Perfusion in Canada
The Michener Institute of Education at UHN
The Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities has granted consent to The Michener Institute of Education at UHN to offer a Master of Science in Cardiovascular Perfusion (CVP). This makes Michener the only school in Canada to offer a Master’s degree in this complex and important health profession.
Cardiovascular perfusionists are critical members of cardiac surgical teams. They operate heart-lung machines during cardiac and transplant surgeries, but there is an increased need for perfusionists beyond cardiopulmonary surgery. Perfusionists are also specialists in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and their work stood out during the heights of each successive COVID wave as the sickest patients required life-saving procedures.
There is also a nation-wide shortage of cardiovascular perfusionists, so recognizing their importance in the interprofessional healthcare team is expected to increase the number of people seeking to enter and stay in this field.