Graduate Studies in Cardiovascular Perfusion

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• Master of Science in Cardiovascular Perfusion

Quincy Byrdsong,Vice Provost for Health Affairs
David Webb, Program Director
Ed Evans, Clinical Liason
Christopher Yann, Instructor

Program Foundations

The Master of Science in Cardiovascular Perfusion is a 22-month master level program with 30 hours of didactic learning and 30 hours of clinical training. This program will educate and train students to become perfusionists, vital members of cardiac surgical teams responsible for the selection, setup, and operation of a mechanical device commonly referred to as the heart-lung machine. The perfusionist is responsible for operating the machine during surgery, monitoring the altered circulatory process closely, taking appropriate corrective action when abnormal situations arise and keeping both the surgeon and the anesthesiologist fully informed.

The cardiovascular perfusion curriculum prepares you to enter a highly skilled and desired position. The partnerships Lipscomb has developed all around the country will ensure you have the highest quality clinical placements during your education and provide you excellent job opportunities after graduation.

Lipscomb Health is leading the future of health care education with innovative training of compassionate health care professionals who are prepared to live out their purpose and calling, serving patients and providing care that brings physical healing as well as mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Cardiovascular Perfusion Sciences is an in-demand health care program with only 17 other programs across the nation. The job market is excellent and growing with heart disease being the number one major health risks in America.

The perfusion students will be training in a state-of-the-art health simulation center, which is uniquely equipped to provide hands-on learning in a low-risk environment during your didactic training. The center includes a newly designed and specialized laboratory dedicated to cardiovascular perfusion instruction. Lipscomb’s simulation center will provide excellent learning environments for the students to practice before they practice. 

Minimum Credits

The Master of Science in Cardiovascular Perfusion requires completion of 60 semester hours.

Admission

The Master of Science in Cardiovascular Perfusion requires a candidate to submit an application by the published deadline and participate in an interview process. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, or the international equivalent verified by WES, or anticipate earning a bachelor’s degree prior to matriculation into the perfusion sciences program. 

Admission to the program is based on a combination of many factors, including undergraduate and/or graduate academic record, professional experience, on campus interview and references. The admissions committee also considers the student’s essay and interview in the admissions process.

Eligible students

Hold a U.S. bachelor’s degree or equivalent who have completed the required pre-requisite courses.

Pre-requisites

The following prerequisite list is representative of classes that are generally accepted.  The prerequisite classes must be obtained from a regionally accredited U.S. institution. Any classes that deviate from this list may not be accepted if the class does not meet the same academic and scientific rigor. For science courses, a recent timeframe for completion (within the past seven years) is required.  The only online prerequisite courses considered for acceptance are the psychology and biostatistics courses.

Science Course Expiration Policy

All prerequisite science courses must be taken within 7 years of matriculation. If a one-semester science course was completed greater than 7 years prior to the time of matriculation, then the course must be repeated. If a two-semester science course was completed greater than 7 years prior to the time of matriculation, then at least one-half of the course must be repeated. All prerequisite science courses older than 7 years AND with a grade of “C” or less must be repeated.

Biochemistry I  

Human Anatomy and Physiology I & II with Lab 

Microbiology with Lab (4 semester hours)

Math (6 semester hours)

• Statistics
• Calculus (preferred) or College Algebra

Physics with lab (4 semester hours)
Calculus- or non-calculus-based accepted.

Additional Info

Many other factors are considered in the holistic review of the application, interview, and admissions process. They may include the following: communication skills, letters of recommendation, problem solving skills, professionalism, work experience, degree earned, research, volunteerism, interview performance, attitude, timeliness, and other factors that help differentiate those applicants that possess the highest likelihood of succeeding as part of the healthcare team as a cardiovascular perfusionist. 

Achieving the prerequisite and minimum requirements does not guarantee an invitation to interview with or an offer of admission into the cardiovascular perfusion program. Certain exceptions may be granted on an individual basis concerning admission requirements. No assurances or guarantees are given or implied based on the completion of the prerequisites or achieving a high level of academic performance.

Application Process

1. Compare yourself with our prerequisite course listing. Achievement of a grade of C or higher for each prerequisite course is mandatory. Required courses should be completed by the end of the spring semester prior to desired enrollment; however, coursework may be in progress or planned at the time of application without it negatively impacting the application. 
    
