Critical care training for organ donation specialist nurses

A bespoke course and educational package were created to develop specialist nurses in organ donation from a non-critical care background.

Abstract

Due to increasing difficulties of recruiting specialist nurses in organ donation who have critical care experience, NHS Blood and Transplant broadened the recruitment criteria to include nurses from non-critical care backgrounds. In support of this, a bespoke critical care education package was created to develop these nurses’ competence in critical care areas relevant to managing a potential organ and tissue donor. This educational package was scoped, designed, delivered and evaluated to ensure it met the needs of the specialist nurses in training and fit the organisation’s operational demands. By recognising transferable skills, and adapting training methods and materials, the project created more opportunities for nurses to enter the field of organ and tissue donation.

Citation: McManus H et al (2024) Critical care training for organ donation specialist nurses. Nursing Times [online]; 120: 1.

Authors: Helen McManus is national professional development specialist; Lisa Francis and Edward Davies are professional development specialists; Sarah Mason is national professional development specialist; Helen Bentley is former head of education and professional development; all at NHS Blood and Transplant