Now two-time MUSC alum accepts position at Duke University Hospital after taking a non-traditional path

Eight years after starting his health care career as an x-ray technologist, Chris Foley has earned two additional degrees and is pursuing a new career path. One month post-graduation from the Master of Science of Cardiovascular Perfusion (CVP) program, he’s now a perfusionist at Duke University Hospital – where he also completed his final clinical rotation.

“Duke does about anything you could think of procedures that you might not see anywhere else. I still have a lot to learn, but it's going well. I really think that I was very well prepared from the perfusion program,” said Foley.

Foley took the non-traditional path to higher education and completed his Associate of Applied Science degree at Orangeburg Technical College in 2015, before applying to the online BS in Healthcare Studies (HCS) program at MUSC three years later. His goal was to graduate from the program, complete the prerequisites for medical school, take the MCAT and start applying – all while maintaining his full-time job, living in Columbia, SC with his wife.

“Chris is proof that a non-traditional path is possible. It’s not easy, it takes longer, but if you keep going it is possible,” said Lauren Gellar, Healthcare Studies division director. “His dedication and passion for reaching his goals is evident by the fact that he landed such an impressive placement.”

Gellar is passionate about helping students discover new opportunities and supporting them as they navigate advancing their careers. For Foley, Gellar’s mentorship and support continued well beyond his time in the HCS program. “When I was preparing for the MCAT, she was there for any help she could give, and context, to help me pursue any goal I had,” said Foley. “I just think that’s really awesome to see that she went out of her way to see the best out of one of her former students.”

 

After two years of prep work, despite scoring well on the MCAT, Foley ultimately didn’t feel his score was competitive enough. Rather than retaking the MCAT, through much reflection and discussion with his wife and family, Foley decided it was time for a shift.

Artificially supporting a patient’s circulation or lung function during open heart surgery isn’t generally a first career path for most, as perfusionists are a specialized area of medicine. Foley, however, had already spent several years working alongside perfusionists at Lexington Medical Center. It was a career that had always remained in the back of his mind as an interesting field.

Foley decided to make the change and applied to one school only: the perfusionist program at MUSC. He grew up aware of the school’s prestigious programs and reputation, and his positive experience as an undergrad in the HCS program confirmed that this was the only school he wanted to attend.
After receiving his acceptance letter, he left his job in Columbia and moved to Charleston while his wife moved to Orangeburg, where their families are from, and commuted to her job in Columbia.

“Chris really had the whole constellation of traits required,” said Laura Dell'aiera, Cardiovascular Perfusion division director. “He was very technically sound but also very humble about his abilities. It makes him a very good perfusionist, but also the type of person that you enjoy working with on a team and can have confidence that he will make the right decisions.”

With 50+ options of clinical sites throughout the country, Foley was able to choose what setting he preferred to work and live in. Ultimately, Duke University Hospital felt like the best fit for himself and his family, but the lessons learned from each clinical site have helped hone his abilities.

“Something that always stuck with me, that a lot of perfusionists and faculty would say, is that you stick to certain standards, but there are multiple ways of doing things,” said Foley. “You keep adding tools to your toolbox, and when you get out on your own and you’re working as an actual clinical perfusionist, you can go back to that toolbox and pick little things out.”