I have only recently decided on focusing my time and energy into working towards a career in being a Perfusionist. I have worked in ICU setting for roughly 4 years now and for most of that time I was about 80% sure I wanted to become a nurse. At this point, I still believe it is a job i could do, but now that I work in a cardiac ICU, I have had many chances to work and talk to people of other related professions in the medical field. After joking around with Mark, one of our perfusionists, I started asking him serious questions about his job and the path he took to get there. I not only sounded like a good switch, but it felt like one too. Based on what he was scribing to me, it felt right up my alley. Naturally, when I had time off I got online and investigated.

    The first thing I think most people worry about when considering investing their life in a career is income and it was the first thing I looked up. The salary range for a perfusionist is about $65,000 - $98,000 per year with the average being about $86,000 per year. I am quite confident and excited about even the low end of that range so I know that I would be satisfied with income as noted by mshealthcares.com. Honestly, money isn't remotely everything to me though. What is everything to me is that I can travel anywhere and everywhere and see the world and enjoy my life. I don't care to have extravagant possessions and live an expensive lifestyle, but I am not a minimalist either. Besides, someday I wouldn't mind having a family and being able to retire comfortably.

    Another way that I feel that being a perfusionist fits me and my lifestyle is that I love to learn things and use that knowledge and master it. Every job that I have had I have learned to do and then challenged myself to become more and more efficient and masterful at it. Doing this gives me such a feeling of accomplishment and pride in my work. These are jobs that I merely got hired into and did not require any previous training. If i was to invests my time, money, energy, and life into something that I really want to do, in a field I want to be in, I can't help but to believe that it would only spell happiness and job satisfaction for me. In another way that this job fits me is that it is using my love of learning to benefit other people, helping to save lives. A perfusionist is a specialist that runs a heart and lung mating during open chest procedures and is solely responsible for keeping the patient's body living. it sounds incredibly daunting and equally exciting to me in that science is able to do such things. I definitely want to be a part of that.

    The job market is not a worry to me in many ways. First, it is a medical profession and it is common knowledge that jobs in this field are in demand. To add to this, the government and other agencies confirm this by stating that the job is on the rise. Another factor that I believe I have in my favor is that I am not tied down to any one particular area. I can go where the job is. This is yet another fit for my lifestyle because as previously stated, I love to travel and want to travel. I am confident in my work ethic and my work experience, which is still growing, and I believe this will also play a strong role in my ability to land a job when I finish college.