Perfusion Technician - F/T Days

Perfusion Technician

Purpose: The Perfusion Technician performs technical operations in organ procurement and perfusion. These duties include assistance with recovery, preservation, and perfusion of kidneys, livers, hearts, lungs, and other solid organs in such a way as to enable transplantation.

Essential Job Functions (95%):

• Must participate in a rotating call schedule and carry a smart phone. Call may exceed fifty percent of days in the month. Business hours and hours worked are dictated by donor activity. In the event of heavy case load, all efforts will be made to utilize staff listed on the call schedule. In the event cases cannot be adequately staffed by those on-call, staff not on-call will be contacted and required to work. The AOC will decide when to utilize staff not on call. Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate the needs of off-call staff being called in, however case load factors may limit accommodations. Off call staff called into work will be paid 24 hours of call pay beginning on the date called in and continue until case load has eased and off call staff are no longer required. Additionally, the call day or days will be counted toward the triple call pay threshold for the given calendar quarter. Supplemental / Overtime pay thresholds remain in place, if applicable to the individual employee (see supplemental compensation policy).
• Initially (3 to 8 months) will be on call all the time in order to participate in and learn with each recovery.
• Performs all responsibilities of the position while promoting a team environment.
• Represents the CDT professionally and provides excellent customer service to all CDT contacts including donor families, donor hospital staff, coroners, medical examiners, funeral home personnel, and the general public.
• Maintains strictest confidentiality of all donor information in accordance with CDT policies and applicable standards/regulations.
• Travel by company vehicle, personal vehicle, small and medium sized chartered planes, helicopters, and chartered limousine services required.

Organ Perfusion Operations:

• Interacts with organ donor and transplant surgeons, coordinators, and other staff to provide continuity of information pertinent to the perfusion and preservation of organs.
• Is present in the O.R. for all organ donors when on-call (or when helping out in emergency situations) to assist Hospital O.R. staff, ICU personnel, and CDT OPC's in bringing the patient to the O.R.
• Provide disposable supplies and CDT-specific instrumentation to the surgical team as needed.
• Set up surgical field(s) for organ packaging.
• Prepare sterile ice for topical cooling of organs.
• Mix solutions for preservation.
• Assist surgeon as requested in dissection of organs in situ or on the back table.
• Collects, labels, and packages appropriate vessels, tissue samples, and blood samples per CDT and UNOS protocol.
• During the organ donor surgery, the Perfusion Technician sets up perfusion tubing, then performs in situ flush and monitors solid organs while in the body in accordance with CDT policies and applicable standards/regulations and as directed by the surgeon(s).
• During and after the organ donor surgery, the Perfusion Technician maintains the surgically recovered solid organs in accordance with CDT policies and applicable standards/regulations.
• The Perfusion Technician is responsible for all facets of pulsatile organ preservation including set-up of the pulsatile perfusion machine, cannulation of the organ, placement of the organ on the machine, initial and on-going monitoring of the organ, recording of all perfusion parameters, reporting of all perfusion parameters to transplant surgeons or other personnel as required in organ placement, removal of the organ from the machine either in the O.R. or pump room, sterile packaging of the organ for static preservation/shipment (if necessary), and maintaining perfusion and preservation data and documentation on solid organ donors in accordance with CDT policies and applicable standards/regulations.
• After the surgeon has recovered all transplantable organs, the Perfusion Technician will remove, flush, and package any organs recovered strictly for purposes of research.
• The Perfusion Technician packages organs for shipment per CDT and UNOS policy/standard and transfers custody of the organ to appropriate couriers to facilitate timely shipment and transplant of organs.
• The Perfusion Technician goes on all fly-outs for import organs and coordinates all transportation from airport to hospital, surgical recovery, and transport back to the airport per CDT policy. Also ensures that recovery team is picked up at airport upon arrival back in Albany or Burlington, and that team, organ, blood samples, tissue samples, and medical records are transported to the appropriate destination(s) per CDT policy.
• The Perfusion Technician accepts delivery of all import organs from courier at either AMC or CDT office, ensures tissue typing materials are delivered to the TIL, and that the imported organ is then properly repackaged for transport to the O.R. at AMC or delivered to the courier for transport to VTMC.
• Stocks pump room, CDT supply room, and other supplies as needed.
• Cleans and maintains supply areas and equipment associated with organ preservation per CDT policies and applicable standards/regulations.
• Provides clinical support to AMC and VTMC transplant programs for living related and kidney paired donation during recovery per CDT policy.

Office Duties:

• Participates in weekly Case Review meeting and daily morning huddle.
• Participates in CDT QI process.
• Performs data entry for referrals and donors.
• Maintains inventory of donor related materials and supplies.
• Documents, notifies, and communicates reportable events to the Director of Clinical Operations and/or the Executive Director.

Non-essential Job Functions (5%):

• Complete other tasks as assigned by the Director of Clinical Operations.
• Attend other meetings as assigned.
• Although designated "non-essential", an employee capable of performing a function is expected to do so if a function is assigned.

Qualifications:

• Prefer certification in a healthcare field or a degree (Associate's or Bachelor's).
• Prefer two or more years of previous experience in organ perfusion.
• Prefer two or more years of operating room experience.
• Prefer previous on-call experience.
• Must be physically able to lift 75-100 pounds and capable of performing work responsibilities for extended hours.
• Must be able to work extended hours.
• Must have the ability to keep accurate records, perform calculations, follow guidelines, draft policies, and perform technical training.
• Prefer previous data entry and computer experience.

All position requirements listed indicate the minimum level of knowledge, skills, and/or ability deemed necessary to perform the job proficiently. This position description is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities, or requirements. Employees will be required to perform any other job-related instructions given by their supervisor, subject to reasonable accommodations.