A Transplant Nurse cares for patients who are donating or receiving an organ or tissue through a transplant procedure. Transplant nurses are a crucial part of the organ transplant team. In fact, it is the transplant nurse who often has the most contact with the patient.
Transplant nurses are involved in every step of the organ donation process, from preparing the patient for surgery to monitoring the transplant recipient’s health afterward. The member of the transplant team who interacts most frequently with the recipient of organ donations is a transplant nurse.
This specialist role, also known as a transplant nurse coordinator, is in charge of organizing a patient's care during each stage of the transplantation procedure. A transplant nurse manages everything from identifying potential transplant recipients to making sure the donated organs are not rejected by the recipient's body, in addition to traditional nursing duties like taking vital signs, giving medication, and preparing a patient for surgery.
Transplant recipients and their families receive education and support from transplant recipients and their families throughout the transplant journey. Transplant nurses have received substantial study and training, and many of them are certified in this area of nursing. These certifications ensure that the nurses caring for recipients of organ donation have the most advanced training and preparation.
A transplant nurse plays an essential role during organ transplant surgery. Before pursuing a job as a transplant nurse, though, make sure to prepare yourself. To become a transplant nurse, you’ll first need to earn a nursing degree such as the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree offered at Gwynedd Mercy University, and then pass the NCLEX exams.
These standardized exams are required to begin entry-level nursing careers. During your course of study, you may choose to gain experience in the areas of critical care or medical-surgical care. Some employers may require an advanced nursing degree, such as the Master of Science in Nursing degree.
Gwynedd Mercy University offers flexible degree programs that are designed for whichever stage of life you’re in. Our four-year BSN program is a full-time undergraduate nursing program offered on our Gwynedd Valley campus.
Our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is an accelerated 15-month program for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in another field, and the Weekend BSN option enables working adults who already have a bachelor’s degree in another field to earn their nursing degrees on the weekend.
After earning your degree, you’ll need to get some work experience under your belt and then pass a transplant nurse certification examination. The American Board for Transplant Certification offers four different certification exams, depending on specialty. These areas include:
Transplant nursing is a specialized field, thanks in part to advances in transplantation and transplant patient care, so you’ll likely need to take continuing education classes to maintain your certifications.
Transplant nurses need to master several other soft skills to help them succeed. Since a large part of their job involves talking to patients and donors about the risks and expectations involved with transplant surgery, these nurses need to communicate well to deliver difficult information in a straightforward but reassuring manner.
Nurses need physical stamina, attention to detail, and critical-thinking skills. Surgery comes with many risks and difficult decisions. Transplant nurses make many of these decisions, such as ensuring that patients are healthy enough to go into surgery or properly dressing patients' wounds.
A transplant nurse job description is vast and far-reaching; transplant nurses are a crucial part of the transplantation team, coordinating the care of organ donors and recipients. They help to make sure an organ is a correct match for a recipient, prepare living donors and recipients for surgery, and monitor recipients after the transplant.
Sometimes, a living donor is able to donate an organ such as a kidney or liver to a recipient. Often, these donors are close family members of the recipient. Transplant nurses can work with these living donors to prepare them for transplant procedures. This involves educating them about the transplantation process, prepping them for the procedures, assisting the medical team during surgery, and proving post-operative care.
A transplant nurse works with patients on the waiting list for a transplant by educating them about healthy living styles. Because the need for organs is greater than the supply, many patients often have to wait for an organ to become available. During this time, transplant nurses help patients maintain a healthy lifestyle, ensure they are taking their proper medications, and determine if the patient is a good match for an available organ.
Once the patient is ready for the transplant, the transplant nurse assists the medical team during surgery and monitors the recipient for complications such as organ rejection after the transplant.
The average salary for transplant nurses is about $78,000. However, transplant nursing salaries can vary depending on the region in which your work, your level of education and experience, and the setting in which you work. However, the median annual transplant nurse salary in the United States is $77,000, according to 2016 Payscale data. Salaries can vary depending on location.
The benefits of transplant nurse includes Helping Others. Whether they're caring for patients at the bedside or fighting for patient rights, nurses are in the business of improving and saving lives. Next is their High Demand and Earning Potential making this profession one of the best career opportunity. It helps in providing Diverse Opportunities, Flexible Schedules, Trusted Profession, Work Wardrobe, etc. this is a respected profession that helps an individual to serve humanity. Experience level also makes a significant difference on a transplant nurse's salary. Late-career medical surgery nurses can earn about $19,000 more than their entry-level colleagues.
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