When is transplant nurses day

From its Chicago, IL headquarters, the ITNS helps nurses around the world connect with others in this specialized field and offers information to remain professionally current. Transplant nurses work with patients who are having or have had solid organ transplants, so in addition to patient care, they also must stay current with the advances in transplantation itself.

Education and professional growth are topmost issues for ITNS and nurses are encouraged to remain continually engaged with learning. Transplant nurses have particular concerns about their patients and will interact with them along the entire spectrum of their transplant care. Theses nurses can specialize in one particular area—transplant coordinator, staff nurse, or post-operative, for instance—but understanding the entire transplantation spectrum helps them offer better care.

And while Transplant Nurses Day is a highlight of the year, the society also offers awards for transplant nurses and a yearly essay contest the winner is announced on Transplant Nurses Day. The long hours of being on-call and the diligent work that goes into a potential organ offer that results in kidney transplantation is especially rewarding. It is the trust and the friendship that blossoms between the family members, recipient and transplant coordinator when continuity of care is established.

It is an invaluable feeling knowing I play a vital role in the success of their post-transplant course. These instances, among others, are the ones that are the most sentimental to me. Unbeknownst to me, these assignments would prepare me for the greatest patient I could ever care for.

My mother had end-stage renal disease due to diabetic complications and was maintained on hemodialysis from Nov. On the evening of April 10, , she received a phone call that a kidney had become available. And NATCO , the Organization for Transplant and Donation Professionals, is a helpful resource for nurses wishing to find out more about research, professional training, and professional opportunities. Your team could include everything from surgeons to social workers, and your input will be invaluable as you advocate for your patients.

This is a challenging and rewarding area of nursing. Use this week to spread awareness about all transplant nurses do. Author Recent Posts. Julia Quinn-Szcesuil.