Surgical Recovery Coord

J  o  b    D  e  s  c  r  i  p  t  i  o  n

JOB INFORMATION

Effective Date:

6/1/2022

Entity:

Wisconsin

Job Code:

850015

Job Title:

Surgical Recovery Coord

FLSA Exemption Status:

Non-Exempt

Management Level:

Individual Contributor

JOB SUMMARY

The Surgical Recovery Coordinator (SRC) is a professional level position responsible for the coordination of the surgical and preservation portion of the donation process by maintaining and providing organ preservation services for local and long distances organ recoveries to maximize organ viability.  The SRC coordinates the surgical recovery portion of the donation process by assembling supplies and equipment to provide efficient and timely organization of organ recovery procedures on deceased donors.  The incumbent is responsible for coordinating the transportation of the recovery teams and facilitating communications with the physicians, Operating Room staff, transplant centers, organ procurement staff, donor hospital staff, donor families and transportation service providers to assure successful procurement and preservation of the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, small bowel and other organs and tissues for transplant, research and education 

The SRC maintains compliance with AOPO, (Association of Organ Procurement Organizations), CMS, UNOS and OSHA standards to demonstrate commitment to quality The SRC ensure the recovery teams are compliant with donor hospital policies and procedures   

The priority of the Surgical Recovery Coordinator is to ensure the overall quality of organs is maintained from the time of recovery to the time of transplant into recipients for UW Health and other transplant programs across the country. 

Providing support to patients and their families in end of life situations is a substantial part of the position.  The candidate must be able to deliver sensitive and compassionate care to patients who are at the end of life and support their families who are grieving.  The SRC is a resource and support person to donor hospital staff before, during and after the organ recovery. The successful candidate must accept their own attitudes and feelings toward death and loss, as well as accept other common views towards death and dying in the context of varying cultures, which they will encounter. The SRC must also be able to practice the necessary communication skills to the patient and their family in a helpful way during end of life. A key factor of success is that the SRC can identify specific ways to take care of oneself while doing this challenging and rewarding work, as well as develop a support network for themselves both internal and external to the UW Health OPO.      

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

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Flush, package and label organs for transplantation and research to maintain viability according to UW OTD and UNOS standards.

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Assembles and transports all necessary equipment for the preservation of all solid organs.

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Ensure adequate staffing for the organ recovery is met before departing for the recovery

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Carries out any special instructions, testing or data collection provided by transplant or research centers

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Obtains, preserves, and packages necessary specimens for in accordance to UWOTD policy and

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UNOS standards and guidelines.

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Preserves organs and tissue in a sterile environment for distribution to transplantation and research facilities after procurement.

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Works closely with organ procurement coordinators by compiling information necessary for the assessment of potential organ donors.

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Assists donor hospital staff with organ recovery preparations in the operating room and ICU by ensuring proper staffing, supplies and equipment is available for the success of the organ recovery.

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Scrubs in during the organ procurement as needed and instructed by the recovering surgeons to provide high level service and expedite the process. Utilizes special expertise independence and communication skills within the operating room in the area of organ preservation and procurement.

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Responsible for coordinating and assisting with biopsies of organs if requested by transplant surgeon.

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Responsible for sterilization of procurement supplies, instruments and restocking of procurement bag and workroom supplies.

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Monitor organs that are being preserved prior to transplant by means of cold static storage or machine perfusion.

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Responsible for all preservation of organs

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Responsible for all machine perfusion of kidneys and other organs including but not limited to dissecting and preparing the vasculature of the organ for cannulation. Cannulation and placement of the organ on the organ perfusion machine. Monitoring the machine and organ while the organ is on the machine. Collecting and providing perfusion data to those who request the information and all associated equipment and supplies for machine preservation services

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Document entire organ recovery for later statistical and legal use by the use of electronic and paper medical records.

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Collaborates with donor hospital staff to ensure the best experience for the donor, donor families and hospital staff.

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Coordinates the donation after circulatory death surgical recovery by huddling with donor hospital staff. Supporting donor families in the operating room with their loved one. Charts all required information.

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Provide the services of packaging, labeling, transport and collection data for the living donor organ program on behalf of the University Hospital Transplant Program

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On call responsibilities / times as assigned.

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Serves as a back-up to other surgical recovery coordinators.

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Shared responsibilities for the preservation workroom, inventory and supplies.

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Works with other hospital departments, ie: plant engineering, reprocessing, central supply and operating room to ensure the safety of all equipment and supplies used in the organ recovery process.

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Works with local, regional and state law enforcement and other governmental agencies in the collection of data or evidence.

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Works closely with donation stakeholders such as other organs procurement organizations, tissue banks, eye banks, funeral homes to ensure collaboration between stakeholders is carried out to meet the families’ needs.

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Set up transportation of recovery teams to and from airports and hospitals

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Maintain current knowledge of organ procurement and preservation of solid organs through clinical conferences, research and continuing medical education.

