Under the general supervision of the Chaplaincy Program leadership, the Independent Living Donor Advocate (ILDA) functions as an advocate and resource for the Transplant Program's living kidney donor candidates throughout referral, evaluation, surgery and follow-up (the donation process). Ensures that the donor's rights are protected, that their best interests are promoted and that all questions and concerns raised during the donation process are addressed.
Respects and supports the donor's decision and ensures that it is fully informed and free from any coercion. The ILDA is a transplant program position with regulatory requirements from CMS (Medicare) and UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) and TJC (The Joint Commission). Brown University Health employees are expected to successfully role model the organization's values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence as these values guide our everyday actions with patients, customers and one another.
In addition to our values, all employees are expected to demonstrate the core Success Factors which tell us how we work together and how we get things done. The core Success Factors include: Instill Trust and Value Differences Patient and Community Focus and Collaborate
The Independent Living Donor Advocate represents and advises the donor candidate throughout the donation process with the goal of protecting their rights and promoting their best interests. Throughout the donation process, the ILDA will provide a safe environment for the potential donor to express questions and concerns regarding the evaluation process or transplant surgery. The duties/responsibilities to accomplish this include, but are not limited to, the following: Upon a candidate's initial referral / contact with the Transplant Program, and prior to the Living Donor Coordinator initiating the donor evaluation process, the ILDA will contact the potential donor, introduce him or herself, explain their role and briefly describe the donor evaluation process so that the potential donor understands what to expect and can ask any preliminary questions before proceeding.
The ILDA documents their notes from this and all future interactions with the donor in the transplant program record. On the day of the initial evaluation appointment, the ILDA will actively participate in the evaluation and informed consent process with the Living Donor Coordinator and the prospective donor. The ILDA will then meet in person with the potential donor to further discuss areas of informed consent, including risks, and the donor's motivation to donate a kidney to ensure that there are no concerns regarding coercion.
They will review the voluntary nature of living kidney donation with the potential donor and will assess the donor's understanding of the information provided. The ILDA will ensure that a comprehensive psychosocial evaluation of the donor candidate has been done by a licensed mental health professional on behalf of the transplant team. During the evaluation process, the ILDA maintains on-going communication with the Living Donor Coordinator and will discuss any concerns or issues with the donor team.
They will contribute to the transplant team's assessment of the potential donor by providing information about the donor's understanding of donation and making known any reservations the donor may have about proceeding with evaluation or donation for transplant. The ILDA will also review the donor's right to confidentially opt out at any time. Once the donor candidate is cleared for donation and a surgery date is being scheduled, the ILDA will check in on how they are feeling about their decision to donate a kidney and the workup process.
The ILDA will confirm that all the information needed to make the decision to donate has been provided, that the donor has considered the risks in a thoughtful way and has a supportive social network. The ILDA will again make every effort to confirm that the donor's decision is being made free from coercion. They will respect and support the donor candidate's decisions, which may include a decision to withdraw from the donation process up to and including day of surgery.
After donation surgery, the ILDA will meet with living donor during their hospitalization to determine how they are feeling after their surgery and about their decision to donate a kidney, and if there are any issues or concerns that need to be brought to the attention of the transplant team. The ILDA will be available to the donor throughout the recovery process. They will call the donor at 6 weeks post- hospitalization discharge to check in on how the donor is feeling about their decision to donate a kidney (emotional/psychological status check).
If questions or concerns are raised by the donor at any point in the follow up, they will respond in a timely and proactive way to resolve the situation and/or communicate the information to the transplant team. The ILDA will attend the bi-weekly transplant multidisciplinary Living Donor Committee meetings and provide information, input and note concerns, if any, regarding any potential or past donors. The ILDA will remain current in knowledge applicable to this position, including transplantation and living organ donation, informed consent, medical ethics, UNOS/OPTN policy and CMS requirements.
Performs other duties as assigned.
EDUCATION &Experience The ILDA's background can include experience in the field of medicine, nursing, social work, psychology, chaplaincy, or other appropriate disciplines. The ILDA will be approved / deemed qualified by the Transplant Program leadership. The ILDA will complete transplant center-specific orientation and applicable training for this role.
Evaluation of the ILDA's performance will be done periodically by their supervisor and will include input from members of the transplant program's living donor team. Bachelor's degree preferred Strong verbal and written communication skills Strong interpersonal skills; the ability to actively listen Ability to effectively communicate assessments and concerns to the transplant team (comprised of physicians, nurses, other allied health specialists) and to confidently and diplomatically advocate to the transplant team on behalf of the donor's best interests Has knowledge of, or has the ability, to be oriented and educated in the topics of living organ donation, transplantation, medical ethics and informed consent Ability to understand the potential impact of family dynamics and other external pressures on the living donor candidate's decision whether to donate, and has the ability to discuss these sensitive issues with the donor Able to work collaboratively with, but independently from, the transplant team (to avoid conflicts of interest) Prior experience working in a multi-disciplinary healthcare team of physicians, nurses, social workers, other allied health professionals and administrative staff
$24.29-$40.07 EEO Statement: Brown University Health is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and maintaining a work environment free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment. Location: Rhode Island Hospital - 593 Eddy Street Providence, Rhode Island 02903 Work Type: M-F Perdiem Work
Day Daily Hours: 4 hours Driving Required: Yes