2. CLEP/Advanced Placement Credit - Advanced Placement (AP) and CLEP credit (credit by examination) may be used to satisfy prerequisite coursework provided that the credit is accepted by the applicant’s degree-granting institution and is posted on the applicant’s official academic transcript. Acceptance of credit is at the discretion of Lipscomb University based upon course equivalency standards.
    
3. You must have a cumulative academic grade point average (GPA) of not less than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all coursework to be eligible to apply. Achievement of a grade of C or higher for each prerequisite course is mandatory.
    
4. Applications must be completed and submitted electronically via the Lipscomb website. Please read the instructions very carefully to be sure the application is submitted properly. The application deadline for the Fall 2021 inaugural cohort is June 1. Subsequent cohort applications will open on July 1 with a January 1 priority deadline for the following fall.
    
5. Your application requirements include: 3 letters of recommendation, 1 essay, and final official transcripts from each university attended. Students with in-progress coursework should provide preliminary official transcripts for initial review prior to graduation.
    
6. Interview: An interview is required for admission to the Lipscomb University Cardiovascular Perfusion Program. Interviews are conducted by invitation only. Each complete application will be evaluated for competitiveness within the pool of candidates.
    
7. Health Form. Each applicant must submit a completed health form signed by a health care provider. (To print a copy of the health form, visit www.lipscomb.edu/healthcenter/ forms.) This form must be submitted directly to Lipscomb’s Health Center.
    
8. FERPA. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act affords students certain rights of access to educational records; even if you are independent of your parents, you must submit this form prior to enrollment.
    
9. TOEFL. The Test of English as a Foreign Language is required for international students. (See section titled International Students for more information.)

All application items should be submitted to the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences no later than 90 days before the beginning of the semester or term in which the student plans to enroll.
Forms should be mailed to: College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Graduate Studies in Cardiovascular Perfusion, Lipscomb University, One University Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37204-3951.

Transfer and Waiver of Courses

Although all graduate credit hours may be transferred from another accredited institution, a maximum of six hours will be counted toward a master’s degree in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The program director or appropriate faculty member of the graduate program will evaluate the course(s) being proposed for transfer and make a determination of suitability. No course with a grade below a “B” will be considered for transfer.

Documentation

Students are required to provide satisfactory documentation of personal identification for off-site learning experiences required in many programs of graduate study at Lipscomb University. Failure to provide proper credentials will result in failure to complete the desired course of study. For complete policy, see section entitled Required Documentation for Off-Site Learning Experiences in the opening section of this catalog.

Academic Policies

Course Load

A student enrolled for six hours is considered a full-time student. A student enrolled for less than six hours is considered a part-time student. No student will be permitted to enroll for more than 12 hours per semester without special approval from the director of the graduate program.

Academic Standing

See graduate academic standing policy.

Residency

No period of formal residency is required for a degree in the Cardiovascular Perfusion program.

Statute of Limitations

All requirements for a degree in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences must be completed within a five-year period from the time of initial matriculation.

Candidacy

Admission to a program does not imply admission to candidacy for the master’s degree. During the course of pursuing a degree, the student must be admitted to “candidacy.” For admission to candidacy the student must satisfy the following:

1. Complete all required undergraduate deficiencies if admitted on condition.

2. Complete at least twelve hours of graduate work.

3. Maintain a 3.00 GPA on all Cardiovascular Perfusion course work taken toward the requirements for the degree with no incomplete grades.

4. File a degree plan/application for candidacy in the graduate program office which meets all requirements and is approved by the administrator of the graduate program and the dean of the college. The degree plan must be completed during the second semester of graduate work in the program. After admission to candidacy and approval of the degree plan, any changes in the degree plan must be approved by the administrator of the graduate program and the dean of the college. The application or candidacy must be completed before the beginning of the student’s last semester in the program. No student will be allowed to graduate in the same semester in which the application for candidacy is completed.

Minimum GPA

A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for both the cumulative GPA and the calculated prerequisite GPA. Additionally, all applicants will be expected to have earned a ‘C’ or above in all prerequisite courses.

Financial Information

Tuition and Fees for 2023-24

*Program Trip Fee (see program information for details)*

Program of Study Requirements

• Cardiovascular Perfusion Studies, MS

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