Organ procurement coordinator / recovery coordinator

An organ procurement coordinator (OPC), also called an organ recovery coordinator (ORC), procurement transplant coordinator, or donation coordinator, is the core clinical field professional employed by an organ procurement organization (OPO) to manage the deceased-donation process. [1][2] The coordinator identifies and evaluates potential deceased donors, physiologically manages the donor in the intensive care unit, places the donated organs with transplant candidates through the national matching system operated by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), and carries out the coordinator's responsibilities in the donor operating room and afterward. [1][2][3] The role principally spans the donor-evaluation, donor-management, recovery, and allocation/placement stages of the donation pathway. [3]

This article describes the OPO-based procurement coordinator. It is distinct from the center-based clinical coordinator who manages transplant candidates and recipients; see Clinical / pre- and post-transplant coordinator. The role is set within the broader donation system described in Organ procurement organization (OPO) and Deceased donation.

Role and responsibilities

The organ procurement coordinator is responsible for the clinical duties related to deceased-donor identification, authorization, management, organ recovery, and post-donation follow-up. [4] In practice the coordinator's work tracks several stages of the donation pathway: [1][3][4]

• Donor evaluation. Reviewing the referred patient's medical and social history, laboratory and imaging results, and organ-specific function to assess suitability for donation.
• Donor management. Maintaining the physiologic stability of the deceased donor (after death by neurologic or circulatory criteria) through hemodynamic, ventilatory, and hormonal support in the intensive care unit, with the goal of preserving organ function until recovery.
• Allocation and placement. Running the OPTN match for each organ and making organ offers to transplant programs in the rank order produced by the national allocation system.
• Recovery. Coordinating the surgical recovery operation, including the logistics of recovery teams, the operating room, and organ preservation and transport.
• Follow-up and debrief. Completing post-donation documentation and outcome reporting and participating in case review.

Because the coordinator is frequently the OPO's on-scene representative at the donor hospital, the role also involves working alongside hospital staff and, in some OPOs, supporting the family-authorization and donor-management process. [1][2]

Background and training

Organ procurement coordinators most commonly come from clinical backgrounds. Registered nurses with intensive-care or emergency experience, paramedics, and respiratory therapists are typical entrants to the role, reflecting the critical-care nature of donor management. [1][2] Coordinators receive OPO-specific orientation and clinical training before working independently, and the field is supported by the professional organization NATCO (formerly the North American Transplant Coordinators Organization), which provides education for procurement and clinical coordinators. [5]

Certification: CPTC

The principal certification for this role is the Certified Procurement Transplant Coordinator (CPTC), granted by the American Board for Transplant Certification (ABTC). [2][4] The CPTC credential is for professionals responsible for the clinical duties related to donor identification, authorization, management, organ recovery, and post-donation follow-up. [4]

To be eligible to sit for the CPTC examination, a candidate must have completed 12 months of work experience as a vascular organ procurement coordinator by the date of application; the application requires a supervisor attestation, and once approved, eligibility is confirmed and the candidate must schedule the examination within the period specified by ABTC. [2] The examination is administered through a commercial secure-testing network. [2] CPTC is one of two ABTC credentials on the procurement/recovery (OPO) side, alongside the Certified Transplant Preservationist (CTP); the clinical/center side is served by the CCTC and CCTN credentials. [4]

Related roles

Several adjacent OPO roles support or overlap with the procurement coordinator: [1][4]

• Surgical recovery technician / procurement transplant assistant, who assists in the surgical recovery, preservation, packaging, and distribution of organs and may travel to donor hospitals. The Certified Transplant Preservationist (CTP) credential, granted by ABTC for professionals responsible for organ recovery, aseptic technique, organ preservation, specimen collection, and packing, labeling, and shipping, is relevant to this work. [4]
• OPO referral / triage coordinator, who screens incoming hospital death referrals and routes suitable cases to the clinical team.
• OPO family services / family care coordinator, who presents donation options and obtains authorization.

These and other roles are catalogued in Workforce and roles in donation and transplantation.

See also

• Workforce and roles in donation and transplantation
• Clinical / pre- and post-transplant coordinator
• Organ procurement organization (OPO)
• The donation pathway
• Deceased donation

References

• O*NET OnLine. "Certification: Certified Procurement Transplant Coordinator (CPTC)." https://www.onetonline.org/link/certinfo/7316-C
• American Board for Transplant Certification (ABTC). "Certification Examinations." https://abtc.net/candidates/certification-examinations
• Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) / HRSA. "Deceased donation." https://www.hrsa.gov/optn/patients/organ-donation/deceased-donation
• American Board for Transplant Certification (ABTC). "Certification." https://abtc.net/candidates/certification
• NATCO, The Organization for Transplant Professionals. https://www.natco1.org/