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Participate in scheduled monthly meetings and training sessions/assignments to maintain proficiency in organ recovery process

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Successfully complete annual clinical, departmental and organization wide competencies

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Participates in special duties as assigned

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Provides training for new recovery staff or staff learning additional job functions

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Lead OTD staff for the surgical recovery

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Meet with medical personnel of hospitals within our service area, i.e.: ICU, ER, OR staff, to educate and address concerns regarding organ donation and the organ donation process.

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Prepare and present educational in-services in terms of grand round or department specific training regarding organ donation and procurement to donor facilities and other organizations.

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Participates in community awareness presentations regarding organ donation and transplantation as well as work with community programs to educate on the need for organ donation.

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Provides other public and professional education in-services as assigned.

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Report and retrieve data to and from other transplant programs.

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Assists with completion and submission of reports as directed

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Use acquired data for participation in research studies.

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Completes organ donor import and local donor organ charts per OPO policy and electronic medical record workflows

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Perform and document physical assessment of potential donors allowing recovery to occur if assessments is satisfactory

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Review authorization form(s) and other required documents with other team members according to policy and procedure

As needed, additional responsibilities reasonably within the scope of duties and physical requirements may be assigned.  ALL DUTIES AND REQUIREMENTS MUST BE PERFORMED CONSISTENT WITH THE UW HEALTH PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AND RESPECT FOR PEOPLE COMMITTMENTS.

X

Clinical

(Select all that apply)

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Post-secondary education in healthcare field. Relevant certification or experience may be considered in lieu of coursework or degree in addition to the experience listed below

Required

Surgical technician or surgical first assistant

Preferred

1 year

of experience in a surgical and/or pre-hospital environment, including but not limited to functioning as a surgical recovery coordinator, tissue/eye bank specialist, surgical technician, first assistant, first responder experience, circulating nurse. Completion of an accredited surgical technician or medical assistant program, or a closely related program, may be considered in lieu of work experience.

Required

1 year

of experience as a surgical / organ recovery coordinator, surgical technician or first assistant

Preferred

Registered Nurse, Certified Surgical Technologist or EMT, CTP, CFA

Preferred

LICENSE, CERTIFICATIONS, AND REGISTRATIONS MUST BE MAINTAINED PER UW HEALTH POLICY. 

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Strong communication and organizational skills.

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Effective communication and customer service skills.

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Ability to work collaboratively with people from various backgrounds.

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Strong surgical ability and knowledge

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Attention to detail; timely and accurate documentation

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Proficient with computer programs such as Word, Excel, Outlook, IOS software

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Ability to make good independent decisions and have the ability to act decisively at the right time

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Effective interpersonal skills

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Must be available to work at a moment’s notice, under difficult emotional conditions, and in highly stressful medical/surgical environments.

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Ability to cope with death and dying patients and their grieving families

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Participation in 24-hour call schedule to cover weekdays, weekends and holidays.

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Ability to work in excess of 12 hours and at times under pressure and emotionally charged situations

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Extensive amount of call hours required

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Must report to work within 1 hr of notification.

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Ability to travel in small aircraft and emergency service vehicles

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Strong leadership skills

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORKING CONDITIONS

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Sedentary: Ability to lift up to 10 pounds maximum and occasionally lifting and/or carrying such articles as dockets, ledgers and small tools. Although a sedentary job is defined as one, which involves sitting, a certain amount of walking and standing is often necessary in carrying out job duties. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and other sedentary criteria are met.

Up to 10#

Negligible

Negligible

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Light: Ability to lift up to 20 pounds maximum with frequent lifting and/or carrying of objects weighing up to 10 pounds. Even though the weight lifted may only be negligible amount, a job is in this category when it requires walking or standing to a significant degree.

up to 20#

Up to 10# or requires significant walking or standing or requires pushing/pulling of arm/leg controls.

Negligible or constant push/pull of items of negligible weight

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Medium: Ability to lift up to 50 pounds maximum with frequent lifting and/or carrying objects weighing up to 25 pounds.

20-50#

10-25#

Negligible-10#

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Heavy: Ability to lift up to 100 pounds maximum with frequent lifting and/or carrying objects weighing up to 50 pounds.

50-100#

25-50#

10-20#

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Very Heavy: Ability to lift over 100 pounds with frequent lifting and/or carrying objects weighing over 50 pounds.

Over 100#

Over 50#

Over 20#

Other - list any other physical requirements or bona fide occupational qualifications not indicated above:

Over 50 lbs.

UW Health does not require, nor does it expect that its employees lift more than 50 lbs unassisted. Objects in excess of 50 lbs should be lifted or moved with mechanical means or through a team lift. Employees in patient care areas are expected to utilize mechanical lifts and adhere to the "Use of Mechanical Lifts (Liko)" policy in the Patient Services Policy and Procedure Manual.

Note: The purpose of this document is to describe the general nature and level of work performed by personnel so classified; it is not intended to serve as an inclusive list of all responsibilities associated with this position.

THE EMPLOYEE MUST BE ABLE TO COMPLETE ALL PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE JOB WITH OR WITHOUT AN APPROVED ACCOMODATION. Note: The purpose of this document is to describe the general nature and level of work performed by personnel so classified; it is not intended to serve as an inclusive list of all responsibilities associated with this position.