RN Heart Transplant Coordinator

Primary Location

Burnet Campus Department

SS Transplant Services Shift

Day (United States of America) Schedule

Full time Weekly Hours

40 FTE

1 Employee Status

Regular

*Expected Starting Pay Range

$83,969.60 - $107,224.00 *Starting pay is based on experience, skills, and equity; exceptions may apply for highly qualified candidates. Additional pay (e.g., shift, on‑call, or weekend differentials) and benefits may apply. Annual pay may vary based on FTE status.

Registered Nurse – Heart Transplant Coordinator

Schedule: Days | Monday–Friday with occasional evening/weekend and on-call responsibilities

Make a Difference in the Lives of Children with Complex Heart Disease

At Cincinnati Children’s, the Heart Transplant Program provides highly specialized care to infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with complex heart disease, including cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and uncorrectable congenital heart disease.

We are seeking a Registered Nurse – Heart Transplant Coordinator to join our interdisciplinary Heart Institute team. This role is central to the evaluation, preparation, transplantation, and lifelong management of pediatric patients and their families throughout the transplant journey.

The Heart Transplant Program is the oldest pediatric heart transplant program in Ohio and is part of the Heart Institute’s integrated program connecting cardiomyopathy, heart failure, mechanical circulatory support, and transplantation. Our team includes cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiologists, nurse practitioners, nurses, and other specialists who work together to care for some of the most medically complex patients in pediatric medicine.

The program is approved as a designated transplant program and is a member of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), which operates under federal oversight by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The program is also a member of the Ohio Solid Organ Transplantation Consortium. Our transplant team participates in the Pediatric Heart Transplant Study and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.

In addition to heart transplantation, the program performs approximately 1–2 pediatric lung transplants annually , evaluates approximately 10 patients each year for lung transplantation, and provides ongoing care to patients following lung transplantation.

What You’ll Do

As a Heart Transplant Coordinator, you will serve as a key clinical resource and advocate for patients and families throughout the transplant continuum.

Pre-Transplant Evaluation & Coordination

• •Conduct pre-transplant interviews with patients and families and obtain comprehensive medical and social histories.
• •Explain transplant evaluation requirements, eligibility criteria, and the transplant process to patients, families, physicians, and outside agencies.
• •Collect, prepare, analyze, and coordinate pre-transplant clinical information.
• •Collaborate with physicians, advanced practice providers, nursing, social work, financial services, and other disciplines to prepare patients and families for transplantation.
• •Coordinate required testing, consultations, procedures, and other components of the transplant evaluation.
• •Participate in the identification and selection of appropriate transplant candidates in accordance with Cincinnati Children’s Transplant Program and UNOS guidelines.
• •Coordinate communication with third-party payers regarding medical necessity, authorization, and transplant benefits.

Patient & Family Education

• •Provide comprehensive education to patients and families regarding transplantation, including evaluation, waiting-list management, transplantation, medications, potential complications, follow-up, and long-term care.
• •Prepare patients and families for the physical, emotional, and practical aspects of transplantation.
• •Provide individualized education based on developmental needs, health literacy, family circumstances, and the complexity of the patient's condition.
• •Serve as an ongoing resource for patients and families throughout the transplant journey.

Post-Transplant Care & Clinical Management

• •Coordinate post-discharge planning and education to ensure patients and families understand their follow-up plan and ongoing care needs.
• •Compile and review post-discharge clinical data to support ongoing patient management.
• •Provide direct nursing care to transplant patients in the outpatient transplant clinic.
• •Perform initial assessments and provide follow-up care for transplant patients in both hospital and outpatient settings.
• •Monitor patients for changes in condition, complications, symptoms, and other concerns requiring clinical intervention.
• •Provide telephone consultation and follow-up to patients and families.
• •Recognize patient problems and symptoms, initiate appropriate nursing interventions, and communicate concerns and recommendations to physicians, APPs, community providers, and other healthcare professionals.

Care Coordination & Continuity

• •Serve as a consistent point of contact for patients and families throughout the transplant process.
• •Ensure continuity of care between inpatient admissions, outpatient visits, transplant clinic appointments, and community-based care.
• •Coordinate care across the transplant office, outpatient clinic, inpatient nursing units, and community outreach clinics.
• •Collaborate closely with transplant physicians, nurse practitioners, nursing staff, social workers, pharmacists, financial specialists, and other members of the interdisciplinary team.
• •Facilitate communication between Cincinnati Children’s and referring or community healthcare providers.
• •Help patients and families navigate complex healthcare systems and overcome barriers to care.

Organization & Program Management

• •Independently organize and prioritize daily activities based on clinical urgency and patient needs.
• •Manage multiple patients simultaneously across different stages of the transplant process, including:
• •Patients undergoing transplant evaluation
• •Patients awaiting transplantation
• •Hospitalized transplant patients
• •Newly transplanted patients
• •Long-term transplant recipients

• •Prepare transplant summaries, clinic visit summaries, correspondence, and other clinical documentation.
• •Maintain accurate and timely patient records and transplant-related data.
• •Support transplant program quality, regulatory, and clinical initiatives.

What You’ll Bring

We are looking for an experienced nurse who is highly organized, clinically confident, compassionate, and comfortable managing complex patient populations across multiple care settings.

Required Qualifications

• •Current Registered Nurse license in the State of Ohio .
• •5 years nursing experience
• •Bachelor of Science in Nursing or degree/experience consistent with the Registered Nurse II classification.
• •Strong clinical assessment and critical-thinking skills.
• •Excellent communication, organization, and care-coordination skills.
• •Ability to independently prioritize multiple patients and competing clinical needs.
• •Ability to collaborate effectively within a highly specialized interdisciplinary team.
• •Strong patient and family education skills.
• •Commitment to providing compassionate, relationship-based care to children and families experiencing complex medical conditions.

Preferred Qualifications

• •Pediatric nursing experience.
• •Experience with heart failure, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease, cardiac critical care, or mechanical circulatory support .
• •Transplant nursing or transplant coordination experience.
• •Experience caring for patients with complex chronic conditions.
• •Experience with inpatient-to-outpatient care transitions.
• •Experience working with adolescents and young adults with complex medical needs.
• •Knowledge of transplant evaluation, organ allocation, UNOS requirements, or transplant-related regulatory standards.
• •Certification in a relevant nursing