Ecmo nurse specialist

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) delivers the Bristol Adult Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Service to patients across the south west region 24/7, all year round as part of NHSE commissioned ECMO provision across the country.

ECMO Nurse Specialist

The closing date is 05 July 2026

The ECMO Nurse Specialist will perform the following roles: Coordinator, Retrieval and unit based ENS, in order to provide and ensure delivery of expert nursing care both on and offsite. The ENS role requires a high level of judgement, discretion and decision making in conjunction with the ECMO multidisciplinary team. The ENS will provide education and training to patients, carers and healthcare professionals.

This is a permanent position as a Band 6 ECMO Nurse Specialist for the Bristol ECMO Service collaboration within UHBW and NBT.

We have the right to close this vacancy early if we have sufficient applicants.

Main duties of the job

The ENS is accountable for twenty‑four‑hour care delivery and management of patients receiving ECMO in the Bristol wide Adult ECMO service, this involves working long day and night shifts over 7 days of the week.

The ECMO Nurse Specialist will need to develop close working relationships with the ECMO Medical, Perfusionist, Pharmacist and Physiotherapists as well as the clinical teams across the critical care units and key external partners.

Whilst the Bristol Adult ECMO beds are located on a single site (UHBW GICU - A600), this is a collaborative service delivered by ENS from UHBW and North Bristol Trust (NBT).

ECMO Nurse Specialist (ENS) rostered in ECMO will work within the GICU numbers at the ECMO base ICU on GICU (A600) UHBW when there is a decrease in ECMO activity.

ECMO competence will be maintained by undertaking regular ECMO training sessions in line with ELSO standards.

Job responsibilities

For a more detailed job description, main responsibilities, and Person Specification, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.

Person Specification

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience as preceptor / mentor
• Proven commitment and experience, evidence in teaching
• Recent experience of intra-hospital transfer
• Post registration qualifications relevant to intensive care
• Recent clinical experience in the speciality of intensive care
• ECMO experience
• Evidence of presentations at local and/or regional level
• Evidence of commitment to research based practice or evidence of project work undertaken
• Experience of undertaking research or audit projects

Skills and Abilities

• Awareness of current national changes in nursing / NHS
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Commitment to the development and provision of high quality nursing care
• Awareness of professional responsibilities to self and others
• Innovative and participates with practice and policy change
• Act as a role model and as a mentor/assessor
• IT skills including use of email and Microsoft office packages
• Knowledge of national and local specialty specific issues
• Ability to cope with emotional issues presented in the course of work, and to support others
• Ability to work alone or as part of a team
• Flexibility, adaptability to meet needs of a changing service
• Ability to problem solve
• Ability to work effectively under pressure
• Teaching
• Organisation and management skills
• Previous experience of research, audit and benchmarking
• Further evidence of continued leadership / management development
• Has experience in using electronic clinical information systems
• Supportive
• Respectful

Public Sector Language Competency

• Be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard

Education and Qualification

• Post registration qualification in critical care (completion of NCF Intensive care Step 2&3)
• Current NMC Registration
• Willingness to work towards Masters level academic study
• Current ALS/ILS or willingness to undertake
• ECMO specialist training course
• Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) training or experience
• Practice Assessor (Comply with NMC standards for education and training)

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW)

£39,959 to £48,117 a yearper annum, pro rata for par time roles