Harborview Medical Center nurses visit LifeCenter Northwest for Donation Leaders Training

On November 15, 2017, LifeCenter Northwest hosted 30 critical care nurses from Harborview Medical Center (HMC) at LCNW’s home office in Bellevue, WA for an all-day Donation Leaders Training. This interactive training is designed to empower unit leaders to provide real-time education around donation and take a collaborative approach to improved donation processes.

This was the first time HMC staff participated in the training. The training is a great opportunity for nurses to interact with LCNW Hospital Development, Clinical, and Donor Family Advocate staff who work alongside them during a donation case.

The first half of the day focused on how an optimal donation process works, and what donor management looks like for both brain death and donation after circulatory death situations. The morning session concluded with a guest speaker, a donor mom, who shared her experience with donation. She expressed the positive impact of donation in the moment and in the present because her son is not a “was” he is an “is” because he lives on in others through his life-saving gifts.

Kevin O’Connor, President & CEO of LCNW provided a broader picture of donation and transplantation as he spoke to the group about medical advancements and the current state of donation on a national-level during lunch.

The second half of the day was spent on topics ranging from a patient’s donation decision to compassion fatigue and featured an interdepartmental panel of LifeCenter staff representatives from Tissue Donation Services, Surgical, Organ Donation Services, Donor Family Support (onsite), and Donor Family Aftercare. This consisted of reviewing current processes, sharing best practices, and creating ways to improve donation outcomes to ensure all parties have the best experience possible.

The day concluded with a heart transplant sharing her experience and the importance of her donor’s gift, what her life was like before the

transplant and after, and how thankful she is each day for her second chance.

It is our hope that these critical care nurses walked away with a deeper understanding of the donation process, their role, and the role of others in the hospital. LifeCenter is grateful for all attendees who actively renewed their commitment to be donation leaders on their units.

If you are interested in attending or hosting a Donation Leaders Training for your hospital, or in any of the CEU programs offered by LifeCenter Northwest, please contact your Hospital Development Program Manager. Click here for a full list of program managers.