Tissue Recovery Technician

Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network•Itasca, IL

12d•$28 - $29•Onsite

About The Position

Put your skills to work in a field that profoundly impacts many lives: Organ and Tissue Donation. At Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network, we’re dedicated to coordinating organ and tissue donation in the northern three-quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana. Our goal is to provide the highest quality service to families and hospitals as we strive to fulfill our mission of saving and enhancing the lives of as many people as possible through organ and tissue donation. A Tissue Recovery Technician uses surgical instruments to recover tissues for transplant from a deceased donor body during a tissue recovery case; precepts new employees and displays respect for the donor during each case. Experience in an anatomy or cadaver lab is very applicable, as is experience as an EMT, Paramedic, Surgical Tech or Patient Care Tech. Compensation range for is $27.76 - $29.28/hour

Requirements

EMT-P (paramedic), EMT-B, CST or ORT, or high school diploma/GED with 6 months tissue banking experience or 18 months of related experience Or Bachelor’s Degree in Biology or related field with anatomy lab experience Other candidates may be considered on an individual basis at the discretion of management dependent on aligned job experience
Experience maintaining proper aseptic technique
Experience using surgical instruments such as scalpels and suture needles
Ability to recover all donor tissues proficiently once trained
Ability to transition to role of Tissue Recovery Coordinator within 1 year after training complete in the Technician role
Basic computer skills
Ability to drive personal car to hospitals and other locations to perform job functions
Ability to work outside normal business hours including nights, weekends, and holidays
Ability to walk, stand, bend, stoop, and kneel to perform job functions
Ability to work 12- to 24-hour shifts, as dictated by organizational needs
Ability to use personal cell phone for business purposes
Ability to hear and speak to convey information to co-workers
Ability to stand for up to 6 consecutive hours to complete a case
Ability to see to conduct donor assessment
Fine motor skills to package and label recovered tissue
Ability to move up to 50-75 lbs.
Ability to move and turn donors of a maximum of 400 lbs. with assistance, and move them from cart to cart, or cart to table
Use of surgical equipment such as needles and scalpels without causing injury to self or others
Work a rotating shift schedule to respond to tissue referrals throughout Gift of Hope’s service area
Work 2-3 weekends per month while on the call schedule
Work in Gift of Hope and hospital operating rooms, and coroner and medical examiner offices in designated service area
Possible exposure to communicable diseases, hazardous materials, pharmacological agents, with little likelihood of harm if established health precautions are followed
Travel by personal car within Gift of Hope’s service area
Respond timely to Gift of Hope’s notifications via smartphone
Overnight travel 1 – 2 times a year for up to 4 nights for training, education and/or conferences
Attend organizational and/or departmental staff meetings, training, etc., outside scheduled work hours
Carry a personal cell phone to be accessible outside regular business hours
Ability to arrive at tissue recovery site within 1 hour after being dispatched, if not already on-site at a Gift of Hope office
12-hour shifts (12 noon - 12 midnight) that require some flexibility at times due to case length
Shift differential provided
Total of 7 shifts/2-week rotation, with 2 weekends per month required

Nice To Haves

History of high-quality tissue procurement (low error rate) and low level of tissue contamination preferred

Responsibilities

Advance Gift of Hope's mission, vision and core values: providing compassionate service, contributing to outstanding teams and engaging as one of our passionate people committed to a positive culture that respects the dignity and worth of each individual.
Adhere to all policies and procedures in carrying out the responsibilities of this position.
Use surgical instruments, such as scalpels and saws, to recover authorized donor tissue
Participate in all aspects of tissue recovery such as:
Load/unload equipment
Clean and decontaminate instruments
Transport/transfer donor as necessary to and from morgue, patient room, or other recovery area
Set up tissue recovery supplies and equipment in an aseptic fashion
Prep and drape donor
Culture, package, and ship tissue as needed
Provide post-mortem care to donor, e.g. reconstruction, re-identifying, placing in a body bag
Close post-operative and other incisions, such as autopsy incisions, as needed
Verify donor identification
Verify authorization and understanding tissue to be collected
Assist with physical assessment of donor for high risk behaviors
Aseptic recovery of authorized tissue
Verify authorization of tissue recovered
Collect donor blood samples and perform testing as trained
Package tissue
Clean the recovery suite and other pertinent recovery areas
Act as a preceptor to new employees
Attend organizational and/or department events such as staff meetings and/or training outside of regularly scheduled hours
Other duties as assigned

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance options for full-time employees
Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) plan
403(b) retirement plan with company match
Tuition Reimbursement up to the IRS-allowed maximum
Personalized learning and educational development opportunities
Monthly cell phone and internet stipends
Paid Parental Leave
Annual Employer-funded Lifestyle Spending Accounts to support wellness needs
Support and counseling for personal, work financial or family needs through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and our partnership with Critical Incident Stress Consultants (CISC)

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