Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is a critical care therapy that provides cardiopulmonary support when a patient’s heart and lungs need time to heal. While it functions as an emergency treatment for ARDS, cardiac arrest, and cardiogenic shock, it may also be utilized for a growing list of conditions, including viral or bacterial pneumonia, lung injuries, pulmonary contusion, myocardial infarction, explosive myocarditis, sepsis, and more. Because ECMO implementation is complex and patients receiving ECMO are seriously ill, specialized clinicians are essential for improved outcomes and the success of ECMO programs.
The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) and SpecialtyCare offer ECMO training to supply eligible clinicians, perfusionists, respiratory therapists, and nurses with the skills and certifications they need to provide appropriate ECMO treatment.
What Specialized Clinicians Offer to an ECMO Program
Specialized clinicians offer skills and experience that can be vital to an ECMO program’s success. They bring technical knowledge, but they also bring insights that are necessary on a case-by-case basis: Challenges to recovery may vary significantly depending on the patient’s specific needs and history. Clinicians have to be able to manage both day-to-day monitoring and ECMO emergencies. They need to know what to do if technology falters, patients respond poorly, or new complications arise.
ECMO continues to expand in both use cases and utilization, making it even more critical for qualified practitioners to become fully trained in its implementation. According to StatPearls, over 185,000 ECMO runs have been reported across 1,200 centers globally since mid-2024. Additionally, the American Medical Association reveals that more than 100 new ECMO programs have been established in the US in the last five to seven years.
“Because ECMO is a complex and highly invasive therapy that requires a multidisciplinary team, optimal education, training, and credentialing remain a challenge,” states ATS Scholar.
ECMO Certification Training
The ELSO and SpecialtyCare provide comprehensive training courses for eligible clinicians to become certified ECMO specialists. Perfusionists, respiratory therapists, and nurses are ideal candidates because of their knowledge and bedside experience.
The ELSO has a vision to “make standardized ECMO education globally available,” which is why they offer ECMO courses, criteria, and certification. Their adult ECMO training course, developed by a global team of ECMO practitioners, includes 53 modules and covers over 80 learning objectives. Once trained, students can take the ELSO Individual Certification exam; certification lasts for three years, then renewal is required for ongoing specialization.
SpecialtyCare offers both online and on-site training for ECMO, including a didactic/wet lab course, an ECMO simulation course, a cannulation course, and ECMO 101 for allied health clinicians. Clinicians who complete all four will earn up to 33 CEUs. These courses involve students in clinical practice and teach them hands-on skills as well as how to think critically in a variety of high-fidelity scenarios. As the nation’s top provider of ECMO, SpecialtyCare is invested in helping clinicians increase their capabilities and improve patient outcomes.
Get ECMO Specialists at Your Hospital
Do you need ECMO Specialists at your hospital or have staff who could be trained in ECMO? SpecialtyCare can help. We can place highly-trained clinicians in your ECMO program or assist you in starting or growing an ECMO program. Through our training program, we can bring your eligible staff up to speed so they can safely treat ECMO patients. We currently support approximately one in five patients undergoing ECMO in North America, and we are ready to share our expertise so that you can administer ECMO therapy with confidence. Contact us today to learn more!
