Organ Recovery Surgeon

Job Description
Under the administrative direction of the Sr. Vice President Organ Utilization and the clinical direction of the Chief Medical Officer and Surgical Director, the NEDS Recovery Surgeon is a licensed physician with experience in organ donation, surgical organ recovery and organ transplantation. The NEDS Recovery Surgeon has the primary responsibility is the surgical dissection, removal and preparation of abdominal organs recovered from deceased donors for transplantation and research, as well as the intraoperative assessment of medical suitability of the deceased donor. The NEDS Recovery Surgeon will adhere to all NEDS surgical recovery standards and is expected to contribute to the mission of NEDS to increase the availability of organs suitable for transplantation by assisting in operational efficiencies and high-quality surgical recovery services.
Administrative:
Available a minimum of 20 on-call days each month, including some weekends. An on-call day shall be defined as a 24-hour period.
Extensive travel within New England to donor hospitals both by vehicle and aircraft.
Participates in weekly quality review of donors and is a member of the NEDS Research Committee.
Attends UNOS/OPTN Region 1 meetings including Regional Kidney and Liver Consortium meetings.
Clinical:
Responsible for organ recovery procedures, both Donation after Brain Death (DBD) donors and Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD) donors, ensuring they meet national standards and NEDS policies and procedures for organ recovery and transplantation.
Assists in managing the donor hospital recovery process by collaborating with hospital staff in a respectful and professional manner.
Responsible for performing organ biopsies and facilitating the interpretation of organ biopsies by donor hospital or other pathologists to determine suitability when biopsy requested.
Responsible for inspecting the abdominal cavity for abnormalities that necessitate pathological evaluation.
Responsible for recovering liver, pancreas, and kidneys from deceased donors for transplantation.
Provides and documents an accurate and verifiable description of organ anatomy to include assessment of quality, anatomical abnormalities, and surgical damage.
Participates in verification of organ labeling to ensure accuracy and safety in accordance with NEDS policies.
Recovers or assists in the recovery of heart valves and organs for research when requested.
Assists the Organ Surgical Recovery Coordinator (OSRC) in perfusion and preservation.
Clinical Skills:
Knowledge of relevant medical terminology and pathology, ability to translate complex medical information into easily understandable language for families and staff to understand.
Interpersonal and Communication Skills:
Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills. Ability to critically think, problem solve, and work productively both independently and as a team participant. Skilled in active listening and proven ability to handle sensitive and confidential information.
Emotional Intelligence:
Demonstrates the ability to understand, use and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and diffuse conflict.
Delegation:
Knows when and what to delegate. Assigns tasks/assignments to match and individuals’ personal strengths. Encourage employees to utilize critical thinking to solve their own problems.
Initiative:
Is a self-starter. Seeks solutions and makes practical suggestions. Finds new and better ways to perform job and functions. Displays ingenuity in anticipating and meeting unexpected situations.
Organization:
Is able to successfully prioritize when faced with demands, requests and deadlines. Effectively handles competing priorities. Is able to distinguish between the crucial and trivial. Sees the big picture. Keeps situations in proper perspective.
Confidentiality:
Ability to handle highly confidential information in a professional manner. High level of judgment and discretion.