Organ Preservation Coordinator
Bay Area, CA
Organ Preservation & Recovery /
Full Time Non-Exempt /
Hybrid
Donor Network West’s mission is to save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation for transplantation and research.
At Donor Network West, we're looking for people who embody our core values: passion, excellence, equity and inclusion, and relationships. We welcome diverse perspectives and foster an environment of collaboration and service.
GENERAL JOB FUNCTION
The Organ Preservationist Coordinator (OPC) oversees all organ donor perfusion and organ preservation processes and is responsible for the intraoperative leadership of a team of medical professionals while managing the recovery process of all solid organs. The OPC must have an advanced degree of anatomical knowledge, skills and technical expertise in surgical services, and gain the ability to assist the organ recovery surgeon in the removal of deceased donor organs for transplantation. Failure of the OPC to carry out the responsibilities of this position can result in the loss of organs; thereby, decreasing in the number of organs available for transplant.
OPC’s work collaboratively with a range of high level professionals including physicians, hospital administrators, nurses, and others involved in the donation process. To this audience they are the operative expert for the organ recovery process. Responsibilities include logistical management of surgical teams and organs, administration of proper equipment and OR set-up, communicating and documenting intraoperative findings appropriately, advanced understanding of organ anatomy to enable discourse with surgeons, and other core clinical responsibilities outlined in job duties below.
Each organ donation can represent a new set of unusual circumstances that must be dealt with in real-time to ensure a successful donation. This requires a high degree of organization, ingenuity, and ability to adapt and problem solve in the face of unforeseen surgical and logistical problems. Innovative problem solving needs to happen in a rapid and decisive manner to lessen the potential of adverse impacts that could negatively impact the supply of organs and relationships with hospitals in our donor service area.
An OPC must be able to serve in a consulting capacity to donor hospital ICU or OR staff by answering questions and lending expertise in order to facilitate the wishes of the decedent and patient’s family in the donation process.
JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Clinical Responsibilities
- Responsible for logistical management of surgical teams and organs, administration of proper equipment and OR set-up, communicating and documenting inter-operative findings appropriately
- Ensures all aspects of the recovery process are performed to optimal levels in adherence with regulatory policies and organizational procedures
- Surgically assists the organ recovery physician or designee with the removal of organs for transplant, according to established protocols and procedures
- Maintains the ability to recover organs and tissues in order to facilitate current research projects and ongoing education
- Prepares deceased kidneys for the preservation device including cannulation, anatomical review, fat removal, and recovery of tissue for biopsy.
- Displays and maintains expertise in all aspects of kidney pumping including cannulation, pump set-up, monitoring, and documentation requirements
- Oversees the administration of medications required for organ procurement and preservation.
- Obtains Transplant Preservationist certification within 3 years of employment.
- Participates in cross organizational activities to improve organization performance as appropriate
- Serves as the operative expert for the organ recovery process and provides guidance to all participating parties
- Process incoming donor referrals from our donation service area
- On-Call responsibilities as assigned
Non-Clinical Responsibilities
- Serves on departmental, hospital, and/or medical staff committees
- Assists with data analysis and reporting as it relates to improving the donation process
- Manages the maintenance, stocking, and preparation of supplies to a state of constant readiness for organ recovery process
- Ensures recipient safety and access to transplant by performing all perfusion, packaging and labeling, and regulatory documentation in a high stress environment, an expedited manner, and without error
- Maintains current industry knowledge of organ procurement and preservation technology and protocols by attending clinical conferences and continuing medical education.
- Participates in professional organizations in the area of specialization.
- Develops and presents material regarding organ donation to physicians, nurses, hospital administrators, and other stakeholders in the donation process
- Participates in the orientation of new OPC’s and new transplant center recovery medical staff
- Other duties as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- The RC will perform minimum requirements to function independently within the rotating on-call schedule. They will maintain competencies and demonstrate comprehension of learned tasks, including but not limited to:
- Negotiates donor specific logistics to ensure adherence to ischemic timing restrictions, transport arrangements for medical equipment/devices required, and surgeon availability.
- Authorizes aircraft and vehicle charters, as necessary. Develops and implements contingency plans to ensure a successful organ procurement process intraoperatively.
- Provides high quality customer service by serving as a process expert in the overall organ recovery process.
- Perfusion of abdominal and thoracic organ systems.
- Provides perfusion and intraoperative support to transplant centers departing the DN West service area for organ procurement.
- Serves as a consultant to local transplant centers by providing intraoperative support with living-donor kidney nephrectomies.
- Completes all organ procurement cases started; works past scheduled shift times without relief when required.
- Manages the intraoperative organ procurement process – leads a team of surgeons, nurses and medical staff to ensure complete adherence with regulatory policies and protocols to ensure transplant recipient safety.
- Operates without management oversight in the field and is able to resolve complex surgical, procurement, and regulatory concerns independently.
Education
- Minimum: Bachelor degree in health related field or an equivalent degree/diploma/certification in an allied health field
Experience
- Minimum: 1 years of relevant clinical and surgical experience
- Preferred: Experience in organ procurement and/or transplantation or tissue banking.
Certification/License
- Minimum: Valid California driver’s license
- Preferred: Certified Transplant Preservationist (CTP)
$30.45 - $33.83 an hour
Provided compensation data is subject to change based on location and work status. Salary data provided by third party sites do not accurately reflect our pay structure.
