ECMO Specialist - RN - Cardiac ECMO Full-time Rotating
Posted Sep 28, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
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Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about an eCPR or shock call you responded to. What was your role?
What they are checking: Whether they can work under extreme time pressure during cannulation.
Tell me about a time you taught a skill to another nurse or new ECMO staff.
What they are checking: Whether they can help train staff and build the program, which the role calls for.
What would you do
You see clots forming in the oxygenator and pressures across it are rising. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they recognize oxygenator failure and know when a circuit change is needed.
About the work
Explain the physiology difference between VV and VA ECMO, and when each is the right choice.
What they are checking: Whether they truly understand ECMO physiology, which the posting says they must confidently differentiate.
Walk me through priming an ECMO circuit on your own.
What they are checking: Whether they can independently set up a circuit, which is required for this role.
Your VA ECMO patient has falling flows and the circuit is chattering. What do you think and what do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they can troubleshoot common circuit problems like low volume or cannula issues quickly.
How do you prepare for and manage an intra-hospital or inter-hospital transport of an ECMO patient?
What they are checking: Whether they plan transports carefully, since circuit problems in transit can be fatal.
What's in your shift audit of an unused circuit and equipment?
What they are checking: Whether they treat readiness checks seriously so circuits can be deployed without delay.
How do you manage anticoagulation on ECMO and watch for bleeding?
What they are checking: Whether they balance clotting and bleeding risk, a constant challenge on ECMO.
How do the ELSO guidelines shape how you practice?
What they are checking: Whether they know the standards the program uses for training and quality review.
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As published by Northwestern Medicine.