A. M. Palmer: J Extra Corpor Technol 2026, 58, 95--99 99
for cohorts showed no significance in passing the ABCP exam on the first attempt. Although the 2020 cohort experienced reduced clinical exposure due to COVID-19 restrictions, this did not appear to impact their pass rates. Despite initial expectations that limited hands-on experience might affect performance, the pandemic did not influence students’ success on the ABCP examination.
The results of this study provide insight for Carlow--UPMC administration regarding undergraduate success rate on the ABCP exam. The data suggests that admitting a larger number of undergraduate students to perfusion school rather than increasing the number of graduate students shows better success on the exam. The current perfusion admission demographics are undergraduate students and few graduate students. Rather than make the demographic more even, Carlow stakeholders could argue that undergraduate students have a higher first attempt pass rate on the ABCP exam.
Conclusion
A key recommendation for future research is to involve multiple perfusion programs to increase sample size and diversity. A larger dataset would enable more robust analyses of both undergraduate and graduate coursework, enhancing the depth and generalizability of findings. Additionally, documenting transfer student grades within university databases would improve data reliability for future studies. Research should also explore innovative teaching methods and clinical training models to better prepare students for professional practice. Extended follow-up studies tracking graduates’ clinical performance are essential to understand how educational experiences influence long-term career success. Expanding research in these areas will support improvements in admissions, curriculum design, and clinical training, ultimately raising the overall quality of perfusion education. Broadening research efforts across institutions will not only improve individual student outcomes but also strengthen the profession’ s credibility and visibility within healthcare. These advancements can further improve patient outcomes, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, and reinforce the essential role of perfusionists within cardiovascular care teams.
Limitations
A key limitation of this case study was its limited generalizability due to a small sample size, which restricted the statistical power to detect significant effects. Several undergraduate courses were excluded from analysis because of skewed data and poor model fit, reducing the ability to assess their impact on ABCP exam success and possibly overlooking important predictors. Additionally, the lack of access to broader pre-admission variables made it difficult to explore causation or control for external factors influencing outcomes.
Funding This research did not receive any specific funding.
Conflicts of interest The author declared no conflict of interest.
Data availability statement All available data are incorporated into the article.
Ethics approval
This quantitative research case study examined previously collected data related to the preadmission variables of Carlow University--UPMC perfusion program students from 2017--2022 and included 103 students. IRB approval # 02232024-1 was granted for the use of student-level data.
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Cite this article as: Palmer AM. Predictive factors for determining first-attempt success on the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion Certification Exams for graduates of a master’ s level perfusion education program. J Extra Corpor Technol 2026, 58, 95--99. https:// doi. org / 10.1051 / ject / 2025062.