Before she cared for others, Ella spent much of her childhood in and out of hospitals in California as a patient, navigating severe eczema and moderate scoliosis.
“The hospital environment always felt familiar to me,” Ella said. “I pursued a career in healthcare to assist others as I was assisted as a child, and to be able to maintain an interesting career with many opportunities to continue learning.” Born in the United Kingdom and raised in California after age four, Ella’s early experiences inspired her to build a career focused on quality care, growth and leadership opportunity.
Building Expertise in Cardiac Critical Care
"I started at Renown right after graduating from Orvis School of Nursing in 2016, when I was barely 21 years old!" After gaining foundational experience in medical-surgical nursing, Ella transitioned to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) with ambitious goals. "I knew that I wanted to be trained on every device possible within the unit.”
After committing to this goal and training for many years, the opportunity to be part of Renown’s newly launched Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) program arrived in May 2025. " After completing the program, I accepted the ECMO Specialist position where I will be trained to manage the ECMO machine for our most critical patients at Renown," Ella said. "I have wanted to learn more about ECMO ever since I was first exposed to it around three years ago."
ECMO is advanced life support technology that can mean the difference between life and death for patients in severe cardiac or respiratory failure. Veno-Arterial (VA-ECMO) is essentially full life support for the heart, and Veno-Venous (VV ECMO) is full life support for the lungs. In both cases, the ECMO machine pulls blood from the patient, oxygenates it, and then returns it to the patient. This is used for severe cases of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), cardiogenic shock, or for open heart patients who cannot safely be removed from bypass in the operating room," Ella explained.
The training was intense and comprehensive. "Our training began in September, consisting of online modules followed by multiple in- person simulation sessions. Moving forward, we will complete a hands-on simulation every quarter to remain competent in skills," she said. The program partners with Innovative ECMO, bringing in specialists to train Renown's ECMO team, which includes six CICU registered nurses and two respiratory therapists.
"In the beginning, all of this seemed very daunting, but it is getting better with each training shift," Ella said. The learning curve began to flatten when real-world experience arrived. "We actually had three ECMO patients at the CICU recently so a lot of us were able to get hands-on experience."
Ella shares more about her ECMO experience, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and collaboration across departments. The ECMO team works closely with Renown’s Cath lab, intensivists, cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiologists and interventionalists to provide advanced, coordinated care for critically ill patients. Ella explains that this collaboration really ensures every patient receives the highest level of support through their treatment journey.
For Ella, the program represents something bigger than advanced training, "We are all very excited about where this new program will take Renown in the future," she said. The ECMO capability means critically ill patients can now receive life-saving care close to home instead of being transferred out of state.
Finding Her Voice Through Culture and Leadership
Ella's growth at Renown extends beyond clinical skills. She was encouraged by her leader, Raegan Salivar, to participate in Renown’s Enrich-U program, which provides targeted development opportunities, networking and experiences to help you grow in your role. Initially hesitant, the experience transformed her perspective. "The Enrich-U program helped me improve my communication skills, while learning with members from other departments and at all different levels, such as laboratory technicians, transport, human resources and customer service representatives. After the first class I was hooked.”
Through her many roles at Renown, Ella has found purpose in supporting and mentoring others. She takes immense pride in guiding new nurses, collaborating within the nurse staffing committee and staying involved in the shared governance organization, a staff-driven, decision-making group working together to improve and implement ideas that align with our strategic goals and strengthen the team's success.
From childhood patient to ECMO specialist and much more, Ella's journey shows how Renown's People First culture of growth, collaboration, and innovation creates opportunities for those willing to pursue them.
Outside of work, Ella enjoys spending time with her husband and their three dogs-Kahlua, Kayne and Gina. They love finding new music, cooking and exploring Tahoe with their pups. Ella and her husband are also excited to welcome their first daughter, Aluna, in early February.
Interested in joining Renown’s ECMO team? We are hiring! Search for open roles here and find out more information about Renown careers on renown.org/careers.
