Tissue Recovery Technician - Springfield, IL

Gift of Hope•Springfield, IL

5d•$27 - $27•Onsite

About The Position

The Tissue Recovery Technician uses surgical instruments to recover tissues for transplant from deceased donors, precepts new employees, and treats each donor with respect. The role supports Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network’s mission to save and enhance lives through organ and tissue donation across the northern three-quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana. The position involves tissue recovery cases in hospital operating rooms, coroner and medical examiner offices, and other designated locations. Technicians work a rotating schedule, including nights, weekends, holidays, and 12-hour shifts, and must respond to referrals and dispatches throughout the service area. The role may be suitable for candidates with anatomy or cadaver lab experience or backgrounds such as EMT, paramedic, surgical technician, or patient care technician.

Requirements

EMT-P (paramedic), EMT-B, CST, or ORT; or a high school diploma/GED with 6 months of tissue banking experience or 18 months of related experience; or a bachelor’s degree in biology or a related field with anatomy lab experience. Other candidates may be considered individually at management’s discretion based 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.
Basic computer skills.
Ability to drive a personal car to hospitals and other locations, travel within the service area, and arrive at a recovery site within one hour after dispatch if not already at a Gift of Hope office.
Ability to work outside normal business hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays; work a rotating shift schedule; and work 12- to 24-hour shifts as organizational needs dictate.
Ability to walk, stand, bend, stoop, and kneel; stand for up to 6 consecutive hours; hear and speak to convey information; and see to conduct donor assessments.
Fine motor skills to package and label recovered tissue, and ability to use surgical equipment such as needles and scalpels safely.
Ability to move up to 50–75 pounds and, with assistance, move and turn donors weighing up to 400 pounds between carts or from cart to table.
Ability to use a personal cell phone for business purposes and respond promptly to notifications.

Nice To Haves

History of high-quality tissue procurement with a low error rate and low tissue contamination.
Anatomy or cadaver lab experience; experience as an EMT, paramedic, surgical technician, or patient care technician.

Responsibilities

Advance Gift of Hope’s mission, vision, and core values, provide compassionate service, contribute to outstanding teams, and follow organizational policies and procedures.
Use surgical instruments, including scalpels and saws, to recover authorized donor tissue.
Load and unload equipment, clean and decontaminate instruments, and transport or transfer donors to and from recovery areas as needed.
Set up recovery supplies and equipment aseptically, and prepare and drape the donor.
Culture, package, and ship tissue as needed.
Provide post-mortem care, including reconstruction, re-identification, and placing the donor in a body bag.
Close post-operative and other incisions, including autopsy incisions, as needed.
Verify donor identification, authorization, understanding of the tissue to be collected, and authorization of tissue recovered.
Assist with physical assessment of donors for high-risk behaviors.
Recover authorized tissue using aseptic technique.
Collect donor blood samples and perform testing as trained.
Clean the recovery suite and other relevant recovery areas.
Precept new employees.
Attend organizational or departmental events, including staff meetings and training outside regularly scheduled hours.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance options for full-time employees.
Generous paid time off 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 the Employee Assistance Program and partnership with Critical Incident Stress Consultants.
Shift differential.