(RN) Registered Nurse - ECMO Lead

(RN) Registered Nurse - ECMO Lead - 139874

UC San Diego Health is ranked #1 in San Diego by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals Rankings, 2025 - 2026. With national recognition in nine medical and surgical specialties, this honor reflects our commitment to innovation, outstanding outcomes and exceptional care for even the most complex or high-risk conditions. The ECMO program is designated as "Gold Level Award of Excellence" by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization demonstrating excellence in education, performance, innovation, satisfaction and quality.

UC San Diego Health is a Magnet designated organization, which is a prestigious recognition that applies to only 10% of all U.S. hospitals. Magnet is the "gold standard" for nursing excellence and is based on strengths in five key areas, which include transformational leadership, structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice, new knowledge, innovation and improvements and empirical outcomes. UC San Diego Health has held its Magnet status since 2011.

Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center is San Diego's 1st Comprehensive Cardiovascular Center providing heart and vascular programs in one central location. Global leader and international referral center in Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy (PTE). The Sulpizio Cardiovascular center is a heart and lung transplant center with the only lung transplant program in San Diego County. The Ventricular Assist Device program boast some of the best outcomes in the nation, and provides therapy with 5 different devices.

The ECMO lead will be responsible for oversight, coordination and management of all aspects of ECMO specialist responsibilities during each shift. The ECMO lead will also complete ECMO referral intake, evaluation and acceptance. They will also participate in ongoing performance/quality improvement evaluation and implementation.

While not required, a cover letter is highly recommended when applying to this position.

Minimum Qualifications

• Must be a graduate from an accredited school of Nursing.
• RN License issued by the State of California.
• BLS/CPR and ACLS certification at time of hire with commitment to get ART within six (6) months of hire date.
• Must have at least one or more years of recent acute care RN experience in adult ICU.
• Must have minimum of one year experience as an ECMO specialist.
• Charge and/or Resource Nurse experience and/or equivalent training and experience.
• Must be a team player and have good communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• BSN/MSN.
• Experience with lung and heart transplant patients.
• CCRN certification.

Special Conditions

• Must be able to work various hours, days, shifts, on-call and various locations based on the 24-hour Medical Center's business needs.
• Selected candidate may be hired at the CNIII level pending review and approval by the Nurse Executive Council.
• Employment is subject to a criminal background check and pre-employment physical.

Annual Full Pay Range: $138,330 - $193,892 (will be prorated if the appointment percentage is less than 100%)

Hourly Equivalent: $66.25 - $92.86

Factors in determining the appropriate compensation for a role include experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. The Hiring Pay Scale referenced in the job posting is the budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position. The Annual Full Pay Range may be broader than what the University anticipates to pay for this position, based on internal equity, budget, and collective bargaining agreements (when applicable).

If employed by the University of California, you will be required to comply with our Policy on Vaccination Programs, which may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements. If applicable, life-support certifications (BLS, NRP, ACLS, etc.) must include hands-on practice and in-person skills assessment; online-only certification is not acceptable.

UC San Diego Health is the only academic health system in the San Diego region, providing leading-edge care in patient care, biomedical research, education, and community service. Our facilities include two university hospitals, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Shiley Eye Institute, Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center, the only Burn Center in the county, and dozens of outpatient clinics. We invite you to join our team!

Applications/Resumes are accepted for current job openings only. For full consideration on any job, applications must be received prior to the initial closing date. If a job has an extended deadline, applications/resumes will be considered during the extension period; however, a job may be filled before the extended date is reached.

To foster the best possible working and learning environment, UC San Diego strives to cultivate a rich and diverse environment, inclusive and supportive of all students, faculty, staff and visitors. For more information, please visit UC San Diego Principles of Community.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

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