Is perfusion a dying career?

[Pily218]

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I am a sophomore in college and have recently discovered perfusionists. I am very interested so far, but I keep getting mixed messages about the profession dying out or the demand increasing. Of course, I don't want to devote time into this if I will not be able to find a job. Do you guys think it'd be a bad idea to go down the path of becoming a perfusionist at this point?

 

[ThoracicGuy]

I am a sophomore in college and have recently discovered perfusionists. I am very interested so far, but I keep getting mixed messages about the profession dying out or the demand increasing. Of course, I don't want to devote time into this if I will not be able to find a job. Do you guys think it'd be a bad idea to go down the path of becoming a perfusionist at this point?

Heart surgery isn't going away anytime soon.

 

[HighPriest]

Heart surgery isn't going away anytime soon.

Let's see how this coronoavirus thing pans out before we try to predict the future. You don't want that kind of egg on your face.

 

[dienekes88]

I am a sophomore in college and have recently discovered perfusionists. I am very interested so far, but I keep getting mixed messages about the profession dying out or the demand increasing. Of course, I don't want to devote time into this if I will not be able to find a job. Do you guys think it'd be a bad idea to go down the path of becoming a perfusionist at this point?

Perfusion is a great career.

Obviously as cardiac surgery evolves, the role of the perfusionist will also evolve. There may be less perfusion standby for TAVR. More ECMO and more complicated ECMO circuits.

Major factors influencing the evolution of perfusion include but are not limited to:
1) the ongoing endovascular revolution: hybrid or endo arch... endovascular repair of ascending pathology, TAVR, TMVR, etc.
2) evolution of waitlist prioritization for heart transplantation and lung transplantation
3) evolution of pediatric heart failure: role of durable MCS

 

[SpliceOfLife]

Perfusion is not dying. It is one of the best jobs in the hospital. Most mid-levels and nurses I meet who are going back to school either become CRNAs or perfusionists. Great pay, normal non-medical working hours (with some exceptions), reasonable length of total schooling.