96 A. M. Palmer: J Extra Corpor Technol 2026, 58, 95--99
their certification exams later. Around 300 perfusionists leave the workforce each year, primarily due to retirement. Earlycareer attrition is relatively low, with fewer than 5 to 10 percent of new graduates leaving within the first few years. Despite the growing need for perfusionists, expanding program enrollment remains difficult due to limited clinical training sites and strict accreditation requirements that ensure educational quality and patient safety [ 6 ]. The review of preadmission variables for entry into the healthcare system is critical to best predict candidates with potential career success [ 7 ]. Due to the national shortage of perfusionists, the current demand for successful outcomes has left administrators with the challenge of selecting applicants that exemplify good academic standing based on criteria such as Grade Point Average( GPA), standardized testing, interviews, and coursework [ 5 ]. While it is difficult to select one variable that predicts the success of a candidate, decisions must be made based on data to limit the number of unqualified applicants and reduce attrition [ 8 ].
The purpose of this quantitative study was to provide a preliminary analysis of variables including academic courses, demographics, and prior clinical experience used as predictive measures for success on the ABCP examination. The ABCP, established in 1975, took over certification from The American Society of Extracorporeal Technology( AmSECT) and later limited exam eligibility to graduates of accredited perfusion programs. Certification requires passing two parts, the Perfusion Basic Science Examination( PBSE) and the Clinical Applications in Perfusion Examination( CAPE). The PBSE exam focuses on perfusion science and extracorporeal support, and the CAPE exam focuses on clinical scenarios. Both exams are offered twice a year, in the spring and fall. Candidates are eligible to take the PBSE after completing the didactic portion of an accredited program and may take the CAPE after meeting the required number of clinical cases. As a result, it is possible to take the PBSE without yet qualifying for the CAPE. However, it is important to highlight that the analysis was limited to firsttime pass rates and did not consider candidates who passed one section of the exam but failed another, thus excluding partial exam outcomes from the evaluation.
The UPMC School of Cardiovascular Perfusion, in partnership with Carlow University, is a five-year dual-degree pathway that combines a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a Master of Science in Cardiovascular Perfusion. Select students complete foundational science courses during their undergraduate years at Carlow University, then transition into graduatelevel coursework and hands-on clinical training at UPMC. Students who complete the undergraduate portion at Carlow earn their bachelor’ s degree within the first four years and complete the 18-month master’ s program alongside the graduate students. The graduate-level coursework in the Carlow--UPMC Perfusion Program is closely aligned with the content of the ABCP examination topics. Each year, a perfusion class of approximately 20 students is selected from a combination of Carlow University undergraduates and about 100 external applicants with a bachelor’ s degree from other institutions. Admission is based on a science GPA of 3.5 or higher, relevant medical or healthcare experience, interviews, and letters of recommendation. Carlow undergraduates who meet the program’ s admission requirements are given priority consideration, and the number of external applicants accepted depends on how many Carlow students qualify for admission.
Methods and materials
This study examined retrospective data related to the preadmission variables of Carlow University--UPMC perfusion program students from 2017 to 2022 and included 103 students. For this study, student-level data included variables such as undergraduate GPA, grades in prerequisite science courses, amount of clinical experience prior to admission, and admission status( undergraduate vs. external applicant). Success on the ABCP exam was identified to evaluate which variables predicted first-time pass rates. IRB approval from Carlow University was granted for the use of student-level data.
In combination with the literature review on academic and non-academic factors that affect success on the ABCP exam, the following research questions were explored:
1. What courses affect the ABCP certification exam pass / fail outcome during undergraduate and perfusion school? 2. What applicant factors, such as demographics, degree type, and prior medical experience, affect pass / fail score on the ABCP certification exam?
3. Does more clinical experience, including rotation site( e. g., outside of UPMC) or cohort year, affect the ABCP certification exam pass / fail score?
The dependent variable was the student’ s ABCP exam outcome, defined as a pass or fail on both components of the certification exam and the independent variables included grades from select undergraduate Carlow University courses, UPMC perfusion program courses, and applicant factors such as education background, gender, and cohort. The research questions were selected based on data available through the Carlow University--UPMC Perfusion Program. Table 1 summarizes the variables that correspond to each research question. Although the information was specific to this program, the research questions were designed to be applicable to other perfusion education programs as well. Personal information was deidentified to ensure confidentiality. The academic advisor ensured data accuracy, added ABCP results, and recorded additional applicant factors. Data was analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences( SPSS) software, and the coded data was securely stored on a password-protected UPMC computer, with the aim of providing insights into which preadmission variables best predict first-time pass rates on the ABCP exam.
A regression analysis allowed academic and non-academic variables to be studied against the performance on the ABCP exam. The research plan consisted of binomial logistic regression analysis, which aimed to predict the probability of a dichotomous dependent variable based on multiple independent variables. The Hosmer--Lemeshow test was performed to evaluate how well the predicted probabilities of the logistic regression model matched the actual outcomes of the data observed for research question one. This test compares the predicted probabilities from the regression model to the actual outcomes, and a high p-value( p >. 05) indicates a good fit, meaning there is no significant difference between expected and observed results.