Registered Nurse Transplant Coordinator Cardiovascular

Job Description:

The Organ Transplant Coordinator is an RN who is responsible for the coordination of care for transplant patients, living donors, and their families. This regulatory required role is a key member of the multidisciplinary transplant team who facilitates the movement of the patient and family through the transplantation or living donation process by providing individualized education, support, and coordination of services across the continuum of care. This role is responsible for clinical aspects of the transplant program including but not limited to education, patient care coordination, organ acquisition, research, data management, quality assessment, and program development.

Scope

• The Organ Transplant Coordinator manages care of the patient from referral through post-op management, discharge planning, and long term follow-up. Through assessment, planning, and advocacy, this role is the liaison between the transplant physicians, referring physicians, transplant recipients and their families, living donors and their families, and outside agencies. The incumbent must make independent decisions regarding various aspects of care and treatment within established protocols. The coordinator must perform and problem solve through stressful situations. Each coordinator may have a specialty area of focus but will be required to be knowledgeable in other specialties in order to provide on-call coverage.

Job Essentials

CLINICAL:

• Facilitates care of the end stage organ failure patient referred to transplant program.

• Coordinates patient entry and introduction to the transplant program.

• Coordinates medical, surgical, financial, psychosocial, nutrition, and pharmaceutical evaluation and on-going care needs of transplant and living donor patients.

• Participates in patient care planning and selection conference.

• Lists patients for transplant in a timely manner to facilitate access to donated organs.

• Registers living donors for directed and non-directed donation in a timely manner to facilitate matching in the transplant program and paired exchange registries, if applicable.

• Maintains the UNOS waiting list according to program policies and procedures, regulatory requirements, and national guidelines.

• Remains knowledgeable of all listed patients' status to ensure patient safety and facilitate organ placement in collaboration with transplant physicians.

• Facilitates patient care as case manager for transplant patients and living donors pre-operatively, inpatient, discharge planning and discharge, post-discharge, and for an indefinite period of time as determined by the multidisciplinary transplant team.

• Functions as part of the multidisciplinary transplant team; communicates patient needs to transplant team members.

• Must be able to provide age-specific care and intervention.

• Assesses, plans, and advocates for the patient and families in coordination of care along the continuum with the transplant team, support personnel, community physicians, and outside agencies.

• Provides accurate and timely documentation of care.

• Demonstrates ability to independently make complex care decisions within established protocols.

• Uses critical thinking skills through the process, and involves the patient, family, community physicians and ancillary providers, and the multidisciplinary team to establish and update the plan of care appropriately.

• Provides coordination of patient care and facilitates organ acquisition and transplantation through effective performance of on-call responsibilities in collaboration with transplant physicians.

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT:

• Assists in the collection and analysis of data as requested by transplant physicians, leadership, regulatory agencies, and various research protocols.

• Participates in quality monitoring and process improvement activities and programs.

• Knowledgeable of regulations related to transplantation and living organ donation and follows program policy, procedures, and guidelines to ensure compliance.

• Assesses and intervenes in critical areas of education need related to transplantation, organ procurement, deceased organ donation, and living organ donation standards and practices within the transplant program as well as throughout the hospital.

• Participates in community and professional education to promote organ donation and transplantation.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

• Participates in on-going transplant and organ donation education through attendance at professional meetings, webinars, and literature review.

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