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Program Timeline

July 1– Applications open. Please submit application and all supporting documentation within the application window. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

October 31– Applications close.

November– After a careful review of each application, a select portion of the applicants will be invited to interview with the MSPS Program admission committee. Interviewees are required to submit a passport-sized photo to the admission committee prior to interview.

December to January– Personal interviews. Note: Travel costs related for interviewing are the responsibility of the candidate.

February 1– The admission committee reviews the files of all interviewees and selects incoming class. Final notifications of acceptance, positions on the alternate list, or denial of admission are notified by e-mail.

Admission requirements

Admission to the Master of Science in Perfusions Science is highly competitive. Meeting the minimum thresholds below does not guarantee admission.

• Three letters of recommendation; from professional (2) and personal (1) references.
• A resume or CV. The resume should include relevant work and volunteer experiences, research, and other extracurricular activities or accomplishments. Applicants are encouraged to include all relevant information in order to provide a holistic view of themselves.
• Application fee of $90 (may be waived for certain applicants)
• At least one shadowing experience of a cardiac case involving cardiovascular perfusion.
• Any admitted students are required to have a background check prior to admission.
• Once you have completed the USC application, an e-mail will follow with an invitation to upload your completed supplemental materials:
  • Documentation-of-Case-Shadowing-form
  • USC-MSPS-Application
  • Prerequisite form

Important: Delayed or incomplete applications will not be considered. Transcripts and letters of recommendation cannot be indexed to incomplete or unsubmitted university and supplemental applications. Please complete and submit both applications before requesting transcripts.

Prerequisites

All prerequisites must be completed prior to application submission, and preferred within 7 years of enrollment to the program.

• Baccalaureate degree in a science discipline (i.e. biology, nursing, or other) with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
• One semester of physics
• One semester of college algebra, pre-calculus, calculus, or statistics
• One semester of general chemistry
• One semester of a human anatomy course AND
  • One semester of a human physiology course OR
  • Two semesters of a combined anatomy and physiology course with a laboratory component
• Official university transcripts (etrans@usc.edu)
• GRE not required
• Personal interview, by invitation

***Please note***Due to COVID-19: If your undergraduate institution has required students to go to Pass/Fail coursework, we will accept this. We do suggest that if this is optional, you do your best to take the Clinical Perfusion prerequisites for a letter grade.

If English is not your first language, an official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IETLS) score report must be submitted. International students are not eligible for admission. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

USC’s Notice of Non-Discrimination.

Technical Standards

The Master of Science in Perfusion Sciences is a degree program attesting to relevant didactic and clinical knowledge, and skills required for perfusion practice. Essential characteristics and abilities of a cardiovascular perfusionist within the USC Perfusion Sciences program include, but are not limited to, communication skills, motor skills, cognitive skills, and behavioral skills. Applicants must also be able to demonstrate sufficient mental stability prior to matriculation and during the program. The Master of Science in Perfusion Sciences Program at USC expects students to become fully competent cardiovascular perfusionists capable of performing as a cardiovascular perfusionist passing the national certification exam after graduation.

This program has an ethical obligation for the safety of patients with whom the candidates will come into contact with. Therefore, patient safety is a major factor in establishing requirements for physical, cognitive, and emotional capabilities of candidates.

Communication Skills

Candidates must possess verbal and nonverbal communication skills to be able to clearly, effectively, and sensitively communicate between all parties. This includes the members of the healthcare team (i.e. surgeon, anesthesiologist, respiratory therapist, nurse) as well as patients and patient families, under the discretion of the attending physician. Candidates must also be able to perceive and describe nonverbal communication, as well as practice and interpret clear written communication. Candidates must possess written and oral English language fluency.

Motor Skills

Candidates must maintain the ability to utilize necessary perfusion equipment and disposables. This includes, but is not limited to, sterilely securing tubing over connectors, clamping tubing using tubing clamps, and using a needle and syringe to withdraw drugs from a vial. After reasonable training and experience, the candidate must be capable of using laboratory and cardiac support equipment. Completion of clinical tasks requires fine motor skills and manual dexterity, as well as capacity for execution of quick and purposeful movements during emergency situations. At the conclusion of the clinical phase, students should achieve full competence in the skills described above. Candidates must also be able to tolerate physically taxing workloads.

Cognitive Skills

A candidate must have sufficient cognitive (mental) capacities to assimilate the technically detailed and complex information presented within formal lectures, medical literature, group discussions, and individual teaching. A candidate must be able to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, and synthesize information across modalities, and exercise timely problem-solving abilities within the treatment of patients. Students are expected to achieve the ability for rapid problem-solving and decision making in critical situations.

Behavioral Skills

A candidate must possess the emotional health, maturity, and self-discipline required for full use of one’s intellectual and judgemental ability, and for successful participation in, and completion of, the course of study within this program. This includes, but is not limited to, attendance, integrity, honesty, conscientiousness, and teamwork. The candidate must accept responsibility for learning, exercise good judgment, appropriately function in a stressful environment, and promptly complete all responsibilities necessary for sensitive and effective relationships with others. Candidates must also be able to adapt to changing environments and display flexibility. Candidates must have capacity to accept constructive criticism and respond appropriately with modification of behavior.

Essential Functions

Students matriculated into the USC Master of Science in Perfusion Sciences program are required during their training to perform specific tasks, varying in frequency of occurrence and requiring specific physical involvement. Candidates must have adequate visual acuity and hearing capacity.

Safety
The Master of Science of Perfusion Sciences Program at USC has the responsibility to consider the safety and welfare of patients and others. Should a candidate have a condition that would place patients or others at significant risk, that condition may be the basis for denial of admission or dismissal from school. An otherwise qualified individual shall not be excluded from admission, or participation in educational programs and activities solely by reason of his/her physical handicap, or medical condition. Students must adhere to universal precaution measures. Students must be able to comply with all school requirements working in a clinic environment and with hazardous materials.

Evaluation
The program may require that an accepted student undergo an evaluation at the school’s expense for the purpose of determining whether an accepted applicant or student meets these essential characteristics and abilities.

The program does not discriminate against otherwise qualified individuals who apply for admission to the Master of Science in Perfusion Sciences degree program or who are enrolled as students. The designated disabilities coordinator for enrolled Perfusion Science students with disabilities is the Coordinator of Disabled Issues who may be contacted through the Office of Student Accessibility Services of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Reasonable accommodations will be granted upon request and documentation of disability; requests should be directed to the appropriate disabilities coordinator.

Background Checks
Background checks are required to work with minors and to participate in clinical training activities with healthcare partners throughout the state. Students who matriculate with a history of a criminal conviction may not be able to successfully complete the curriculum due to these requirements and therefore should check with the program prior to matriculation.