INTRODUCTION OF EXTRACORPOREAL MEMBRANE OXYGENATION THERAPY
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Therapy is a life support machine that is used for people with severe illness that stops the heart and lungs from effective functioning. It was fairly a new mode of treatment introduced in the previous hospital that I worked in, that is why many healthcare workers are not yet accustomed in the operation of the said machine. I must admit that I had mixed feelings about it. I felt very excited and grateful because I was one of the few people who was chosen to undergo basic training for it. Although, I would be lying if I will say that I didn’t feel the pressure and the anxiety that also came with it. Nevertheless, I felt very curious as to how I can develop my knowledge, skills and attitudes as an ECMO nurse.
The launching of the treatment posted more good points rather than bad ones. Favourable points include access to modern technology, prolongation of life expectancy, additional skill set for employees and profitability to name a few. Some bad components of the launching would encompass entities like company funding and additional burden to staffing because an ECMO nurse can only focus on the ECMO machine and not simultaneously handle a patient. Two ideas emerged as realisations. First, that nursing is an ever-changing profession and second is that, I need to improve my craft constantly to deliver quality care to my patients.
If given the chance to redo the scenario, I could have opted to research more about ECMO. Through familiarisation with the subject, I could have been more confident in the approach. For my action plan, I would like to engage all staff nurses and doctors in a detailed technical skills and behavioural skills analysis called ECMO Simulation (Sim). An ECMO Sim is a valid training program that produces improvements in the overall skills of ECMO specialists (Anderson, Murphy, & Boyle, 2016).
References
Anderson, J. M., Murphy, A. A., Boyle, K. B., Yaeger, K. A., & Halamek, L. P. (2016). Simulating extracorporeal membrane oxygenation emergencies to improve human performance. Part II: assessment of technical and behavioral skills. Simulation in Healthcare, 1(4), 228-232.
Anderson, J. M., Murphy, A. A., Boyle, K. B., Yaeger, K. A., & Halamek, L. P. (2016). Simulating extracorporeal membrane oxygenation emergencies to improve human performance. Part II: assessment of technical and behavioral skills. Simulation in Healthcare, 1(4), 228-232.