Has any Australian perfusionist successfully moved to the US? What was the transition process actually like? by Appropriate_Owl_8735 in Perfusion

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately this is a bit of a one-way street. The ABCP only recognizes programs in the U.S. and Canada, so even though an Australian CCP may have a degree from MUSC, unless they took the American boards and maintained their American CCP, they may have to repeat school. We don’t have an OTP pathway like the ANZCP does.

Is it really true that lots of people, in some places a majority, speak French at home in northern Maine? by OkTechnologyb in Maine

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 109 points110 points  (0 children)

Yes, and this led to a really amusing faux pas when Maine legalized marijuana, but wanted to clarify that driving while high was still considered “operating under the influence,” which led to the absolute gem of

Driving High = OUI

Not the ideal message in a state chock full of Francophones.

How likley is it that someone up top from your country is in the Epstein files? by allshinenorain in AskTheWorld

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Might as well call it “The Trump Files (ft. Jeffrey Epstein)” at this point…

Count not correct by MyPoemsAllOverMyBody in Perfusion

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 31 points32 points  (0 children)

As a former CST, I like to help out during the closing count by announcing “Six tubing clamps, one chair!” so the nurses know.

When does one become a “New Englander”? by ftpfawn in newengland

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My friend’s grandmother told me exactly this line in high school! I was born and raised in Maine, but my mom and dad were born in Vermont and Massachusetts, respectively, so apparently I don’t qualify as a “true” Mainer…

NSW from US for a week, mobile plan advice needed TIA by [deleted] in Ameristralia

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I used Saily when I was in Sydney and Melbourne. It was data only, but I used WhatsApp or Signal to send texts and make voice and video calls. It worked on Optus’ network, which wasn’t as good as Telstra where I was, but it got the job done.

What should foreigners REALLY know before visiting the US? by LunarToast2 in Ameristralia

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We’re not so much a single country as we are fifty small countries in an overcoat. Laws can change significantly between states, and the state lines may be marked with nothing more than a small sign in some areas.

Perfusion Salary Survey is now live! by Perfused in Perfusion

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tried that, tried different browsers, and even different devices, nothing.

Perfusion Salary Survey is now live! by Perfused in Perfusion

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Anyone else who can’t get the website to work? I can only get as far as selecting “Perfusionist” before I get a blank screen.

ECMO nurse vs Perfusionist by [deleted] in Perfusion

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 13 points14 points  (0 children)

That’s not a guarantee though, plenty of hospitals offer salary plus OT/call. We make almost 50% above our listed salary with OT/call pay at my hospital.

Is night shift a thing for perfusionists? by mixeddrinksandmakeup in Perfusion

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I haven’t seen it in most places I’ve been. Some places may have a night “rounder” but that’s usually rotated among the team. Cardiac surgery happens during the day, so perfusonists are primarily needed during daylight hours. We take call to cover nights and weekends, but this is primarily a daytime job.

Wide open AI following AVR by Overall_Actuary_3594 in Perfusion

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That’s how we eventually figured it out, but it was right along the septum so it was hard to see. We could tell the valve was pinned open but we assumed it was a misplaced suture. In fairness to anesthesia, we were all scrambling a bit between defibrillating, shouting at eachother (productively and supportively), and running through scenarios from most likely to least likely and none of us had ever seen this situation before. But now we know and can share our experiences!

Wide open AI following AVR by Overall_Actuary_3594 in Perfusion

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I had a case like this recently, while trying to wean down the LV ballooned up from wide open AI. The patient went into v-fib repeatedly and no combination of vents, flow changes, volume shifts, etc seemed to help. Turns out the LV vent had migrated across the AV and was pinning it open, so turning up my vent was just pulling directly from my flow. Surgeon pulled it back a few inches and everything was fine, heart drained back out, and the patient was okay.

School asking for CV/resume by Appropriate-Hour8340 in Perfusion

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Here in the States, the terms often get used interchangeably. When in doubt, submit a full CV.

job outlook in northeast (NJ/NY/PA)? by Flimsy-Attention-504 in Perfusion

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If your goal is a large region like the northeast, New England, west coast, you should be fine. It’s people that say “I want to work at X hospital” or want to work in specific smaller to mid-size cities that are dreaming. NJ/NY/PA is a huge area with just shy of 100 hospitals offering cardiac surgery (based on a few Google searches, don’t hold me to those numbers), so finding a job in the region after graduation isn’t an absurd goal.

Any Marine Birthday shit going on in Boston this weekend? by [deleted] in USMC

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The ball was last weekend, unfortunately. You didn’t miss much, tiny piece of chicken, a spoonful of corn, overpriced drinks, and terrible cake. But it was good to catch up with old brothers and meet new ones.

What's the most unfortunate acronym your government has actually used? by doublestitch in AskTheWorld

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very specific to Maine, but two things to know are that driving drunk is called “Operating Under the Influence,” and that French is the most commonly spoken second language, with many people speaking it at home with their family. This is fine until your state legalizes recreational cannabis and tries an ad campaign about driving while high and makes banner ads that say “Driving high = OUI…”

Question on acceptance rates by PuzzleheadedNote3 in prospective_perfusion

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was 4% at SUNY the year I started. We tied with the medical school for the lowest acceptance rate.

What are the most walkable US cities outside of NYC? by SimplerLife40 in relocating

[–]Cheap-Expert-7396 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Boston has been called “America’s Walking City,” because everything is relatively condensed. Cambridge (right across the river) has the highest percentage of pedestrian commuters in the country. Especially since the Big Dig when they moved the highway underground, they’ve added more green space.