Donation Champion Training Sessions

This is a one day, highly interactive program that focuses on the role of critical care staff in utilizing and sharing best-demonstrated practices for referring potential organ donors to the organ procurement organization, providing support for families of potential organ donors, and maximizing clinical donor management. Please note, sessions are held in Philadelphia and other locations throughout our region. Please make note of the location of the training location which is listed next to the date. As registration opens, a link to the registration site will be placed next to each individual session date.

Attendees will be given focused information to allow them to become Donation Champions, someone who role-models and shares key information to assist colleagues in carrying out best demonstrated practices in real time. These programs are open to staff who work at hospitals in Gift of Life’s region. Pre-registration is required for all sessions. 

What is a Donation Champion?

Donation Champions are healthcare providers who are willing to assist their colleagues and serve patients and families by providing the critical care team with information and guidance about:

• Identifying and referring potential donors
• Providing compassionate family centered care
• Incorporating best-demonstrated practices and strategies that will maximize donation
• Optimizing organ function to maximize the donated gifts

Donation Champions support organ and tissue donation in the following ways:

• Promote patient and family rights to make a decision about donation
• Ensure that referrals to Gift of Life are timely
• Protect the opportunity for donation for every family
• Advocate for frequent “team huddle” discussions between your hospital and Gift of Life

Program Highlights:

Attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Discuss strategies to increase the number of transplantable organs and meet the needs of patients waiting for transplants.
• Listen to the personal stories of a patient and family impacted by donation.
• Discuss and share best demonstrated practices.
• Learn about the testing used to determine brain death and how to best communicate brain death to families.
• Compare and contrast the process for donation after brain death with donation after circulatory death.
• Ask questions of an expert panel comprised of a transplant surgeon, a Gift of Life transplant coordinator and a critical care nurse champion.

Who should attend?

ICU and ER Nurses, Nurse Leaders, Respiratory Therapists, Palliative Care, Social Work, Pastoral Care and anyone who may care for a potential organ donor at a hospital in Gift of Life’s region. Share information about Donation Champion with your colleagues.

2024 Donation Champion Learning Session schedule

View and download the 2024 Donation Champion Learning Session schedule.

*Visit the Calendar page for more information and registration links

To contact Gift of Life Donor Program, call 1-800-KIDNEY-1 (1-800-543-6391) or fill our the contact form below.