RN Registered Nurse - Transplant Coordinator
Listed on 2026-06-20
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Nursing
Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Practitioner, Healthcare Nursing, Palliative Care Nurse
DESCRIPTION
UC San Diego Health is a Magnet designated organization, which is a prestigious recognition that applies to only 10% of all U.S. hospitals. Magnet is the gold standard for nursing excellence and is based on strengths in five key areas, which include transformational leadership, structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice, new knowledge, innovation and improvements and empirical outcomes. UC San Diego Health has held its Magnet status since 2011.
The UC San Diego Center for Transplantation is a nationally recognized, regionally leading academic center that provides comprehensive transplant care in heart, lung, kidney, liver, and multi-organ transplant. The Inpatient Abdominal Transplant Coordinator is a Registered Nurse responsible for care coordination and comprehensive management of patients undergoing liver or kidney transplantation throughout the inpatient continuum. This role ensures continuity of care for transplant patients, provides clinical expertise and patient education, and supports quality and regulatory compliance.
The coordinator also serves as a liaison among patients, families, stakeholders, and the multidisciplinary transplant team. As a key member of the team, they assist in resolving complex clinical issues and communicate directly with attending physicians and other multidisciplinary team members.
Autonomous nursing care is the ability of a nurse to assess and provide nursing actions as appropriate for patient care populations based on competence, professional expertise, and knowledge. The nurse is expected to practice autonomously and consistently with ANA Standards of Practice and Professional Performance. Independent judgment is expected to be exercised within the context of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches to patient care.
Key Responsibilities Clinical Management and Care Coordination- Coordinate patient care for the kidney and liver transplant inpatients across all campuses throughout the transplant continuum, including referral, evaluation, selection, wait listing, and post-transplant care.
- Collaborate with appropriate stakeholders to facilitate outside hospital transfer process upon referral acceptance.
- Provide clinical oversight and appropriate escalation of patient changes or care gaps to the surgeons, hepatologists, nephrologists, and other transplant stakeholders.
- Serve as leader and advocate for inpatient transplant care, protocols, and transplant team.
- Anticipate and facilitate timely diagnostic testing and imaging, consultations, treatment plans, record retrieval, and discharge planning.
- Effective communication and collaborate with Hepatologists, Nephrologist, and Abdominal Transplant Surgeons, multidisciplinary health team, and other stakeholders.
- Serve as a liaison between patients, families and the transplant multidisciplinary team.
- Participate in multidisciplinary rounds and case conferences.
- Navigate Phoenix and Epic (Inpatient and Outpatient settings) to access, review, update, and document patient charts accordingly.
- Work closely with outpatient transplant coordinators and the broader care team, stepping in to assist with shared tasks and responsibilities during periods of lower inpatient census to maintain smooth, coordinated patient care for all transplant patients.
- Provide comprehensive, individualized education to patients and families regarding the transplant process, procedures, immunosuppressive regimens, transplant medications, post-transplant care and follow-up requirements, and necessary lifestyle modifications in a timely manner.
- Serve as a resource and liaison for patients and families throughout hospitalization.
- Ensure regulatory and quality compliance with UNOS, CMS, and Joint Commission standards and requirements, including but not limited to TIEDI form entries.
- Complete time-sensitive, required transplant forms and tasks in a timely manner.
- Assist with quality and regulatory assurance initiatives, including but not limited to chart reviews and audits.
While not required, a cover letter is highly recommended when applying to this position.
The primary location for this position is La Jolla but will be required to occasionally travel to Hillcrest and East Campus in the future as our program expands.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS- Must be a graduate from an accredited school of Nursing.
- Registered Nurse (RN) issued by the state of California.
- BART or BLS at time of hire with commitment to get BART w/in 6 months of hire date.
- Minimum of two (2) years of current acute care RN experience with liver and/or kidney transplant, or Transplant Coordinator experience.
- Experience coordinating multidisciplinary care across inpatient and outpatient settings, including but not limiting transfer in, new referrals for transplant evaluation.
- Demonstrated understanding of liver and kidney transplant phases and its processes, including a basic understanding of UNOS/OPTN guidelines, CMS transplant…
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