Background: A nurse-led ECMO centre requires nurses to fulfil the role of primers, assistant cannulators, patient transport, troubleshooting emergencies while delivering holistic patient care. An evaluation of the previous 6-month training model identified deficits in theoretical areas and clinical skills. This gap prompted to an improved training model developed through a collaborative SWOT analysis of existing competency frameworks. The improved model aims to optimise learning efficiency and reduce training duration through integration of flipped classroom methods, blended and spaced repetition learning strategies. Activity: The training model presented in Figure 1 was delivered in 4months with 4 learners and evaluated through online test and competency assessments. Discussion: Learners achieved 20-point increase in knowledge retention based on post program test. By the second month of the program, trainees demonstrated competence in management of V-V ECMO patients which augmented the unit’s capacity for early patient mobilisation and rehabilitation. Subsequent validation of V-A ECMO clinical competencies further expanded the pool of ECMO nurses to deliver the service. Conclusion: An ECMO nurse-led model of care requires development of skills that demand time for consolidation through education and clinical practice. Enhancing training pathways that enable ICU nurses to transition into ECMO nurse specialist roles is essential for achieving clinical competence, while also providing a transferable framework for the development of other nurse-led models of care.
Gevera et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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