A Michigan native, Rebecca Rogers grew up with coastal aspirations. “I always dreamed of living in California,” she says. A stop on the eastern seaboard to pursue Barry’s Cardiovascular Perfusion program set Rogers on her way, and she is now living that childhood dream as a cardiovascular perfusionist in Southern California. “Many people are not familiar with my job,” she says, “including some people in the OR.” As a cardiovascular perfusionist, Rogers plays an instrumental role in monitoring and supporting the circulatory and respiratory functions of surgical patients. The Stamps Scholar and recipient of the CNHS Dean’s Award is both intrepid and passionate, two qualities that helped her excel at Barry and prepared her to meet the demands of her field. Another key to her many accomplishments: her sense of humor.
With characteristic wit and generosity, Rogers spoke with CNHS Magazine about her experience at Barry, how she carved her path to career success, and her goals for the future.
Q & A
What do you enjoy most about your job and your move to Southern California?
Although clinical placement is not determined by students, I strongly encouraged my Director, Cindy Cervantes, to send me to California for the clinical portion of my perfusion training. After clinicals, it was a natural transition to take a job in California. What I love most about my job is the autonomy. Many people are not familiar with my job, including some people in the OR. I work on contract accounts with private practice, meaning I’m often the only perfusionist in the entire hospital during open heart surgery. It’s a role that carries a lot of responsibility, but it also gives me a lot of flexibility to act autonomously. I act as the expert in my field for the heart team and work hand in hand with surgeons and anesthesiologists to focus on patient care.
What drew you to pursue your BS in Cardiovascular Perfusion?
I started out at Barry in the business school, but my interests quickly changed to the medical field. I originally thought I wanted to be a doctor but having doubts about the way the American healthcare system is run, combined with taking on large amounts of debt and committing an extra 10 years of school, residency, and fellowship, didn’t seem worth it to me. I wanted to live a balanced life while also holding a large leadership role at work. That’s how I found perfusion.
How did your training and education in Barry’s CVP program help prepare you for your current career path?
Barry’s perfusion program is broken into two parts: didactics and clinicals. Didactic work is one year of fast-paced medical and perfusion classes designed to prepare you for the clinical portion. Didactics was very helpful (especially for studying for the dreaded board exams later), but nothing could truly prepare me for clinicals. Clinical rotations are three semesters of constant work in an affiliated hospital to train you hands-on for how to be a perfusionist. I was at the hospital about 60 hours per week.
I did my training at Loma Linda University, working in both adult and pediatric heart surgery. I was taught how to perform perfusion services for a variety of surgical procedures including but not limited to: coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic valve replacements, mitral valve replacements, tricuspid valve replacements, aortic dissection repair, myocardial myxoma removal, MAZE procedures to treat dysrhythmia, atrial and ventricular septal defect closures, Norwood procedures, Fontan procedures, laser lead extraction for pacemakers, transcatheter valve replacements, heart transplants, liver transplants, and even hyperthermic chemotherapy treatments.
The range of procedures a university institution performs is extensive, and private practice does not require the same range of surgical technique. Transitioning from clinicals to my job, while still challenging, was facilitated with my extensive clinical experience and great support from my bosses and coworkers. One of my old instructors used to tell me, “If you’re bored on bypass, you’re doing something right.”
What’s the biggest challenge you faced during your time in the CVP program, and how did you overcome it?
My biggest challenge in the program was how stressful and demanding clinicals were. I went from a comfortable classroom environment to working long days in the OR. Most days I didn’t have a break to eat or use the bathroom. I would get only a few hours of sleep per night and have to work all day and then come home and do homework, research, or case studies. The work I was doing was challenging and often scary. Dealing with someone’s life with little to no medical training is daunting, even under the supervision of an expert. I constantly worried about hurting someone or failing out.
What got me through this was persistence and the support of some of my classmates across the country at other clinical sites who were going through the same thing. We formed a sort of support network and talked to each other constantly about our experiences, learning from each other’s mistakes and offering comforting words. We wore the bags under our eyes like badges of honor.
What were your personal strategies for success in the program?
Networking was a huge strategy. Making simple conversation with surgeons, nurses, perfusionists, and other staff members helped them remember my face, which eventually led to gaining their trust. Trust is something you can’t buy in the OR, and it is the most valuable thing, especially when [aspects] of our job are not always well understood. [Networking] also led to professional connections that helped me obtain the job I have today.
During clinicals, Lekeishia Thomas (CVP Program Coordinator) was my saving grace. She helped talk me down off a ledge several times and always listened to my concerns, matching them with encouraging words. Any student in didactics who doesn’t utilize Lekeishia is missing out.
What is your favorite aspect of Barry’s CVP program? What is your favorite aspect of working as a board-certified cardiovascular perfusionist?
My favorite aspect of the Barry program is the large amount of relevant skills it taught me as well as the connections it gave me to the perfusion community. Perfusion is a small world and word travels fast. If you’re equipped with good skills and know the right people, it’s natural to succeed.
My favorite part about being a board-certified perfusionist is the autonomy. I get to pump how I want without an instructor looking over my shoulder questioning my every move. It’s important to have that while you build your practice because the field can often be vague and many times there is no singular right answer. But I’ve got this now, and it’s so satisfying to be my own boss and see a great patient outcome.
What advice would you give to people who are considering earning their BS in CVP or those just beginning the curriculum? What do they need to know to be successful?
This program is not for the weak of heart. It takes a really thick skin and a lot of persistence and tenacity to get through it. You need to be serious, dedicated, and not afraid of being told you’re wrong. You need to be willing to learn and willing to lose sleep. You’re constantly reminded of your place in the OR and how much you don’t know. But if you stick with it, you’ll learn and the payoff is incredible.
You can’t do it alone, so my biggest advice is to make friends who will support you. Try your best to have a sense of humor. And don’t touch anything blue, you'll be kicked out of the OR. Don’t ask me how I know.
What does the future hold for you? How do you plan to advance and grow in your field?
I work for a small company so I’m hoping to help it grow and act as a leading role in the process. My bosses are OGs in the field and are very willing to teach me what they know. Taking notes from them while also implementing my own style of leadership will help me grow the business and the practice. I’d like to eventually become a professor one day and teach others what I have learned.