What is an ECMO Specialist? (Top 5 questions answered)
- RT Jaime
- Apr 10, 2022
- 3 min read
So, I know many of you are interested in becoming ECMO specialists. I actually got into the ECMO program at one of the hospitals I used to work at and found out so much information about ECMO and the role that ECMO specialists played in the healthcare team.
1. What do ECMO Specialist Do?
ECMO Specialists are in charge of the ECMO machine and watch the patient closely for any abnormalities in vital signs, machinery problems, bleeding, cannula placement, and coagulation labs. ECMO specialist typically stay at the bedside and watch the patient's like a hawk, at least in pediatric hospitals (usually a one-to-one patient ratio). In adult facilities, they may have more than one patient and just need to be nearby their patients. Once again, these policies and procedures are more or less facility dependent.
2. How long does it take to become an ECMO Specialist?
I took a class at my institution of employment for 8 weeks after I got accepted into the ECMO program. We attended class every Tuesday (all day) for 8 weeks. The morning was spent in lecture and the afternoon was spend in wet lab working with the actual machine and running through patient care scenarios. After that, we had an orientation period where we had to sit for a certain number of shifts with a preceptor and get hands on experience with real patients. Then after this orientation period ended, we were officially on the schedule. It took me about 5 months to be fully on my own.
I would like to point out that the training you receive from your hospital may be different. It may be longer or shorter. It simply is institutionally dependent. Just remember that.
Click the image to read this blog post!
3. Do I have to go back to school to become an ECMO Specialist?
No. To my knowledge there is not a formal ECMO program that I know of where people attend school/class. Most of the time if you want to become an ECMO specialist, you have to go through the specific training your ECMO Center or Hospital requires. The hospital will train you to become an ECMO Specialist.
4. Do RT's get hired as ECMO Specialists?
Yes, but this is institutionally dependent. Some facilities have only RT's on the ECMO team, some have only RN's, and some have both. You must inquire within!
5. What if you want to go further than being an ECMO Specialist?
If you love ECMO and want to continue on to the next level, then you can pursue and education to become a cardiovascular perfusionist. If you are interested in becoming a cardiovascular perfusionist, click the links below to read more about the program requirements. Also, I will post the link for a blog post where I talk more about cardiovascular perfusion.
Links:
Texas Heart Institute
UT Health
https://med.uth.edu/perfusion/
Bonus: Where can I find more information about ECMO?
ELSO is going to be your favorite website when you are looking for information about ECMO and Perfusion. ELSO is the international organization for ECMO centers around the world. They host conferences and collect data about ECMO from all around the world. Click the link below if you're interested in reading more about
ECMO from ELSO.
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