Home Perfusionist Resume template
Perfusionist resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what perfusionists actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most perfusionists should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Perfusionist qualified through an accredited postgraduate program, with experience running cardiopulmonary bypass for adult cardiac and thoracic surgery and providing mechanical circulatory support including ECMO. Manages circuit safety from prime to separation, including anticoagulation, blood gas and coagulation monitoring, and stays composed when a case changes direction quickly. Looking to join a cardiac surgery program that values careful preparation, clear handover and ongoing credentialing.
Key skills
- Cardiopulmonary bypass management
- Sterile circuit set-up, priming and testing
- Haemodynamic and blood gas monitoring
- Anticoagulation management and activated clotting time interpretation
- Cardioplegia delivery
- Mechanical circulatory support and ECMO
- Autologous blood salvage and cell washing
- Emergency response and circuit troubleshooting
- Infection control and aseptic technique
- Laboratory analysis and point-of-care testing
- Terumo System 1
- LivaNova S5
- Haemonetics Cell Saver
- Getinge Cardiohelp
- ROTEM
- Attention to detail
- Problem solving
- Written communication
Experience: example bullet points
- Set up, primed and tested sterile bypass circuits ahead of cardiac lists, working through a pre-bypass checklist with the surgeon and anaesthetist so that line, connection and prime issues were resolved before cannulation.
- Operated the heart-lung machine during cardiopulmonary bypass, holding haemodynamic, blood gas and coagulation parameters inside target ranges and adjusting flows as surgical and physiological demands changed through long cases.
- Managed heparinisation and reversal, monitoring activated clotting time at set intervals and adjusting anticoagulation to keep the circuit safe from cannulation through to decannulation.
- Delivered cardioplegia and blood products in consultation with the surgical and anaesthetic teams, using cell salvage to return the patient's own blood and reduce exposure to donor products.
- Provided ECMO and ventricular assist support, including circuit changes and troubleshooting of alarms, and responded to circuit emergencies such as air entrainment alongside the cardiac team.
- Covered an on-call roster for a hospital cardiac surgery service, handing over each case with a written record of the circuit used, the support provided and any issues to watch.
- Supervised perfusion students and junior staff on circuit preparation and documentation, and reviewed their checklists before bypass.
Education
A bachelor degree in health science, nursing, biomedical science or a related field, followed by an accredited postgraduate qualification in clinical perfusion recognised by the Australian and New Zealand College of Perfusionists (ANZCP). Most perfusionists enter through a hospital-based training program and maintain certification through continuing professional development.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- Cardiopulmonary bypass
- Perfusionist
- ANZCP
- Australian and New Zealand College of Perfusionists
- ECMO
- Ventricular assist device
- Cardioplegia
- Activated clotting time
- ROTEM
- Cell salvage
- Autologous blood salvage
- Sterile technique
- Aseptic technique
- AS/NZS 4187
- National Standards for Blood Management
- Haemodynamic monitoring
- Blood gas analysis
- Cardiac surgery
- Clinical credentialing
- On-call roster
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.