The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) collaborated with the Center for Experiential Learning and Simulation (CELS) and UF Health to deliver hands-on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) workshops for healthcare professionals.
Participants, who possess a strong background in ECMO patient care, represented diverse specialties including anesthesiology, emergency medicine, and intensive care. The ELSO course offers practical ECMO training in both venoarterial (VA) and venovenous (VV) modalities; this experiential learning opportunity was led by Dr. Torben K. Becker and Dr. Marc O. Maybauer, two forerunners of ECMO implementation and education.
Dr. Torben K. Becker is the Executive Director (Emergency Medicine) of the UF Health Critical Care Organization, and is a Board Certified Adult ECMO Practitioner (E-AEC), and Dr. Marc O. Maybauer is a Professor Of Anesthesiology at the University of Florida as well as the Director of ECMO Program. Dr. Maybauer is also editor of the textbook Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation – A Problem Based Learning Approach. CELS was crucial in providing and managing the required space, equipment, and personnel, thereby facilitating an efficient learning environment.
This experiential learning approach aims to better prepare physicians for the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization’s ECMO certification exam (E-AEC).