Transplant Recovery Nurse

Company: Houston Methodist Hospital
Location: Houston
Posted on: May 17, 2025

Job Description:

At Houston Methodist, the Transplant Recovery Nurse position leads organ procurement services required for transplantation and manages the peri-operative phase of recipient transplantation. This position serves as a mentor and resources for team members. The Transplant Recovery Nurse position reviews cadaveric donor organ offers, assesses clinical diagnostics, and evaluates case details with transplant physicians to determine suitability which includes the dissemination of pertinent transplant case information, providing clinical guidance to other departments, and full coordination of the organ recovery and transplant events. This position will assist the physicians in caring for the needs of the patients using specialized clinical knowledge and skills and will provide support for patient and family during the wait for transplant. The Transplant Recovery Nurse position will lead the organ recovery process according to transplant center protocol which includes meeting the supply, equipment, and transportation needs of the transplant team to ensure an optimal recovery environment. In collaboration with the physicians, this position will implement appropriate organ and tissue-specific preservation as requested. The Transplant Recovery Nurse position coordinates and communicates with all members of the Organ Procurement Organization (OPO), Houston Methodist (HM) recovery and transplant teams, and recipient candidate and family to ensure proper management of the organ recovery and transplant events.

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Coaches staff to use efficient and effective verbal, non-verbal and written communication to establish and maintain a team environment, and to include the patient and family as a part of the team. Applies tools to effectively resolve concerns, complaints or conflict with patients, families, physicians and other interprofessional healthcare team members.
  • Functions as a mentor and resource and coaches staff which includes active listening and teaching, providing oversight for new employees. Fosters a positive and constructive teaching environment by engaging co-workers in learning opportunities that are valuable and in alignment with business objectives. Identifies staff development opportunities for professional growth of colleagues, to build confidence in skills, knowledge and abilities, providing coaching to meet identified goals. Anticipates the needs of the staff members and proactively offers assistance.
    • Fosters staff engagement by requesting and acknowledging feedback, making equitable decisions, providing rationale when appropriate, while facilitating the critical events of recovery and transplantation. Uses peer-to-peer accountability towards improvement of department score for turnover/retention/employee engagement.SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
      • Serves as primary nurse in the organ recovery process by proactively reviewing and requesting additional information necessary for decision-making regarding organ acceptance/rejection according to transplant center protocol, ensuring supplies, equipment and transportation arrangements for organ recovery. Communicates with the physicians/surgeons to relay donor and/or recipient information accurately and timely to facilitate the transplant event.
        • Coordinates various activities and timing of the transplant event with procurement team and Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) by assessing capacity of transplant program, reviewing physician schedules, operating rooms and OPO. Identifies potential problems, communicating to physicians and identifying potential resolutions.
          • Facilitates admission/transfer of recipient for transplantation and oversees pre-operative process. Enters appropriate acceptance and denial codes via DonorNet in timely manner and alerts appropriate parties for any variances in allocation documentation immediately.
            • Identifies gaps in clinical information and parameters and relays information to OPO/clinical coordinator, utilizing sound judgment. Helps drive improvement of department score for patient satisfaction, through peer-to-peer accountability, for service standards.QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
              • Ensures organs and tissues will be recovered, packaged, and transplanted to maximize utilization in accordance allocation sequencing to meet OPTN/UNOS regulations. Alerts appropriate parties for any variance.
                • Maintains CMS, OPTN, HIPAA regulatory compliance and required documentation throughout the recovery and transplant event including by not limited to logistics, procurement and transplant verification forms, HLA requests, HM required consents, organ donor disclosure, and recovery transplant reporting records and timely removal from the waitlist.
                  • Participates in recipient waitlist management review forums and monitors appropriate communications affecting recipient's candidacy. Provide timely notifications at specified timepoints throughout recovery and transplant process and ensure thorough hand-offs to team members if required.
                    • Utilizes clinical judgement, using an analytical approach. Assists with implementation and teaching of department-based safety initiatives and standards of practice. Identifies trends and opportunities for corrective action and process improvement, providing recommendations. Drives initiatives to meet department and hospital targets for quality, compliance and patient safety.FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
                      • Maintains and submits accurate data for hospital-based statistics and regulatory agencies such as UNOS/UNET, CMS, and Medicaid to ensure proper department financial management, compliance with all governmental reporting requirements, and proper quality outcomes monitoring, meeting program financial measures for department including data requirements not limited to: units of service, recovery logistics tracking, recovery supply management, and UNOS TIEDI forms.
                        • Uses resources efficiently, manages appropriate supply inventory to ensure supply costs are maximized. Submits variances timely to management for proper billing management. Self-motivated to independently manage time effectively and prioritize daily tasks, optimizing efficiency and other areas according to department specifications.GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
                          • Identifies and presents areas for innovation, efficiency and improvement for department projects through participation in performance improvement projects, driving quality initiatives and process improvement. Provides staff and community education in the areas of transplant and organ donation. Participates in one or more department/hospital committees or subcommittees and facilitates the accomplishment of the goals of the committee. Participates in department donor awareness events, educational opportunities, and community activities.
                            • Identifies and shares transplant-specific continuous learning and growth. Applies evidence-based practice to daily work, such as reviewing the professional literature and attending professional meetings and sharing with colleagues. Identifies own learning needs and actively seeks educational opportunities, both formal and informal, to meet those needs. Completes and updates the My Development plan on an on-going basis.This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.
                              EDUCATION
                              • Bachelor of Science degree or higher from an accredited School of Nursing WORK EXPERIENCE
                                • Two years Transplant Coordinator experience LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS - REQUIRED
                                  • RN - Registered Nurse - Texas State Licensure and/or Compact State Licensure within 60 days OR
                                  • RN-Temp - Registered Nurse - Temporary State Licensure within 60 days AND
                                  • BLS - Basic Life Support (AHA) AND
                                  • CTP - Certified Transplant Preservationist (ABTC) OR
                                  • CPTC - Certified Procurement Transplant Coordinator (ABTC) OR
                                  • CCTC - Certified Clinical Transplant Coordinator (ABTC) KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
                                    • Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations.
                                      • Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security.
                                        • Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles.
                                          • Ability to function independently and exercise judgment in interactions with physicians, interprofessional healthcare team and patients and their families
                                            • Skilled at managing complex caseload and ability to prioritize/triage multiple responsibilities with high level of critical thinking
                                              • Extremely well-organized and detail oriented, self-directed
                                                • Demonstrates continuous learning and growth
                                                  • Exhibits ability to timely remove transplant recipient from waitlist per OPTN/UNOS regulations
                                                    • Competent knowledge of, and compliance with, CMS Conditions of Participation and OPTN/UNOS policies and listing requirements
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Keywords: Houston Methodist Hospital, Sugar Land , Transplant Recovery Nurse, Healthcare , Houston, Texas