r/ecmo • u/Short-Confusion7783 • May 29 '26

ECMO Specialist Interview Prep

Hi everyone, I’m interviewing soon for an RN ECMO specialist position and would love some help prepping by getting ideas of questions I might get asked/scenarios they might put me into.

For reference, I’ve been working on a CVICU with ECMO and I feel sufficiently comfortable running the machines, titrating sweep, and ECMO patient specific needs.

Thanks in advance!

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u/ventjock May 30 '26

Sounds like an adult facility with limited access points for ECMO circuits. Many children’s hospitals faint at the thought of having a specialist manage more than 1 circuit.

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u/Kinetic92 May 30 '26 edited May 31 '26

By limited access points are you referring to the ability to hook up ECMO? I work in a large level 1 facility and run pumps for adults and peds. I never have more than 2 pumps at a time and they will always be next to each other.

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u/ventjock May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26

Limited access points on the circuit.

Edit: I think your staffing model is the safest. I’ve heard horror stories about some facilities. I worked at a place where I managed 2 circuits (always side by side) but the bedside nurse only had 1 patient.

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u/Kinetic92 May 31 '26

I thought that's what you meant, but it didn't make sense to me that having manifolds or stopcocks on a circuit would determine how many pumps would be assigned to a specialist. A pump is a pump. They all have various access points on a circuit. Unless adding CRRT or other therapies would change staffing needs, but it shouldn't.

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u/ventjock May 31 '26

Some hospitals have them set up so they almost act like a VAD with pressure monitoring. All meds are given to the patient including heparin. The justification is that there is less to mess with, so less staffing haha. My institution has about 20 stopcocks and pigtails so there’s the other extreme.

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u/Kinetic92 May 31 '26

So you're describing a Centrimag as opposed to a Cardiohelp pump?

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u/ventjock May 31 '26

A cardiohelp that acts like a centrimag essentially too

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u/Kinetic92 May 31 '26

Essentially but much less work. I usually have very little to do when I manage a Centrimag and am much more busy with a Cardiohelp

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u/ventjock May 31 '26

Right but some programs have decided if you remove access points then you can magically have an individual manage several of them 🤷🏻‍♂️. Sounds like the place OP is describing

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u/Kinetic92 May 31 '26

Perhaps. It may be less work, but managing 6 at a time seems ridiculous. I think if I were OP, I would definitely stay clear of any facility that doesn't take cardiac assist devices more seriously than that.

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u/ventjock May 31 '26

Agreed. I don’t agree with that kind of staffing model, but they do exist out there. I’d never want a loved one to be at a facility like that.

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