Lead Perfusionist

Stanford Health Care • Palo Alto, PA

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Lead Perfusionist is an advanced role that combines clinical expertise with defined supervisory responsibilities. Under the direction of the Director of Perfusion/ECMO, the Lead Perfusionist provides operational oversight and mentorship of the team of Perfusionists while ensuring the delivery of high-quality care. This role assists the Director with developing, implementing, and ensuring compliance with policies, procedures, and service and treatment standards. Cardiovascular perfusion is an allied health science that involves providing extracorporeal circulation to artificially support and temporarily replace a patient's respiratory and circulatory systems. Perfusionists use heart-lung machines and other technologies to maintain the health of patients during heart surgery, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation therapies, and other medical procedures, working with and under the direction of anesthesiologists and surgeons.

Requirements

• Completion of an accredited Cardiovascular Perfusion Education Program
• Minimum of 1 year at Level IV Clinical Perfusionist or equivalent advanced experience.
• Knowledge of the principles, practices, and techniques of supervision.
• Knowledge, skill, and ability to operate all equipment, devices and monitors used by the perfusion department.
• Knowledge of human anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry.
• Knowledge of cardiac disease, defects and congenital anomalies.
• Knowledge of organ preservation, sterile and perfusion supplies, such as extra-corporeal oxygenators, tubing circuits and cannulae.
• Knowledge of pharmacology of blood, fluids and medications administration and interaction with extra-corporeal devices.
• Knowledge of blood components, plasma composition of the human body in association of support by extra-corporeal circuits and devices.
• Knowledge of and ability to apply Joint Commission standards and protocols of general operating room procedures.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills to reach logical conclusions based on established evidence for routine resource, operational, financial and personnel decisions.
• Skill in supervising, including planning and assigning work according to the nature of the job to be accomplished, the capabilities of subordinates and available resources; controlling work through periodic reviews and/or evaluations; determining subordinates' training needs and arranging for such training; motivating subordinates to work effectively; determining the need for disciplinary action and either recommending or initiating disciplinary action.
• CERT CLINICAL PERFUSIONIST - CCP-ABCP required
• BLS - Basic Life Support required

Responsibilities

• Perform the full scope of perfusionist duties, including the most complex cardiopulmonary bypass, ECMO, and mechanical circulatory support cases.
• Serve as a clinical consultant and mentor for other perfusionists, students, and interdisciplinary staff.
• Ensure proper and safe functioning of equipment to promote individual and environmental safety
• Model best practices in patient care, safety, and CI-CARE standards.
• Assists the Director with the following clinical practice duties: Develop and achieve perfusion service goals, objectives, standards, policies, and procedures
• Facilitate consensus and adoption of standardized perfusion practice to minimize variation and inefficiencies
• Assess the quality of patient care delivered and coordinate patient care services with patients, staff, physicians, and other departments
• Identify opportunities for improvement, to include cost-saving strategies
• Implement new techniques, systems, equipment and policies to improve the delivery of patient care
• Human Resource Management - Candidate screening, applicant interviews, hiring, and on-boarding of new hires
• Scheduling & Coverage – Develop daily/weekly/monthly schedules ensuring equitable distribution, work-life balance, and appropriate coverage of OR, ICU, and Cath Lab needs.
• Timekeeping & Compliance – Oversee and validate timecards; ensure adherence to institutional standards for payroll and attendance.
• Staff Oversight – Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and ensure accountability for staff. Act as immediate escalation resource for clinical or operational issues. Provides ongoing performance feedback and evaluates performance of employees. Initiate disciplinary action as needed.
• Mentorship & Education – Precept new staff and students ensuring competency; develop and deliver in-service training; foster ongoing professional growth.
• Assists the Director with the following leadershp and supervisory funtions:
• Communicate operational changes to staff and other key stakeholders to ensure awareness
• Advance departmental goals, optimize workflows, and enhance resource utilization.
• Identify opportunities and initiate interventions to improve employee engagement and staff satisfaction
• Development of the annual operational plan
• Annual budgeting process including capital planning
• Cost-containment, supply chain management, and evaluation of equipment and disposables.
• Monitor team performance against internal quality standards and external regulatory requirements (e.g., TJC).
• Lead audits, implement corrective actions, and champion continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure departmental documentation and recordkeeping are accurate, timely, and aligned with institutional requirements and those of external professional organizations such as ELSO
• Ensures timely and appropriate internal and external reporting of safety and/or compliance issues
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• SHC Commitment to Providing an Exceptional Patient & Family Experience
• C-I-CARE standards for all of patients, families and towards each other.
• Stanford’s patient-experience and represents a framework for patient-centered interactions.
• Equal Opportunity Employer
• Base Pay Scale: Generally starting at $106.01 - $140.47 per hour

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed