Ep. 022: When ECMO Weighs Heavy: Nurses Confront Moral Distress

ECMO saves lives, but at what emotional cost? In this episode of Voices in Nursing, Christina Block, an ECMO transport nurse, and Jennifer Popies, an ICU clinical nurse specialist, share findings from their CVICU research on moral distress. They discuss prognostic uncertainty, the burden of treatment, and the emotional toll of high-stakes decisions. Explore themes of identity, teamwork and resilience, and learn strategies to support care teams on the front lines of ECMO’s toughest challenges.

This episode is sponsored by The ECMO Course, providing nurses with a comprehensive understanding of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, with information available atwww.aacn.org/ecmo-course