Transplant Education Nurse Coordinator - Organ Transplant Center (100%)

University of Iowa Health Care Department of Nursing is seeking a 100% Transplant Nurse Education Coordinator for the Organ Transplant Center. 

Position Description: 

• A dedicated transplant education nurse coordinator whose primary focus will be on the education of the transplant patients (living kidney donor, kidney, kidney/pancreas, and liver) as well as education of other patient populations (hepatobiliary (HPB), vascular access) within the Organ Transplant Center

Responsibilities: 

·    Improve post-transplant outcomes and improve patient compliance

·     Work collaboratively with inpatient team (social work, fellows, advanced practice providers, inpatient care coordinators, and faculty) to facilitate timely and safe discharges for patients under the transplant service. This includes transplanted patients up to one-year post-transplant, HPB, living donors, and other patients under the transplant medical/surgical service

·      Appropriately document discharge using transplant note templates, SmartPhrases, and other electronic medical record tools

·       Attend inpatient and outpatient team rounds as scheduled

·       Participate in the discharge process for transplant recipients and donors to ensure patient readiness and short length of stay

·       Observe for patterns of variation from the discharge plan of care and facilitate corrective actions as part of the quality process

·       Prepare the recipient and their family to deal with post-transplant related issues such as a highly complex medication regimen, need for self-monitoring,       importance of lab work, and returns to University of Iowa Health Care for regular follow-up

·      Assess patient’s retention of complex instructions relative to transplant if readmitted to the hospital. Assess need for changes in teaching methodology to patient and caregiver

·       Provide patient education to potential transplant candidates, including initial evaluation education, continuing education for abdominal transplant patients at listed update appointments, and at pre-operative appointments

·       May provide education of dialysis unit staff (at UI Health Care and other facilities), resulting in appropriate patient referrals to the transplant program

·       Participate in and lead OTC staff education efforts when changes to education materials are made

·       Provide brief group transplant education at Iowa Health Care Dialysis Options class for patients who are to begin dialysis treatments

·       Participate in process improvement efforts within the department to improve teaching materials and methods to facilitate the patient education process

·      Participate in education efforts within the department, as well as interdepartmentally that would enhance patient education. Including scheduled in-services  with inpatient areas as needed

·       Document educational efforts with patients and patient/family receptiveness, retention of information, and learning barriers.

·       Collaborate with post-transplant nurse coordinators prior to planned absences to ensure patient discharge coverage plan and workflow

·        Document and confirm availability of patient preferred post-transplant lab

·        Recognize and get approval for distribution of Dragonfly Transplant Foundation transplant recipient gift cards

·        Educate and collaborate with Transplant Navigators to provide post-transplant supply bags

·        Modify teaching tools as needed to meet needs of the patients and program while complying with regulatory body requirements

·        Fully participate in the systematic review of protocols as they pertain to the transplant population

·        Candidate may provide on-call coverage, including coordination of activities prior to transplant, and as medical triage for outpatients in collaboration with      the physician on-call.  Coordinates transplantation process when a donor is available, including communication between physicians, local organ              procurement organization, patient/families, and the medical team involved. This would include a weekend and holiday on-call rotation

·       Potential work on weekends/holidays to facilitate patient discharges

·       May provide backup coverage of Vascular Access patients seen by transplant providers pre- and post-operatively

·       May provide backup coverage of OTC non-transplant/HPB general surgery patients (i.e. cholecystectomy, hernia repair, etc.)

·       May train for cross coverage of additional PT53 Transplant Nurse Coordinator positions

·       Other duties as required and assigned by program leadership

Percent of Time: 100%
Schedule:  Monday-Friday, 0730-1600, may require weekend coverage/on call coverage
Location: University Campus 
Pay Grade: 56
Benefits Highlights: Fringe benefit package including paid vacation; sick leave; health, dental, life, and disability insurance options; and generous employer contributions into retirement plans. 

University of Iowa Health Care—recognized as one of the best hospitals in the United States—is Iowa's only comprehensive academic medical center and a regional referral center. Each day more than 12,000 employees, students, and volunteers work together to provide safe, quality health care and excellent service for our patients. Simply stated, our mission is: Changing Medicine. Changing Lives.^®