NSW ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION SERVICE POSITIONS
On 2 July 2008 the Australian Government announced a total Commonwealth funding package of $151.1 million, including new funding of $136.4 million over four years, for measures to significantly improve Australians' access to life saving organ transplants.
In 2007, 198 Australians gave the ultimate gift by donating their solid organs. However, at the same time around 1,800 Australians are waiting for a solid organ transplant to save their lives or dramatically improve their quality of life.
The funding package will establish Australia as a world leader in best practice organ donation for transplantation through an integrated and comprehensive national reform package.
These evidence based reforms have been designed using international and national best practice models with a proven track record of maximising donation rates.
A new network of medical specialists and senior nurses with dedicated responsibility for organ and tissue donation will be key to the success of this national effort.
Their role and responsibilities reflect the overarching principles of the national reform package:
- A new, nationally consistent and coordinated approach and system for organ and tissue donation to boost the number of transplants for Australians;
- Increased, dedicated capacity within the health system to focus on organ and tissue donation; and
- The implementation in the Australian context of proven international and national best practice taking into account individual State and Territory legislative, structural and operational requirements to maximise success.
These new positions will lead and coordinate State wide efforts to improve organ and tissue transplantation rates for Australians. They will work closely with the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority to ensure a nationally coordinated approach and consistency of practice within their jurisdiction.
• The NSW Medical Director will be: accountable to an executive member of NSW Health; will not be involved in day to day organ donation and tissue clinical practice within hospitals; and may not be based in hospitals.
Medical qualifications and previous clinical and managerial experience will be essential, but it will not be necessary for the incumbents to be practicing clinicians. While this position is full time up to 0.2 FTE time may be spent in clinical practice, research or academic work. Download Position Description
• The Nurse Manager (1 FTE, Grade 5/6) is based at the NSW Organ and Tissue Donation Agency in Kogarah and is responsible and accountable for ongoing nursing leadership within the NSW Organ and Tissue Donation Service and day to day operational management of solid organ donation processes. Download Position Description
• The State Donor Nurse Consultant (1 Casual Position CNC 1 and 1 FTE, maternity relief to April 2010, CNC 2) is based at the NSW Organ and Tissue Donation Agency in Kogarah and is part of the State based team to provide consultancy and coordinate and facilitate the process of organ and tissue donation, support donor families and provide education and awareness raising activities within health and the general community, in conjunction with the Hospital based teams. Download Casual Position Description or Download Full Time CNC2 Position Description
• The Hospital-based Medical Directors’ (10 FTE across NSW) primary focus is to lead and drive at the local level the national effort to increase organ and tissue donation across
The Hospital-based Medical Directors will be responsible and accountable for the process to optimise organ and tissue donation for transplantation, including the education of hospital staff and obtaining consent. Specifically the positions will be responsible for systems that will ensure:
• that all potential cadaveric donors are properly recognised and evaluated, and the opportunity for donation is available; and
• integrated management of the donation process to assure quality and national consistency of all procedures from donor identification to donor family follow up and aftercare. Download Position Description
• Clinical Nurse Specialists – Organ and Tissue Donation (12 FTE across NSW) will be employed in major metropolitan and regional hospitals that have the capacity for organ and tissue donation. The nature of these positions – including outreach and after hours work – will reflect the individual hospital’s: population demographics and catchment; geographical location; capacity for organ and tissue donation activity; and hospital outreach activities.
The Clinical Nurse Specialists will be responsible for raising awareness of, and providing educational services on organ and tissue donation for all local hospital and outreach medical, nursing and allied health staff who come into contact with the donation process. They will also facilitate, under the direction of the local Hospital-based Medical Director, organ and tissue donation by working with hospital teams to identify and convert potential organ donors into actual donors. Download Position Description
For information on locations of nursing positions click here.
For information on locations of medical positions click here.
To apply for a position go to http://www7.health.nsw.gov.au/healthjobs/