Registered Nurse - Post-Liver Transplant Coordinator (Medical Center)

At Houston Methodist, the Post-Transplant Coordinator position a registered nurse, responsible for participating in department initiatives, facilitating, and coordinating all aspects of the peri-operative and post-transplant phases of transplantation. This position demonstrates the ability to continuously progress in skill to care for increasingly complex patients, receiving coaching from experienced Transplant Coordinators and management, benefiting from their practice. The Post-Transplant Coordinator position interacts with all members of inter-professional transplant team to ensure coordination of care for the post-transplant patient and achievement of desired treatment outcomes. This position demonstrates clinical knowledge and competence when providing care, as appropriate, using technology, and managing emergencies, acting as a patient and family advocate to monitor and maintain patient rights.

FLSA STATUS
Exempt

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited School of Nursing

EXPERIENCE

• Four years nursing experience
• Previous transplant acute care and/or ICU experience preferred

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required

• RN - Registered Nurse - Texas State Licensure - Texas Board of Nursing_PSV Compact Licensure – Must obtain permanent Texas license within 60 days (if establishing Texas residency) and
• BLS - Basic Life Support or Instructor (AHA) - American Heart Association

KNOWLEDGE 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
• Strong assessment, organizational and problem-solving skill as evidenced by capacity to prioritize multiple tasks and role components
• Skilled at managing complex patient caseload and ability to prioritize/triage based on patient status
• Presents a professional image at work and all work-related events
• Knowledgeable of OPTN/UNOS policies and listing requirements, CMS Conditions of Participation
• Participates in department donor awareness events, educational opportunities, and community activities
• Working knowledge of Microsoft products

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Communicates in an active, positive, and effective manner with all transplant team members, patients, referring physicians, and other health care providers; reports pertinent patient care and family data in a comprehensive and unbiased manner; communicates patient’s status; and maintains communication as needed post-transplant
• Uses therapeutic communication to establish a relationship with patients and families and communicates the plan of care. Identifies and responds to the clinical, psychosocial, and economic needs of the transplant patient/family/caregiver during pre-operative, hospital, and post-transplant phases. Discusses importance of recipient/family/caregiver’s commitment to transplant medical and medication regimen and well-care, i.e., immunizations, mammography, pap smears, and colonoscopy, etc
• Fosters teamwork approach in all interactions with peers and team members. Anticipates needs of other team members; proactively offering assistance. Contributes to meeting department score for employee engagement

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Follows the patient and family-centered care standards, as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document. Coordinates with interprofessional healthcare team, the evaluation process for potential transplant candidate. Contributes to meeting patient satisfaction measures.
• Establishes mutual educational goals with patient and family/caregivers and provides education and appropriate resources regarding vital signs, frequency of follow-up visits, lab studies and reporting abnormalities to transplant center/primary care provider, signs/symptoms of rejections/infections, medications, etc
• Collects and reviews data pertinent to recipients’ health and organ function per protocol and as needed in follow-up. Communicates lab data and diagnostic results to transplant physician/health care provider. Implements changes in drug/treatment therapy as ordered by transplant physicians. Arranges for consultations, diagnostic procedures, and hospitalization when indicated. Maintains communication with referring physician
• Participates in transplant event process according to transplant center protocol, as applicable. Contributes to meeting department and organ program targets for process on department dashboard

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Monitors patient progress post-transplant, identifies complications and considers interventions with the transplant team. Collaborates with nursing staff, social workers, and other health care providers to establish and implement patient care plan according to current standards of care
• Recognizes potential problems, abnormal diagnostic findings, and/or significant changes during the post-transplant phase, coordinating required care
• Maintains and updates recipient status per Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network/United Network of Organ Sharing (OPTN/UNOS) regulations. Maintains comprehensive documentation of donor/recipient transplant information and recipient’s progress post transplantation. Complies with and is knowledgeable of OPTN/UNOS policies and listing requirements. Monitors and submits accurate data for hospital-based statistics and regulatory agencies such as OPTN/UNOS/CMS and Medicaid to ensure compliance with all governmental reporting requirements, and proper quality outcomes monitoring. Contributes to meeting department and organ program targets for quality, compliance, and safety, on department dashboard

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Validates patient’s insurance authorization for applicable diagnostic testing, ensuring documentation of applicable clinical activities for department charge capture and proper department financial management
• Utilizes time between heavy workloads efficiently and helps other team members. Contributes to meeting department and organ program financial measures

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Offers innovative solutions through participation in performance improvement projects. Contributes to department initiatives for quality and process improvement
• Participates in 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. Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management. Completes and updates the My Development Plan on an on-going basis

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform: No
• Scrubs: Yes
• Business professional: Yes
• Other (department approved): No

ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* Yes

TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area No
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited School of Nursing

EXPERIENCE

• Four years nursing experience
• Previous transplant acute care and/or ICU experience preferred

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required

• RN - Registered Nurse - Texas State Licensure - Texas Board of Nursing_PSV Compact Licensure – Must obtain permanent Texas license within 60 days (if establishing Texas residency) and
• BLS - Basic Life Support or Instructor (AHA) - American Heart Association