Transplant Learning Opportunities
As a part of our commitment to advance medical-care knowledge, Houston Methodist offers health professionals the opportunity to expand their skills through program fellowships.
Transplant Coordinator Transition Program
The Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center provides a comprehensive range of transplant services to patients in need. Care provided throughout the transplant center offers unique learning opportunities for experienced nurses who participate in our Transplant Coordinator Transition Program, the only program of its kind in the United States. This program is a hands-on, interactive experience designed to educate registered nurses in all aspects of solid-organ transplant care. Approximately every six months, a group of four RNs will rotate through the 6-month program.
This program targets two areas:
- Clinical transplant immersion (transplant nursing focus)
- Transplant coordination immersion (transplant coordinator focus)
The teaching curriculum is focused on patient assessment, critical thinking in terms of positive clinical outcomes, coordination of inter-professional teams and resources and safety in the transplant clinical environment with exposure to and interaction with experts in the fields of solid-organ transplant management, transplant surgery, transplant pharmacy and transplant infectious disease. Transition nurses will attend critical care and research classes in each group of solid-organ transplant, including heart and VAD; lung, kidney and pancreas; as well as liver and hepatobiliary. A grade of “pass” in both the didactic and clinical portions of the course is required to successfully complete the program. Transition nurses will also participate in competency evaluations periodically throughout the course. Upon completion of the program, nurses will be placed in available permanent positions within one of the organ programs.
To be eligible, you must meet certain criteria:
- Bachelor's degree in nursing
- Minimum of 3 years nursing experience
- Ability to work at least 40 hours per week
- Basic Life Support (BLS) certifications
Transplant Partnership Program
The Transplant Partnership Program is offered to dialysis and nephrology providers who wish to increase their knowledge of the living donor transplant process. Participants meet for a half-day learning session that includes classroom education, a tour of Houston Methodist Hospital, surgical observation of a live donor transplant and a debriefing session upon completion.
During the surgical observation, participants are able to connect with transplant team members and surgeons, who provide a highly technical and interactive “classroom” experience throughout the procedure. As a result, participants will better understand and be able to explain the innovative techniques utilized during living donor nephrectomies. In addition, participants will increase their foundational knowledge of the advantages to a live donor transplant as compared to other available treatments for end-stage renal disease. Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center is one of the only centers in Texas to offer this type of program.
