Transplant Coordinator

Transcription

1 Have you signed your organ donor card? Hearts, kidneys, livers, and lungs can all be transplanted. When you die, one of your organs could help a critically ill patient live a longer life.

2 What I do every day Hospitals call me when a potential donor organ becomes available because I m the transplant coordinator at a regional organ procurement center. I approach the family and encourage them to consent to donation of the patient s organs. Once the family consents, I swing into action. I collect medical information and tissue samples for analysis. Then I contact the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which helps me locate a recipient quickly. After I find a recipient, I contact the surgeon and the recipient, reserve the operating suite, and arrange to transport the organ to the transplantation center. After the transplant, I teach the patient about the transplant and recovery process. The best part of my job My job is rewarding because organ transplantation gives critically ill patients a second chance at life. Healthy patients with an organ transplant come back to visit me often. The worst part of my job Donor organs become available any time, day or night. That s why I m on call 24 hours. Some weeks, I get little sleep. When I m mentally and physically fatigued, I have to put forth a special effort to do my job well. What I need to know and be able to do coordinators need to thoroughly understand organ donation, recipient selection, and the transplantation process. They must know anatomy and physiology, chemistry, and psychology. They must communicate well with patients and families in order to explain surgical procedures, the recovery process, and the potential for organ rejection. How I prepared to be a transplant coordinator Nursing was the career I always wanted. After I graduated from high school, I enrolled in a bachelor s degree program to earn my bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN). I worked for 2 years on the surgical floor of a community hospital before transferring to a transplantation center. For 5 years I worked as a transplant nurse. When a coordinator position became available, I was hired because of my experience. How I could have prepared better Our center is always conducting transplantation research. If I knew more about statistics and designing clinical studies, I could assist with the research and data analysis. Education needed: Salary range: Related jobs: Bachelor of science degree in nursing $700 $1,040 or more weekly Nurse anesthetist, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, transplant nurse is published by Career Solutions Training Group, 13 East Central Avenue, Paoli, PA Telephone: ; FAX: (610) cstg@bellatlantic.net. Website: It is illegal to transmit in any form or photocopy any portion without written permission of the publisher.

3 SCIENCE Level 1. As a transplant coordinator you know that many organs now can be successfully transplanted, including skin, hearts, lungs, livers, corneas, kidneys, and bone marrow. There are several different types of transplants: 1. Allogeneic: a transplant between beings of the same species (human to human) 2. Autologous: a transplant within the same being (a skin graft from the leg to the hand on the same person) 3. Xenogeneic: a transplant between beings of different species (animal to human) On the list below, write the appropriate number to identify whether each transplant is allogeneic, autologous, or xenogeneic. A heart transplant from an 18-year-old accident victim to a 56-year-old man with heart disease A kidney transplant from one sister to another A kidney transplant from a baboon to a woman A bone marrow transplant in which a woman s bone marrow is removed, treated with radiation, and transplanted back into her body

4 SCIENCE Level 2. You know that even when donors and recipients appear to be perfectly suited for transplants, organs are sometimes rejected. Rejection occurs when the recipient s body develops antibodies against the new organ. There are 3 basic kinds of rejection: 1. Hyperacute: The donor rejects the new organ immediately, usually within 2 to 3 days after surgery. 2. Acute: The donor rejects the new organ within 7 to 21 days after transplant. 3. Chronic: The donor rejects the transplanted organ months or years after the transplant. On the list below, write the appropriate number to identify whether each rejection is hyperacute, acute, or chronic. Rejection 2 months after surgery Rejection 1 week after surgery Rejection 4 years after surgery Rejection 48 hours after surgery Rejection 36 hours after surgery Rejection 2 weeks after surgery

5 TECHNOLOGY Level 1. As a transplant coordinator you search for donor organs using a computerized system operated by the United Network for Organ Sharing, commonly USE AGAIN known as UNOS. Use the Internet and the World Wide Web to find some statistics about organ transplants. Connect to and find transplant survival rates for heart, heart-lung, lung, and liver transplants. Write the average survival rate in the space below. Type Heart Heart-lung Lung Liver Average Survival Rate

6 TECHNOLOGY Level 2. Go into the same website you explored in Technology Applications Level 1 to find the average waiting times for donor organs. Select 3 hospitals and record their waiting times for heart transplants, lung transplants, and liver transplants. Hospital Heart Wait Lung Wait Liver Wait