Brittany Martin
Summary
Experienced critical care nurse with 12 years of CVICU experience and extensive expertise as an ECMO Specialist caring for complex VA and VV ECMO patients. Leadership experience includes Charge Nurse, Preceptor, Unit Shared Governance Chair, and Lead ECMO Specialist, with responsibilities in staff development, education, competency validation, simulation, wet labs, and ECMO program development. Actively involved in multidisciplinary collaboration, clinical practice improvement, ELSO program development, and preparation resulting in the program’s recent ELSO Silver recognition. Brings a strong combination of advanced critical care and ECMO knowledge, clinical leadership, education, and program-development experience that supports the ability to effectively coordinate and advance a comprehensive ECMO program.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Registered Nurse & ECMO Specialist, CVICU
Novant Health, Forsyth Medical Center
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
08.2024 - Current
- Significant contributor to the ELSO Path to Excellence application, including program preparation, data and documentation review, and development and standardization of materials supporting ELSO guidelines; leading to the recognition of our organization as a Silver Level ELSO Award Recipient.
- Development of an ECMO Emergency Cannulation Kit to facilitate rapid, organized deployment of ECLS for critically ill patients requiring emergent cannulation who are unable to safely undergo transport. This process received our program a Remarkable Light Recognition in 2026.
- Attended the 2025 ELSO Conference to further develop ECMO program knowledge and best practice standards. This information contributed to the development and advancement of the ECMO program, including policy and practice updates, staff education, competency development, quality improvement initiatives, and processes supporting safe and standardized ECMO care.
- Development of an ECMO Circuit Exchange Kit to expedite the process of exchanging an ECMO circuit in the event of an oxygenator failure. All necessary components are available for a wide variety of hybrid configurations.
- Serve as an ECMO Primer, responsible for circuit builds, circuit priming and preparation, and initiation of ECLS support. Share responsibility for the ECMO initiation call schedule in collaboration with the Perfusion Department. Train and mentor ECMO Specialists in the initiation process using a standardized checklist developed in collaboration with departmental leadership. Maintain proficiency in advanced ECMO initiation skills through regular primer wet labs and hands-on training with the Lead Perfusionist.
- Assisted in simulation-based training for ECMO specialists on the safe intrahospital transport of ECMO patients. Led complex transport scenarios involving multiple imaging and procedural areas, provided structured debriefing and feedback, and identified opportunities that contributed to improvements in ECMO transport practices and patient safety within our facility.
- Developed a standardized ECMO Cannulation Checklist to facilitate the coordination and execution of ECMO cannulations across the facility. Defined individual roles, responsibilities, and assigned tasks for all team members to promote clear communication, minimize duplication, ensure completion of critical tasks, and reduce the risk of omissions during the cannulation process.
- Assist in the education and development of ECMO specialists, including didactic instruction, wet-lab training, simulation, bedside clinical orientation, and ongoing mentorship to promote competency and confidence in the management of ECLS patients.
- Provided clinical and program leadership as a Lead ECMO Specialist within a high-acuity CVICU, supporting the management of complex adult ECMO patients and collaborating closely with physicians, APPs, perfusionists, nursing, respiratory therapy, and other multidisciplinary team members.
- Collaborate with physicians and the multidisciplinary team to develop individualized care plans for patients requiring ECMO support, incorporating patient physiology, circuit function, clinical goals, and evolving patient needs.
- Serve as a Charge Nurse in a high-acuity 13-bed CVICU, coordinating patient care, staffing, admissions, and unit operations while serving as a clinical resource for nursing staff.
- Precept and mentor nurses and new staff, creating a supportive learning environment and developing educational resources to facilitate orientation and progression toward independent practice.
- Elected Unit Shared Governance Chair for 2025, leading initiatives focused on staff advocacy, professional development, and unit-based practice improvement; continue to support shared governance and emerging unit leadership.
