The audible buzz of surgical lamps, the feeling of awe and tension in the room, and a direct view of a human heart — as a perfusionist, this is your ideal environment.
You know how vital your role is in cardiovascular procedures. You know your career rewards your value with job security and a good salary. But did you also know that perfusionists are in short supply within the United States, and some areas direly need your help?
Working as a travel perfusionist gives you access to many lucrative career opportunities throughout the country.
Keep reading to learn how to become one and where to find the best travel perfusionist jobs.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Perfusionist?
- Can You Travel as a Perfusionist?
- 4 Benefits of Working as a Travel Perfusionist
- How To Become a Travel Perfusionist: A Look at Skills, Qualifications, Demand, and Earning Potential
- Start Your Travel Perfusionist Journey With Pronto
What Is a Perfusionist?
A perfusionist is a highly trained allied health professional who plays a vital role in cardiothoracic procedures and operations.
Perfusionists operate extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) equipment to keep patients alive during heart surgery. They work with the ECMO machines to temporarily replace or assist the function of the patient’s heart and lungs, guaranteeing circulation and oxygenation.
In their efforts to assist physicians and surgical staff, perfusionists monitor vital signs and adjust the ECMO machine accordingly. Other duties assigned to perfusionists include:
- Analyzing and measuring blood gas levels
- Administering blood products and medications as needed
- Providing assistance with organ transplant surgeries and other complex procedures
- Participating in quality improvement initiatives and striving to improve patient results
- Remaining current with the latest perfusion technologies
- Collaborating with the surgical team to secure patient safety and produce optimal outcomes
- Adjusting the ECMO machine settings based on the patient’s condition and surgical demands
Can You Travel as a Perfusionist?
Yes!
Perfusionists are in high demand, so travel perfusionists have plenty of opportunities for short-term relief or longer-term positions.
With the help of Trusted Nurse Staffing and Pronto, you’ll have access to thousands of assignments and opportunities to advance your career, make good money, and travel.
4 Benefits of Working as a Travel Perfusionist
#1: Getting To Travel
As a travel perfusionist, you get to combine your passion for work with your ardor for traveling!
As one of the few industries that allows extensive travel work options, the healthcare industry is full of hard-working professionals who support facilities in need of more staff. If you would like to be a part of this movement, working as a travel perfusionist is the career for you.
Plus, it’s like getting paid to travel to places you’ve always wanted to visit. Unlike visiting briefly for vacation, travel allied health professionals stay at their preferred destinations for up to 6, 8, or 13 weeks. This is plenty of time to venture out and experience the location.
Trusted Nurse Staffing has created Pronto to make it even easier for travel perfusionists to find travel opportunities nationwide. Sign up and start scrolling for your dream assignment today.
#2: Job Flexibility
Travel perfusionists have the liberty to choose where and when they want to work. One month, you could be working at facilities with world experts, and the next at facilities within rural communities that are in dire need of your services. The choice is yours.
Working as a travel perfusionist also allows you to manage your time better. You could take contracts back to back or plan your timeline to align with significant events or vacations. No more having to parse your PTO to plan trips or miss holidays with your family.
Trusted Nurse Staffing offers allied health travel professionals exceptional contract management assistance. Our team’s goal is to help you find the best work arrangements for your wants and needs.
#3: Professional Growth
As a perfusionist, you’ll need exposure to new settings and circumstances to develop new skills and talent. Becoming a traveling perfusionist expands your horizons and cultivates a deeper understanding of the cardiothoracic field.
Whether you’re using the latest, cutting-edge technology, working with the top minds in the industry, or working with a diverse range of patients, traveling as a perfusionist provides plenty of opportunities to grow and thrive.
#4: Networking Opportunities
While working and traveling the country, you’ll mix and mingle with top minds and various leaders in medicine. As you expand your network and garner glowing reviews, you may find countless doors opening for you and your career.
These networking opportunities are not just limited to career advancement. You’ll have plenty of time to make new friends with facility staff and your fellow travelers.
How To Become a Travel Perfusionist: A Look at Skills, Qualifications, Demand, and Earning Potential
Skills
Travel perfusionists require a comprehensive set of skills to be successful in their work. A valuable applicant may have the following skills:
- Perfusion Expertise: Mastery in operating and maintaining EMCO machines to regulate blood circulation and oxygenation during surgery
- Critical Thinking: Ability to make quick, informed decisions in high-pressure situations to ensure patient safety and surgical success
- Attention to Detail: Precision in monitoring vital signs, blood gasses, and other parameters to adjust perfusion rates and maintain optimal patient conditions
- Problem Solving: Capability to troubleshoot equipment malfunctions and adjust perfusion strategies as needed during surgery
- Communication Skills: Effectively communicate with surgeons, anesthesiologists, and other healthcare team members to coordinate care and respond to changing conditions
- Adaptability: Flexibility to work in various healthcare settings and adapt to different surgical procedures and patient needs
- Stress Management: Ability to maintain composure and focus during long surgeries and emergencies
Education
Before becoming certified, perfusionists must obtain a bachelor’s degree from a program accredited by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion.
