Get to Know Ian
Hi everyone! My name is Ian Villavicencio and I am a current 2nd-year perfusion student at the Medical
University of South Carolina. I was born and raised in Charleston, SC, and I feel very grateful to pursue my graduate
studies in the city I call home. I currently serve as the President of the AmSECT Student Council and am very thankful
for the opportunity to get to know and collaborate with other students from different programs. In my free time, I love
playing pickleball, trying new foods, and watching sports with friends!
AmSECT: Why did you choose to pursue a career in perfusion?
IAN: Growing up, cardiovascular health issues had always been prevalent in my family's life, including my own.
Over time, my interest grew, and I found myself wanting to pursue a career in a field that dealt with cardiovascular
health in order to help those with similar issues that are so close to home for me. When finding out about perfusion, I
found excitement in the idea of the important role the perfusionist plays within the cardiac OR. I had always been
apart of team sports growing up, which I found so much joy in. I believe that the teamwork environment in the OR and
how the perfusionist plays a vital role in the case is what sparked my passion to pursue a career in this field.
AmSECT: What is a perfusion-related topic that you think is indispensable to know for your perfusion career and why?
IAN: Treat each patient individually! Although we learn the fundamentals in school, each patient has their own specific needs. One course of treatment that worked in your last case may not work in your next. Although I am only
in my 1st rotation, this has been a lesson I learned fairly quickly when starting to get to pump cases. Make sure to
thoroughly review the patient's history, problem list, medications, etc. The fundamentals will always be key, but each
patient needs to be treated specifically!
AmSECT: In reference to the question above, what question do you have about that topic that you’d like others' to input on?
IAN: What are some things I can do while on rotations to improve on being more patient specific when pumping cases?
AmSECT: Share your experience/favorite thing about being a Student Member of AmSECT. How has it impacted your journey in perfusion?
IAN: My favorite experience while being a Student Member of AmSECT has definitely been this past year's International Conference in New Orleans. At the conference, I quickly realized that CCP's are more than willing to help out students
and give great advice about school, rotations, interviews, future jobs, etc. It was an excellent resource that I believe I
could not have gotten without being a Student Member in AmSECT. Also, getting to participate in the annual
Perfusion Bowl and meeting other students from different programs was very fun!
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