Registered Nurse, CVICU
Cone Health, Moses Cone Hospital
Greensboro, NC
08.2023 - 08.2024
- Charge Nurse in a 26-bed, high-acuity Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU), providing clinical leadership and oversight for complex cardiovascular, cardiothoracic, vascular, and critically ill patients. Patient population included postoperative cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, STEMI/NSTEMI, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, septic shock, ARDS, and trauma.
- Provided direct care and clinical oversight for patients requiring advanced mechanical circulatory and extracorporeal support, including VA and VV ECMO, Impella CP, Impella 5.5, Impella RP, IABP, durable and temporary VADs, and CRRT.
- Served as a clinical resource for staff caring for high-acuity patients, providing real-time assessment, prioritization, clinical decision-making, and escalation of complex patient care concerns through strong multidisciplinary collaboration.
- Precepted and mentored newly hired registered nurses, facilitating orientation, development of clinical competencies, and progression toward independent practice in a high-acuity CVICU environment.
- Supported the development of new nurses’ clinical judgment, critical-thinking, and prioritization skills while serving as a consistent resource during complex and rapidly evolving clinical situations.
- Frequently functioned in a leadership capacity during emergent clinical events, coordinating nursing resources, communicating with multidisciplinary team members, and promoting safe, organized patient care.
Travel Nurse, CVICU
Cross Country Healthcare
Gastonia, NC
07.2021 - 11.2022
- Travel nurse proficient in working calmly and professionally in an unfamiliar environment during crisis staffing. Able to quickly acclimate to new hospital policies and procedures.
- Flexibility and willingness to float to other Intensive Care Units that had more emergent needs. Units included: COVID ICU, Trauma ICU, MICU, CCU, and Emergency Department.
- Confident working on new units with a focus on assisting the facility with staffing needs while providing patients with exceptional care.
Travel Nurse, CVICU
Aya Healthcare
Hickory, NC
01.2021 - 07.2021
- Quickly adapted to new Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and medication dispensing systems.
- Precepted local nursing students by introducing them to foundational nursing practices including: Evidence Based Practice (EBP), sterile procedures, detailed assessments, and post-operative recovery.
- Reviewed patient medical records to ensure that core measures were being implemented.
Registered Nurse, CVICU
Novant Health, Forsyth Medical Center
Winston-Salem, NC
06.2014 - 01.2021
- Provided care to adult patients in the post-operative period directly following Cardiothoracic Surgery. Nursing care involved: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation of patient outcomes.
- Clinical skills included: hemodynamic monitoring, ventilator management, titration of vasoactive drugs, emergency interventions, maintenance of invasive lines, assistive device care, and rehabilitation.
- Charge Nurse: Oversaw unit and supported clinical staff. Made appropriate assignments while advocating for safe patient to staff ratios. Collaborated with interdisciplinary team to best care for patients.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
The University of North Carolina At Greensboro
Greensboro, NC05.2014
Skills
- Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN)
- Cardiac Surgery Certification (CSC)
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS)
- Novant Health: Remarkable Nurse (2026)
- Novant Health: Remarkable Light Recognition (2026)
- Clinical Ladder Registered Nurse: Level 5 (2025)
- Daisy Award Nomination (2024)
- Moses Cone: Great Catch Awards (2024)
Professional Memberships
- American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN)
- Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO)
- American Society of Extracorporeal Technology (AmSECT)
Timeline
Registered Nurse & ECMO Specialist, CVICU
Novant Health, Forsyth Medical Center
08.2024 - Current
Registered Nurse, CVICU
Cone Health, Moses Cone Hospital
08.2023 - 08.2024
Travel Nurse, CVICU
Cross Country Healthcare
07.2021 - 11.2022
Travel Nurse, CVICU
Aya Healthcare
01.2021 - 07.2021
Registered Nurse, CVICU
Novant Health, Forsyth Medical Center
06.2014 - 01.2021
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
The University of North Carolina At Greensboro