However, many perfusionists go on to receive an advanced degree in the field to enhance their skills and career opportunities.
Certifications
Once potential perfusionists have completed their formal education and met all pre-certification requirements, they must pass two exams:
- Perfusion Basic Science Examination (PBSE)
- Clinical Applications in Perfusion Examination (CAPE)
Pre-certification requirements for the PBSE include:
- A degree from an accredited cardiovascular perfusion education program
- Having each of the following documents on file four weeks prior to the examination:
- Transcripts indicating completion of an accredited program with the graduation date included
- A written statement of satisfactory clinical competency from the school’s Clinical Competency Committee
- Documentation of 75 cardiopulmonary bypass procedures performed during the education program
Licensure
Certain states may require you to obtain a state license to work as a perfusionist; some only need an up-to-date certification from the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion.
The following states require a perfusionist license:
- Arkansas
- California
- Connecticut
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Jersey
- New York
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Wisconsin
Continued Education Requirements
The American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion mandates that all certified perfusionists must recertify annually. These recertification requirements ensure that certified clinical perfusionists continue to meet standards and possess current and adequate knowledge and skills to work in the field. Recertification demands two components to be met:
- 40 documented hours of clinical activity each year
- 45 CEUs reported every third year
Experience
Many travel allied health positions only require a minimum of two years of experience before traveling. Since perfusion is a highly specialized field, however, you may need at least five years of clinical experience before you would be considered a candidate for traveling.
Demand
Perfusionists are in high demand and short supply due to:
- Demographics in specialists: One survey revealed that 44% of perfusionists are over the age of 50 and nearing retirement age. As more perfusionists retire every year, only 200 new graduates are produced to replace them.
- Growing population: The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the U.S. population will grow by 1.3 million people each year, and starting in 2030, 21% of the population will be age 65 or older.
- Increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases: In 2023, there was an increase of 54,000 more deaths due to cardiovascular disease, with a 4% increase in the age-adjusted death rate.
- Lack of education and certification resources: Currently, there are only 16 schools throughout the entire United States that are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.
Travel perfusionists are even more in demand due to Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA), which are geographical areas that lack the appropriate number of physicians or medical specialists per population.
HPSAs often occur due to high-demand professionals seeking employment at facilities that offer the most pay (generally densely populated areas with a high average income).
As a travel perfusionist, you’ll have the opportunity to help remove access barriers in HPSAs and provide vital care to underserved areas that are typically deprived of your specialty.
Earning Potential
The average salary for travel perfusionists in the United States is $3,017 per week, with the best-paid 25% making an average of $3,291 per week and the lowest-paid 25% making around $2,729 per week.
The highest-paying cities for travel perfusionists are:
- San Jose, CA: $3,786 per week
- San Francisco, CA: $3,771 per week
- Oakland, CA: $3,680 per week
- New York, NY: $3,524 per week
- Queens Village, NY: $3,499 per week
The highest-paying states for travel perfusionists include:
- District of Columbia: $3,358 per week
- California: $3,327 per week
- New Jersey: $3,306 per week
- Alaska: $3,285 per week
- Massachusetts: $3,282 per week
Start Your Travel Perfusionist Journey With Pronto
Are you ready to start your career as a vital member of the cardiovascular field?
Why wait to meet with a recruiter and discuss your options when you can take the next step of your journey into your own hands?
Through Trusted Nurse Staffing’s Allied Health program and Pronto, you can begin your journey as soon as possible!
Here’s how to start:
- Sign up for a Pronto.
- Get matched with a recruiter who will be there to help you if you have any questions.
- Search on Pronto for travel perfusionist job listings that meet your qualifications, needs, and interests.
Once you’ve found an assignment that is perfect for you, you’ll be assigned your own Trusted Nursing support team, which includes:
- Clinical support
- Payroll and compliance experts
- Ongoing assignment advocacy
- And more
Additional benefits included in your partnership with Trusted Nurse Staffing include:
- A welcome box
- $1500 bonus for referring your friends or a facility already not employed with us
- An ambassador program where you can receive bonuses for creating content
- And more!
Begin your new career as a travel perfusionist with the help of Trusted Nurse Staffing and the power of Pronto.