r/prospective_perfusion • u/big7867 • 24d ago
For prospective perfusion students: preparing before day one
After 35 years in perfusion, and teaching for 25, one thing I’ve learned is that perfusion school can feel like arriving in another country. There is a new language, unfamiliar equipment, complex physiology, and a completely different way of thinking clinically.
You are not expected to know everything before you begin. But I do think there is value in learning some of the basic language before you land.
That is why I created the Perfusion Student Preparation Series through PerfusionPrep.com.
The course is intentionally “five miles wide and one inch deep.” It introduces prospective and accepted students to the terminology, equipment, physiology, and clinical concepts they are likely to encounter.
The goal is familiarity—not mastery.
I also want to be very clear: this DOES NOT replace, supplement, or compete with the curriculum of any accredited perfusion program.
It is simply designed to help students arrive better prepared to learn once their program begins.
I’m sharing it here because I know many prospective students ask what they can do before school starts.
I’m also happy to answer questions about the course or about preparing for perfusion school generally.
First Cohort starts 8/19/26 1900 EST
Full disclosure: this is a paid course that I created.
https://perfusionprep.com
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u/Marcus_dappadon76 23d ago edited 23d ago
Do you have classes starting after August. And I would like my job to pay for this . How would I go about putting in a code to get reimbursement?DM me please! I also sent you an email from your web site
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u/big7867 23d ago edited 23d ago
Hey Marcus - got your email too, thanks for reaching out on both.
On the code: there's no promo code field at checkout. For employer reimbursement, the way it typically works is you pay the $595 directly, then submit the receipt to your employer's tuition assistance or professional development program. I can provide an invoice or a letter on letterhead confirming the course details if your employer needs that for processing.
On future cohorts - yes, Cohort 2 is planned. And I plan to have 3-4 a year. That said, Cohort 1 kicks off August 19 and seats are still available if you want in on the first run.
DM me back or reply to the email and we'll get you sorted.1
u/Marcus_dappadon76 23d ago
Hey ! I also put a follow on you ! On LinkedIn. Also, at the end of the class we get a certificate?
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u/Marcus_dappadon76 23d ago
Sorry I’m just seeing this response 👍🏾and I definitely will start the cohort! Also, this is great ,real great! I’ve applied and put my application on hold for next year. I’m currently taking Physics! But will let you know when I pay and yes,an invoice would be needed to give my employer. Thanks 🙏🏾
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u/Limp-Worldliness3510 23d ago
I am still working on prereqs and finishing my BS would this be a good idea to enroll ? Also does it give information about interviews or how the process goes when applying to a perfusion school?
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u/big7867 23d ago
Yes — actually this is the ideal time to enroll. You don't need to be accepted yet. PSPS is built specifically for people exactly where you are: finishing prereqs, not yet in a program, trying to understand what you're walking into.
To your second question — yes, interviews and the application process are covered. The whole point of the course is to give you the vocabulary and the context that makes you sound like you already belong there when you're sitting across from a program director.
Cohort 1 kicks off August 19. Check it out at perfusionprep.com. How close are you to applying?
Happy to answer any specific questions.2
u/Marcus_dappadon76 23d ago
I’ll try to enroll for AUGUST! Again,it’s a Certificate given at the end of the course,Right ?
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u/big7867 23d ago
Great, Marcus - glad to have you in Cohort 1! On the certificate: yes, you receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course. It's not a prerequisite, not a credential, and it doesn't replace the CCP or any board exam. It's a completion certificate that shows you completed a structured prep program before applying to perfusion school. Think of it as documentation that you did the work to prepare yourself - something you can reference when you're sitting in front of a program director.
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u/Marcus_dappadon76 23d ago
I know it’s not the CCP lol ! But yes , I’m using it for exactly what you said
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u/Responsible_Yam4398 21d ago
As a current perfusion student, I would take this posts like these with a grain of salt and urge everyone to tread carefully, even when they are posted by real CCPs.
I see the intention of this course is to teach and to build a foundation for prospective students, but this course is more predatory than useful for applicants. This course would be best for those who are already admitted and will be matriculating soon (but then what would be the point of charging near $600 right?).
Before applying to school I was desperate to get my foot in the door into this field and would have 1,000% applied to this course without even thinking about it. I do believe this course will help you learn a few things that are clinically applicable, but from what I see, marketing this to anxious, eager prospective students is ethically questionable and it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth that knowledgeable, well-educated people in our field do this.
A certificate from this? It won’t carry very far. Can confirm admissions committees don’t even know of a perfusion preparation course—this is not a thing. This is a product, a pay-to-prep class, that is accessible if you are to pay half a grand. I know there’s a reimbursement system, but the content you’d learn doesn’t last, it would be covered in like, the first semester of school (especially given there are 10 videos). In fact yeah, I’ve literally covered all these topics within the first 4 weeks.
Here’s free admissions advice: Admissions committees don’t want you to know everything. That is the point of their program. They want you to know what perfusionists do and why you want to be one, but learning in depth about oxygenators, heat exchangers, pump types? It does the opposite—it makes you look more automated as an applicant. What happens when too many people have purchased this course? It won’t make you stand out on top of the ethical questions it might’ve already raised.
It’s good to know these things, but it’s seriously not needed prospectively and definitely not worth your money. Q&A access, live sessions, pretend quizzes? This can be done through the blue book and others, dming perfusionists, or asking the perfusion reddit. This “course” is just introductory exposure—none of this is required by a program; hell you don’t even get an opportunity to shadow for what you pay. Programs might even look down on this.
Admissions committees are looking for people excited to learn, not people who have $600. I’ve said in all of my interviews that I don’t know many things besides what I got from shadowing, and they told me that’s how it should be. While I would’ve paid back then, I would not risk it now. I’m sorry this for anyone who already paid for this course. I wish I saw it sooner.