(RN) Registered Nurse - Transplant Coordinator - 141533

Registered Nurse - Transplant Coordinator

UC San Diego Health is proud to be a four-time Magnet-designated organization and has now earned Magnet with Distinction from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Magnet is the gold standard for nursing excellence, achieved by only about 10% of hospitals worldwide. Magnet with Distinction is awarded to the highest-performing Magnet organizations, with only a select few earning this prestigious honor. This recognition reflects our commitment to transformational leadership, professional nursing excellence, innovation, exceptional patient outcomes, and an empowering practice environment where nurses thrive.

The UC San Diego Center for Transplantation is a nationally recognized, regionally leading academic center that provides comprehensive transplant care in heart, lung, kidney, liver, and multi-organ transplant. The Inpatient Abdominal Transplant Coordinator is a Registered Nurse responsible for care coordination and comprehensive management of patients undergoing liver or kidney transplantation throughout the inpatient continuum. This role ensures continuity of care for transplant patients, provides clinical expertise and patient education, and supports quality and regulatory compliance. The coordinator also serves as a liaison among patients, families, stakeholders, and the multidisciplinary transplant team. As a key member of the team, they assist in resolving complex clinical issues and communicate directly with attending physicians and other multidisciplinary team members.

Autonomous nursing care is the ability of a nurse to assess and provide nursing actions as appropriate for patient care populations based on competence, professional expertise, and knowledge. The nurse is expected to practice autonomously and consistently with ANA Standards of Practice and Professional Performance. Independent judgment is expected to be exercised within the context of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches to patient care.

Key Responsibilities:

Clinical Management and Care Coordination

• Coordinate patient care for the kidney and liver transplant inpatients across all campuses throughout the transplant continuum, including referral, evaluation, selection, waitlisting, and post-transplant care.
• Collaborate with appropriate stakeholders to facilitate outside hospital transfer process upon referral acceptance.
• Provide clinical oversight and appropriate escalation of patient changes or care gaps to the surgeons, hepatologists, nephrologists, and other transplant stakeholders.
• Serve as leader and advocate for inpatient transplant care, protocols, and transplant team.
• Anticipate and facilitate timely diagnostic testing and imaging, consultations, treatment plans, record retrieval, and discharge planning.
• Effective communication and collaborate with Hepatologists, Nephrologist, and Abdominal Transplant Surgeons, multidisciplinary health team, and other stakeholders.
• Serve as a liaison between patients, families and the transplant multidisciplinary team.
• Participate in multidisciplinary rounds and case conferences.
• Navigate Phoenix and Epic (Inpatient and Outpatient settings) to access, review, update, and document patient charts accordingly.
• Work closely with outpatient transplant coordinators and the broader care team, stepping in to assist with shared tasks and responsibilities during periods of lower inpatient census to maintain smooth, coordinated patient care for all transplant patients.

Patient and Family Education

• Provide comprehensive, individualized education to patients and families regarding the transplant process, procedures, immunosuppressive regimens, transplant medications, post-transplant care and follow-up requirements, and necessary lifestyle modifications in a timely manner.
• Serve as a resource and liaison for patients and families throughout hospitalization.

Regulatory and Quality Compliance

• Ensure regulatory and quality compliance with UNOS, CMS, and Joint Commission standards and requirements, including but not limited to TIEDI form entries.
• Complete time-sensitive, required transplant forms and tasks in a timely manner.
• Assist with quality and regulatory assurance initiatives, including but not limited to chart reviews and audits.

While not required, a cover letter is highly recommended when applying to this position. The primary location for this position is La Jolla but will be required to occasionally go to Hillcrest and East Campus in the future as our program expands.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Must be a graduate from an accredited school of Nursing.
• Registered Nurse (RN) issued by the state of California.
• BART or BLS at time of hire with commitment to get BART w/in 6 months of hire date.
• Minimum of two (2) years of current acute care RN experience with transplant patients, or Transplant Coordinator experience.
• Demonstrate ability to coordinate care for transplant patients from referral to discharge, and to understand and proactively respond to the needs and care plans of the liver and kidney transplant patient population.
• Experience with or demonstrate willingness to learn the transplant coordinator role, including but not limited to reviewing transfers, new referrals for transplant evaluation, listing, and post-transplant follow-up,
• Demonstrate general knowledge of transplant regulatory requirements, including UNOS/OPTN guidelines, CMS transplant regulations, and compliance standards.
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills to manage multiple levels of information and responsibilities, and to quickly assess moderate to complex problems to develop appropriate solutions.
• Ability to provide effective, thorough, individualized patient evaluation education and discharge teaching to patients and their families.
• Demonstrates critical thinking and clinical skills to identify and implement nursing interventions, evaluate results, and appropriate escalation.
• Must have excellent interpersonal skills to effectively communicate and influence all levels of multidisciplinary team members, physicians, patients and external stakeholders, both verbally and in writing while promoting kindness, professionalism, teamwork, and high-quality patient care.
• Strong prioritization skills to meet urgent program and patient needs.
• Demonstrates the ability to adapt to fast-paced environment, frequent workflow changes, managing stress, and maintaining professionalism.
• Maintains a positive, solution-oriented approach to challenges, encourages teamwork and open communication, and remains receptive to feedback to support individuals and program growth.
• Ability to at all times adhere to UCSD Health Medical Center (C.A.R.I.N.G.) Standards of Performance, and demonstrate the characteristics of professionalism in attire, attitude, conversation, behavior and attentiveness to others.

Preferred Qualifications:

• BSN.
• Previous transplant or organ procurement experience.
• Epic (inpatient and outpatient) and Phoenix experience.
• Previous experience providing comprehensive transplant patient education and care coordination.
• Certified Clinical Transplant Coordinator (CCTC).
• Organ Procurement Coordinator (CPTC) certification (for OPO roles).

Special Conditions:

• Must be able to work various hours and locations based on business needs.
• Employment is subject to a criminal background check and pre-employment physical.
• Selected candidate may be hired at the CNIII level pending review and approval by the Nurse Executive Council.

Pay Transparency Act

Annual Full Pay Range: $138,330 - $193,892 (will be prorated if the appointment percentage is less than 100%)

Hourly Equivalent: $66.25 - $92.86

Factors in determining the appropriate compensation for a role include experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. The Hiring Pay Scale referenced in the job posting is the budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position. The Annual Full Pay Range may be broader than what the University anticipates to pay for this position, based on internal equity, budget, and collective bargaining agreements (when applicable).