Perfusion Organizations to Know | SpecialtyCare

If you’re thinking about a career as a perfusionist, there is a tremendous abundance of resources out there at your disposal. We’ve talked a lot on this site about your options for training and financial options to cover said training. Now let’s glance at other organizations that you should become familiar with before you embark on your new career.

The American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion

This is the most important organization to know. Just about everyone has to become certified through the ABCP in order to be a practicing perfusionist. Upon completion of a perfusion training program or college, you will be required to take two exams through this organization. The first is the Perfusion Basic Science Examination. It can be taken an unlimited amount of times. Then comes the Clinical Applications in Perfusion Examination. It can also be taken an unlimited amount of times.

The ABCP was established in the 1970s as a safeguard for the public through establishment and maintenance of standards in the perfusion field. They created qualifications for the exams and the procedures for re-certification. It does not define requirements for employment.

They report the status of a perfusionist as certified or not certified. They provide a code of ethics, an online filing system for re-certification, a status list of perfusionists in the field, and an annual report on certification and re-certification results and the statistics surrounding them.

The American Academy of Cardiovascular Perfusion

If the ABCP is all about certification, the AACP is all about taking knowledge and advancing the perfusion field as a whole. Also founded in the 1970s, their goal is to encourage and stimulate study that will increase the knowledge of cardiovascular perfusion, and to bring this knowledge to the masses. Their focus is on perfusion education, through and through.

Every year, the ABCP holds at least one scientific meeting featuring free discussion and conducts a publication journal presented at the meeting. They even have “Fireside Chats,” which has become a very popular part of the annual meetings. They also hold lectures from perfusion leaders from other countries, as well as run a student ambassador program in order to promote student participation all over the country.

The American Society of Extracorporeal Technology

AmSECT may have a strange name, but it’s just a fancy way of saying “Perfusion Society.” Similar to the ABCP, AmSECT is a global organization and has over 2,000 members throughout the world. They’re dedicated to promoting the profession of perfusion, and their goals include the development of professional standards, enhancement of perfusion scope of practice, the development of continuing education programs on a national level, and sharing knowledge through their publications AmSECT Today and the Journal of Extracorporeal Technology.

After you’ve completed your training and certification, the benefits of joining AmSECT can be rewarding. You’ll be granted exclusive access to current job openings in the perfusion community, get free subscriptions to all publications, discounted rates to educational events, and representation on your behalf to organizations of interest to the field of perfusion. You’ll even have access to AmSECT university, an interactive learning experience that includes free modules for members.