Programme overview

This programme addresses academic and professional requirements: it integrates academic knowledge and understanding with both the needs of the working professional clinical perfusion scientist and the demands of professional registration with the Society of Clinical Perfusion Scientists of Great Britain and Ireland (SCPS).

This programme is only available to students who have secured a clinical perfusion scientist trainee position with an accredited training centre in Great Britain or Ireland. It will develop your interest in and knowledge and understanding of perfusion science. Successful completion of the programme will lead to accreditation as a clinical perfusion scientist by the SCPS.

The MSc provides high-quality, research-led education that is focused on the needs and expectation of students interested in perfusion science. It will equip you with enhanced knowledge, understanding and critical awareness of the current approaches and emerging research in the field. It will cover:

advanced physiology and disease states of organs that are affected by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and thereby relevant to perfusion science;
composition and function of blood and implications of transfusion and use of CPB on function;
detailed knowledge regarding pathobiology, epidemiology and symptoms of cardiovascular diseases (coronary artery disease, valve and heart disease, paediatric heart disease) and their current treatments;
current pre-clinical and clinical research to improve the treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease;
a theoretical background in quantitative statistics leading to more advanced knowledge on clinical trial design and management;
principles and practical aspects of the currently used techniques in adult and paediatric perfusion science;
the key elements of a well-designed research project.

The programme provides a firm theoretical grounding in the basic scientific principles and clinical applications of perfusion science. In conjunction with work-based practical training, this will provide you with the essential skills for employment or a further degree in this field. In addition, you will also be introduced to key practical techniques that you will require as a perfusion scientist.

Careers

This programme will accredit trainees as clinical perfusion scientists.