Responsibilities:

• In conjunction with transplant physician, assesses patient in outpatient clinic.
• Facilitates plan of care and symptom management with outpatient staff.
• Reviews medical information from referring physician and initiates appropriate communication.
• Prior to procedure, coordinates with patient's transplant physician and referring physician for evaluation of patient for transplant candidacy.
• This includes facilitating tissue typing of recipient and donor, and arranging the timing and collection of pretesting prior to transplant with referring physician and transplant team.
• Assembles test results of evaluation and arranges further testing, if indicated.
• Plans, conducts and evaluates educational activities regarding transplant or ventricular assist devices for potential recipients, families, and professionals.
• Triages patients during the entire transplant process for any medical and psycho social issues. Is available by beeper and by phone in order to provide immediate assessment and delivery of care in a timely and cost effective manner.
• Coordinates information flow among medical, ancillary, nursing, financial and insurance offices.
• Collaborates with physicians to provide direct care to patients, and plans and evaluates the delivery of care.
• Manages the health care of patients with VADs.
• Assists in obtaining medications and supplies from the appropriate source according to the patient's insurance overage.
• Manages equipment, supplies, and charges in conjunction with hospital liaisons.
• Assists in reinforcement of discharge information, and trains community for patient discharge.
• Contacts referring physician and arranges follow up in the local area or at CCF depending upon patient and their activity.
• Supports requirements for continued VAD Certification by Joint Commission.
• Participates in research by the implementation of protocols and the collection of data.
• Facilitates procedures which enable the implementation of studies with various interdepartmental components.
• Provides in-service for nursing staff and presentations for any outside organization or group inquiring about the transplant or VAD process. Supports the VAD Process Improvement Committee preparations as required.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Nursing.

Certifications:

• State licensure as Registered Nurse (RN), certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP) or Physician Assistant (PAC).
• Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification.

Complexity of Work:

• All employees are expected to meet the standards of performance outlined in the Organizational-Wide Competencies listed below as applied to the position:
• World Class Service Orientation: Includes attitude, behavior, interpersonal skill, and problem solving that enable an employee to respond to internal and external customer needs and expectations in a positive manner.
• Adaptability: Includes teamwork and flexibility needed to fulfill job responsibilities including adapting to changes in work environment and accepting supervisory feedback.
• Efficiency and Effectiveness: Includes quantity and quality of desired work, as well as organization skills necessary to perform successfully.
• Essential Job Requirements: Includes adherence to all relevant policies, procedures, and guidelines affecting the work environment, including maintenance of required competencies and communication skills.
• Managerial Responsibilities: Includes overall accountability for assigned work group relative to operational goals, personnel requirements, and budgetary constraints. Note: The above stated duties are intended to outline those functions typically performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This description of duties is not intended to be all inclusive or to limit the discretionary authority of supervisors to assign other tasks of similar nature or level of responsibility.

Work Experience:

• Experience working with CTS, ICU or heart failure patients.
• Minimum one year transplant experience preferred.

Physical Requirements:

• Requires full range of body motion, manual finger dexterity and coordination.
• Requires working under stressful conditions and working irregular hours.
• Must be willing to take call on a rotating basis.

Personal Protective Equipment:

• Follows Standard Precautions using personal protective equipment as required for procedures.