Hospital getting ECMO

[Icualltheway]

I work at a hospital in metro-Atlanta that will be starting an ECMO program. It will be completely new to the hospital and the pump will be ran by the nurses. The pt will be a 2 to 1. It will be only the nurses in our unit trained to run the pumps and if need be we will float to other units to run a pt and if there is a demand for it we will have to start taking call. Anyway, my question to the nurses out there that already run ECMO is if there is a pay difference when you run ECMO? I've heard of other nurses getting a different pay when they have these pts and I was wondering if this is common occurrence.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Our ECMO (pediatric) program uses RNs and RTs to sit pump. They get a good differential, and on call pay.

[MunoRN, RN]

I've never worked anywhere that the pay for being ECMO trained is any different than any other nurse. You get paid for on-call time and we cross-cover the cath code team with mechanical circulatory support (ECMO, VAD, IABP and artificial heart).

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

Is it one patient to two nurses or two patients (including one ecmo patient) to one nurse. Ecmo patients are supposed to be 1:1.

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

My facility the ECMO nurses get an ECMO differential not sure how much. The pts are 2:1, one nurse on the pt and one for the circuit.

I know of an ECMO nurse who went to the float pool, as they get paid more plus she gets her ECMO diff, and on-call pay

[poppycat, ADN, BSN]

Is it one patient to two nurses or two patients (including one ecmo patient) to one nurse. Ecmo patients are supposed to be 1:1.

It should be 2 nurses to 1 patient. One nurse cares for the patient & the other runs the pump. At least that's how it was where I used to work.

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

Thanks for the clarification!

[Icualltheway]

It will be 2 nurses to 1 pt

[eCCU]

ECMOs are 2 RNs to 1 pt. 1 RN just for ECMO. Otherwise they have to get us a circulatory support to run the ECMO. I don't see how you can have 2 pts. ECMO pts in my experience are " a hot mess 🔥! "

[Luckyyou, BSN, RN]

We make an extra $3/hr -- so $1.50 per person if you're splitting the assignment with another ECMO specialist, or $3/hr all to yourself if the person you're paired with is just a regular RN

[/username, BSN, RN]

We have ours 2:1 at first, but once they've stabilized, it's 1:1. There isn't a pay increase.

[jables37]

We get $5.00/hr differential per ECMO shift. Pay is retroactive if we get pulled for a newly cannulated patient. If I am staffing 7a-7p and I get pulled to initiate a new patient at 5:30pm the differential is applied to the entire 12 hour shift. We staff our patients 2:1 and we also keep a free ECMO charge who is primer trained and is available to carry the triage phone, assist with transports/procedures, provide breaks, etc.