Manages the ECMO machine that takes over heart and lung function for critically ill patients in intensive care. BLS does not publish separate figures for respiratory therapists; it counts them within respiratory therapist (SOC 29-1126), whose median pay is $82,280 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Associate's degree.
- SOC 29-1126
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
ECMO Specialist in four numbers
- Median pay
- $82,280a year, or $39.56/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $64KTop 10% $118K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +8.5%Much faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+8.5%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +8.5% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 8,600142,000 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025142K
- Projected 2035154.2K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 142K Projected 2035 154.2K - Typical education
- Associate'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: ECMO Coordinator, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Specialist, ECLS Specialist, ECMO Respiratory Therapist, ECMO Nurse.
Pay
How much do Respiratory Therapists make?
Every ecmo specialist in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$82,280
Middle half earn $74,520 to $98,730
- 10th
- $63,660
- 25th
- $74,520
- 75th
- $98,730
- 90th
- $118,050
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $63,660 |
| 25th | $74,520 |
| Median | $82,280 |
| 75th | $98,730 |
| 90th | $118,050 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $82,280
- Median hourly wage
- $39.56/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $87,300
- People employed
- 139,790
Versus all US occupations
At $82,280, Respiratory Therapists earn 61% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $31,300 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $102,760, this is 20% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $118,050 or more while the bottom 10% earn $63,660, a gap of 1.9×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 62% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
District of Columbia pays the most at $111,950, and still leads at $101,864 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Respiratory Therapists the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $111,950 | $101,864 | 430 |
| 2New York | $107,810 | $99,897 | 7,010 |
| 3California | $104,820 | $94,671 | 18,650 |
| 4Massachusetts | $102,170 | $96,608 | 2,220 |
| 5Washington | $101,130 | $94,503 | 1,860 |
| 6New Jersey | $100,810 | $92,652 | 3,350 |
| 7Oregon | $100,560 | $97,290 | 1,340 |
| 8Minnesota | $98,710 | $100,090 | 1,250 |
| 9Alaska | $97,950 | $95,693 | 180 |
| 10New Hampshire | $95,940 | $92,104 | 360 |
Job outlook
Is ECMO Specialist a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Much faster than average. +8.5% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Respiratory Therapists | +8.5% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Respiratory Therapists to change 8.5% over 2025–2035, roughly 2.4× the 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 12,100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 8,600 openings are projected each year, 6.1% of the 142,000 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become an ECMO Specialist
ECMO specialists are usually experienced registered respiratory therapists or critical care nurses, and some are perfusionists. The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) sets training guidelines that call for a strong critical care background, typically including a year or more in a neonatal, pediatric, or adult ICU, followed by didactic training, water drills with primed circuits, and supervised bedside hours.
Training is provided by hospital ECMO programs following ELSO guidance. Respiratory therapists generally hold the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential from the NBRC, and ELSO now offers an ECMO specialist certification exam.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Associate's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Some preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
The work
What does an ECMO Specialist do?
ECMO specialists manage extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a form of life support that pumps a patient's blood through an artificial lung outside the body and returns it, giving the heart or lungs time to recover. It is used for newborns with severe respiratory failure, adults with severe pneumonia or heart failure, and patients awaiting transplant.
At the bedside they monitor the circuit's flows, pressures, and gas exchange, adjust settings under physician direction, manage anticoagulation, watch for clots and bleeding, and respond immediately to emergencies like circuit failure. They prime circuits, assist with cannulation, help transport patients on ECMO, and train other staff through simulations.
Day-to-day tasks
- Prime and prepare ECMO circuits for new patients
- Monitor circuit flows, pressures, and oxygenator performance
- Adjust ECMO settings under physician direction
- Manage anticoagulation and check for clotting and bleeding
- Respond to circuit emergencies and component changes
- Assist with cannulation and decannulation procedures
- Support transport of patients on ECMO
- Lead water drills and training simulations for staff
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
ECMO specialists work in neonatal, pediatric, cardiac, and adult intensive care units at large hospitals with ECMO programs. Shifts are typically twelve hours, including nights and weekends, with on-call duty for new cannulations. The work involves sustained attention at the bedside and rapid response in emergencies.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Monitoring4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Active Learning3.4
- Writing3.3
- Learning Strategies3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 4.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 |
| Speaking | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.4 |
| Writing | 3.3 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness3.9
- Service Orientation3.8
- Complex Problem Solving3.6
- Judgment and Decision Making3.4
- Coordination3.3
- Instructing3.1
- Operations Monitoring3.1
- Operation and Control3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 |
| Service Orientation | 3.8 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.6 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.4 |
| Coordination | 3.3 |
| Instructing | 3.1 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.1 |
| Operation and Control | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Medical software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits an ECMO Specialist?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code RIS) built on O*NET's Respiratory Therapist profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | ECMO Specialist |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 5 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 5 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
- Realistic5.3
- Investigative4.9
- Social4.9
- Conventional3.9
- Enterprising1.7
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to ECMO Specialist
O*NET related occupations
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
Cardiovascular Technologist and Technician
$74,310median a year
Most earn $39K to $121K
+3.7%Associate's - Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
More healthcare practitioners and technical careers
Median annual pay, with respiratory therapists highlighted
- Anesthesiologist$391,490
- Physician Assistant$135,880
- Nurse Practitioner$132,300
- Physical Therapist$102,760
- Dental Hygienist$98,100
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographer$96,590
- ECMO Specialist$82,280
- Radiologic Technologist and Technician$80,110
- Surgical Technologist$64,650
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Anesthesiologist | $391,490 |
| Physician Assistant | $135,880 |
| Nurse Practitioner | $132,300 |
| Physical Therapist | $102,760 |
| Dental Hygienist | $98,100 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | $96,590 |
| ECMO Specialist | $82,280 |
| Radiologic Technologist and Technician | $80,110 |
| Surgical Technologist | $64,650 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists ECMO Specialist appears on
Questions
ECMO Specialist: frequently asked questions
How much do Respiratory Therapists make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for respiratory therapists. It counts them within respiratory therapist, whose median pay is $82,280 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $74,520 and $98,730, and the top 10% earn $118,050 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an ECMO Specialist?
Usually a two-year degree rather than a four-year one. BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for Respiratory Therapists.
Is ECMO Specialist a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 8.5% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 8,600 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an ECMO Specialist do?
ECMO specialists manage extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a form of life support that pumps a patient's blood through an artificial lung outside the body and returns it, giving the heart or lungs time to recover. A typical task: prime and prepare ECMO circuits for new patients. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Medical software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Respiratory Therapists the most?
The highest state medians for Respiratory Therapists are District of Columbia ($111,950), New York ($107,810), California ($104,820) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an ECMO Specialist?
O*NET scores Respiratory Therapists highest on the Realistic, Investigative and Social interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ISFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.