Hospital Referral Liaison at Gift of Hope NA in Itasca, Illinois

Job Description:

Overview
Gift of Hope is proud to serve as the federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) that coordinates organ and tissue donation and provides compassionate service to families of donors in the northern three-quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana.


Since our inception in 1986, we have coordinated donations that have saved the lives of more than 23,000 organ transplant recipients, and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of tissue transplant recipients. As one of 58 organ procurement organizations that make up the nation's organ donation system, we work with 183 hospitals in our donation service area.



Summary


Responsible for evaluating hospital referrals for organ/tissue donation potential, and maintaining referrals being followed; participates in Patient Care Conferences; approaches families for donation authorization as needed; supports families during donation process; develops and maintains effective relationships with key hospital staff to educate and maintain the option for organ and tissue donation


Compensation range for this position: $71,500 - $80,500 annually



Our Benefits


In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a comprehensive benefits package:

• Medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance options for full-time employees
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) plan
• 403(b) retirement plan with company match
• Tuition Reimbursement up to the IRS-allowed maximum
• Personalized learning and educational development opportunities
• Monthly cell phone and internet stipends
• Paid Parental Leave
• Annual Employer-funded Lifestyle Spending Accounts to support wellness needs
• Support and counseling for personal, work financial or family needs through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and our partnership with Critical Incident Stress Consultants (CISC)

Responsibilities

Essential Functions


The following essential functions are the basic job duties that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Advance Gift of Hope's mission, vision and core values: providing compassionate service, contributing to outstanding teams and engaging as one of our passionate people committed to a positive culture that embraces diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Adhere to all policies and procedures in carrying out the responsibilities of this position.
• Referral Evaluation and Follow-up
  • Respond to dispatches, onsites and phone follow-ups within established timeframes
  • Adhere to dispatch instructions, including HD attachments/special instructions and hospital policy information
  • Conduct evaluations of potential organ and tissue donors through review of hospital records to determine medical eligibility/suitability
  • Review hospital charts and current records of potential donors; document findings and follow-up plans in hospital charts
  • Collaborate with hospital medical team to maximize the donation opportunity by identifying and implementing the next steps
  • Facilitate necessary testing and services, at the direction of the AOC/Medical Director
  • Develop solutions to issues that impede the donation process
  • Coordinate and conduct effective Patient Care Conferences (PCC) with medical team and service lines involved in care of patient; ensure that Gift of Hope and medical team are aligned in goals of care and needs for family support
  
  

• Family Approach
  • Collaborate with hospital staff to provide the optimal setting for approach
  • Develop rapport with patient's family
  • Compassionately provide information about the benefits of donation
  • Counsel families through donation process
  • Document authorization according to policy
  • Be patient, respectful and compassionate with family's bereavement and decision-making processes
  • Provide timely follow-up information regarding outcome during the case and post-op
  
  
• Provide appropriate clinical and technical support to hospital staff before, during and after donation process
• Communicate with Medical Examiner (ME)/Coroner as required
• Participate in departmental quality assurance initiatives, meetings, educational activities and required training as assigned
• Make necessary medical record QA corrections as requested

• Provide real-time education on donation to hospital staff while on-site

Qualifications

Education and Training Required


The following identifies the minimum education and training required to perform the essential functions of the job.

• Minimum of one year in Allied Health, graduate RN, or some previous OPO experience
• Excellent knowledge of or training in medical terminology required

Experience and Skills Required


The following indicates the minimum skills and experience required to perform the essential functions of the job. This position requires a highly energetic person who:

• Compassionate, conscientious and ethical
• Demonstrate a high level of accountability
• Possess excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work productively and independently
• Comfortable in the presence of emotional distress, death, and dying
• Basic computer skills

Physical Demands


The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

• Ability to work outside normal business hours
• Ability to respond to dispatches in a timely manner and arrive to work sites as assigned
• Ability to function in an office environment and all hospital clinical practice areas
• Ability to learn and use technology such as computers, mobile devices and related software for communication and documentation
• Ability to see, hear, speak and communicate effectively

• Ability to sit or stand for long periods of time
• Ability to use personal cell phone for business purposes

Work Environment


The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that will be encountered by an employee while performing the essential functions of the job.

• On-call schedule of designated 12-hour days (7AM-7PM) that includes some assigned weekends and some holidays; may also include unplanned overtime, as needed
• Expectations to utilize a personal cell phone to be accessible outside regular business hours; monthly cell phone stipend available
• Access to reliable transportation to travel to multiple locations in one day within Illinois and northwest Indiana
• Hospital clinical environment, including all patient care areas
• Travel by car and occasionally by plane to hospitals and other meeting locations within Gift of Hope's service area
• Occasional travel outside the service area by car or plane to assigned conferences or meetings

The policy of Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is to promote equal employment opportunity through a positive and continuous program of specific practices designed to ensure the full realization of equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or status as a disabled veteran, recently separated veteran, other protected veteran, or Armed Forces service medal veteran designated under the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act, as amended (VEVRAA). Apply Now