Donation Liaison

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.

The Donation Liaison position develops and maintains a positive donation culture with the assigned hospitals(s) thereby assisting in achieving donation goals. This position is responsible for ensuring that all donors and potential donor families are offered the opportunity for donation through the collaboration of both internal and external partners. Additionally, this position will facilitate the gift of donation through policy implementation, evaluation, authorization and family support before, during and after the entire donation process.

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

• Support Gift of Hope’s mission, vision and values; adhere to its policies and procedures in carrying out the responsibilities of this position
• Organ/Tissue Authorization Responsibilities
  • Respond to organ and tissue referrals at assigned hospitals and throughout Gift of Hope’s Donation Service Area
  • Conduct accurate, effective early onsite/phone evaluations
  • Review hospital charts and current records of potential donors for medical eligibility/suitability
  • Participate in medical rounds with neuro and trauma services and facilitate necessary testing and services
  • Conduct Patient Care Conferences with hospital staff during critical points in the referral and/or authorization process
  • Assess medical status and determine organ donor potential per Gift of Hope criteria in conjunction with the Administrator-on-Call (AOC) and/or Gift of Hope Medical Director
  • Document findings and follow-up plans in hospital charts; communicate same to hospital staff while on site
  • Communicate pertinent information with Donor Resource Center and AOC
  • Effectively and efficiently gather patient clinical and social/emotional information for evaluation purposes
  • Determine legal next-of-kin and/or decision maker
  • Facilitate donation of donors in first-person registry; guide family to help them understand the donation process
  • Develop rapport with donor family
  • Compassionately provide information about the benefits of donation to potential organ donor families to authorize organ and/or tissue donation; meet minimum authorization rate
  • Counsel families through donation process and provide support during and after the donation process and provide outcomes post-op
  • Participate in departmental quality assurance initiatives
• Hospital Development Responsibilities
  • Function as an expert resource within the hospital on all aspects of organ and tissue donation
  • Meet with hospital QA team to conduct weekly and/or monthly medical record review of missed opportunities for donation
  • Establish and maintain meaningful relationships with hospital staff
  • Collaborate with hospital administration to develop and implement plans to optimize hospital performance
  • Track hospital results to monitor progress and modify plans as needed
  • Review and analyze key donation outcomes to identify areas of opportunity
  • Develop solutions to issues that impede the donation process
  • Facilitate hospital programs and committees that influence organ and tissue donation
  • Develop and present professional education programs such as hospital unit-specific presentations, physician in-services, medical grand rounds, hospital ethics committee presentations, etc.

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

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Allied Healthcare field, business administration, education, advocacy or related field; or equivalent work experience

The following indicates the minimum skills and experience required to perform the essential functions of the job.

• Confident and comfortable in the presence of emotional distress, dying and death
• Ability to interpret verbal and non-verbal communication, and to demonstrate situational awareness, compassion and empathetic listening skills
• Ability to communicate effectively and compassionately with families of potential donors to present the option of organ and tissue donation
• Ability to multi-task and coordinate the activities for self and others in an environment where priorities change quickly
• Ability to maneuver and pay attention to detail in chart documentation
• Basic computer skills
• Previous training/presentation experience
• Ability to speak persuasively and influence senior level hospital staff to change hospital policy and/or practice
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret data
• Ability to effectively communicate policies, procedures, and regulations
• Ability to function with a high degree of autonomy
• Ability to develop alternatives and options to meet the needs of hospitals, family members, and Gift of Hope
• Ability to learn and understand hospital administrative and clinical functions
• Ability to operate audiovisual equipment such as overhead and/or LCD Projectors, VCR, video camera, etc.

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 drive personal auto to hospitals and other sites within service area to perform job functions
• Valid driver’s license
• Ability to function in hospital and work environments
• Ability to use company-provided mobile device and personal cell phone to call and text to communicate about the status of a case
• Ability to hear and speak to convey information to co-workers, hospital staff, and potential donor families
• Ability to speak clearly to make presentations to a variety of audiences
• Ability to work outside normal business hours, including evenings and weekends

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.

• Travel to hospitals and other sites within Gift of Hope’s regular service area within a reasonable amount of time after dispatch
• Work in ICU and operating rooms at Gift of Hope and hospitals in designated service area
• Carry a mobile device and cell phone to be accessible during assigned call schedule and regular working hours
• Make stand-up presentations using multi-media equipment