on Perfusionist. The pay is high but the profession is small. You are going to have to work wherever work is. It is not a bad profession. However, you can not own your own practice like podiatrist.

The way medicine is. Pay sucks unless you are MD. I kinda figure that.

Liking the profession is also an important part though.

I am still searching too.

laterz

Very uninformed post from someone who obviously knows little about podiatry

 

[RAMPA]

Very uninformed post from someone who obviously knows little about podiatry

and someone for who money is #1 on the priority list and #2 "Liking the profession is also an important part though"

 

[powerade]

Very uninformed post from someone who obviously knows little about podiatry

I can understand because podiatrists are not doctors in Canada and have a much smaller scope (they are doctors in BC though).

 

[powerade]

I should add that only those who graduated before 19xx can call themselves doctors. Podiatrists/chiropodists graduated after that year (which I forgot) go through different things and are not doctors. There are no DPM programs in Canada (or at least most provinces of Canada, maybe BC has one since DPMs are recognized there).

 

[murungu]

Don't waste your time with perfusion. Go and be an engineer. You will get a whole lot more respect and job satisfaction. Perfusionists have to go where the work is and that is a lot fewer Zip Codes than an engineer.

Just remember this. The perfusionist, nurse, PA and others are merely coils in a spring that allow a Jack-in-the-box called the surgeon to work when the anaestheseologist opens the box! There are some perfusionist who think they are as important as MDs and look upon nurses etc as low life.

Perfusion is a dead-end career. If you do not pump 40 cases a year you lose your certification. so you cannot try anything else(sales etc) or get a promotion out of the OR. If I knew 10 years ago what i know now I would never have become a perfusionist.

 

[plauto]

since when was the perfusionist a position of prestige? Don't get me wrong, it's an important job, but there is not that much to it and all you are doing is pretty much listening to what the CT surgeon is telling you to do (yellow on, green off, and so on) and reading the monitors out loud. I can't believe some people on SDN think this would get their adrenaline going. After a few cases it is as boring as hell.

 

[AUS4]

Dude, all jobs have an upside and a downside.

 

[zenman]

Perfusion is a dead-end career. If you do not pump 40 cases a year you lose your certification. so you cannot try anything else(sales etc) or get a promotion out of the OR. If I knew 10 years ago what i know now I would never have become a perfusionist.

I quit 6 months into a perfusion program at THI. Ran 85 cases...most boring job I've ever done. Glad I quit.

 

[ChillyRN]

I quit 6 months into a perfusion program at THI. Ran 85 cases...most boring job I've ever done. Glad I quit.

My former next-door neighbor was a perfusionist. He hated it. He was really a print maker, but couldn't make a living at it. Perfusion just supported his art, lol. His wife left him and took the kids to another state, and he couldn't follow (which was probably the point) because he couldn't get a job in the area she lived in. So it does seem geographically limiting. He did make a lot of money though, or at least they lived like he did.

Good luck in your decision making process.

 

[Janna9]

Hi,

I am an engineering student that graduated last year from the University of Waterloo here in Canada. I graduated from the mechanical engineering program with a specialization in biomechanics (where I took extra courses in occupational biomechanics, anatomy, physiology, bioengineering, etc).


I have recently applied to cardiac perfusion programs as well as chiropody programs and have interviews coming up this month. The perfusion program is 14 months whereas the chiropody program is 3 years.


I would love to open up my own clinic and be self employed here in Ontario, and chiropody would allow me to do that, but I have been receiving varying responses as to the profitability of the field, which is a bit discouraging. I have heard salary ranges from 50K - 200K+, and that it takes many years to get established as a chiropodist starting out.

I feel that there would be more prestige in being a cardiac perfusionist but what discourages me is the demand that is out there for them. I would be worried that I wouldn't be able to find a full time perfusion position at a hospital afterwards.

Hospitals seem to pay perfusionists ALOT more than they pay chiropodists. I have researched ALOT about both professions but I am sort of stuck at a crossroad between what to do.

Anybody in either of these fields or have colleagues in either of these field feel free to input?




-Vince

Hi, I know this thread is old, but I'm considering going into perfusion and I'm curious to know what you decided. Did you go into perfusion? Why or why not? If you did, have you gained any insights into the profession (i.e. pro's and con's)?

 

[blissfulbutterfly]

I'm curious as well

 

[MyNameWasUsed]

From things i've read around these forums in the last year and just on the internet i think the perfusion profession has gotten worse over the years.