When Breanna was studying nursing at Southeast Missouri State University, she wasn’t exactly sure where her degree would take her. But after a tour of Mid-America Transplant during college, something clicked.
“I’d never really heard about donation before that,” she recalls. “But seeing what they did really stuck with me.”
Today, Breanna is an Organ Procurement Coordinator (OPC) with Mid-America Transplant’s Organ Clinical team. It’s a role that blends her critical care background with her passion for helping others, just not in the traditional bedside way she first envisioned when she started her nursing journey.
Breanna’s nursing career began in the fast-paced environment of the critical care unit at a hospital in St. Louis. She spent four years there, caring for complex patients recovering from medical emergencies and major surgeries. Then came COVID, and with it, a short but intense stint in travel nursing that took her to Dallas, Texas, and Paducah, Kentucky.
“It was a really tough time to be at the bedside,” she says. “But I still wanted to help people. I just didn’t know what that next chapter looked like yet.”
That changed when she came across a Facebook post from Mid-America Transplant announcing an open nursing position. Since her tour during college, someone close to Breanna had become a donor. Now, with a personal connection to donation, Breanna decided to apply.
“I was drawn to the mission,” she says. “Being able to save lives in a different way really spoke to me.”
What Organ Procurement Coordinators Do for the Mission
As an OPC, Breanna steps in after a family has consented to organ donation. From there, her team is responsible for managing the clinical process that makes donation possible.
“We review the chart, gather lab results, order tests, optimize organ function, and eventually help place the organs for transplant,” she explains. “Then we set up the operating room (OR) and are part of that process as well.”
That behind-the-scenes work is intense and time-sensitive, which is exactly the kind of environment where Breanna thrives. Her critical care experience prepared her well for the autonomy and fast decision-making the role requires.
“You really have to know how to manage your time and interpret lab values quickly,” she says. “We do have a medical director who supports us, but we work pretty independently. That part of it reminds me a lot of bedside nursing, just with a very different goal.”
While every part of the role is meaningful, there’s one aspect Breanna loves most: the operating room. In 2001, Mid-America Transplant became the first organ procurement organization (OPO) to open an onsite recovery facility. Before this, all organ and tissue recovery took place at the hospital where the donor passed away. With a separate facility, the team has access to operating rooms, ICU, labs, and equipment designed specifically for organ and tissue recovery.
“I’ve always had a fascination with the OR,” she says. “There’s something about being part of that team, communicating everything that needs to happen, and knowing you’re helping send an organ off to save a life, that’s powerful.”
She describes the moment of transporting an organ as one of the most rewarding parts of her job.
“You know that organ is headed somewhere, maybe even across the country, to give someone a second chance,” she says. “And you helped make that happen.”
“You know that organ is headed somewhere, maybe even across the country, to give someone a second chance.”
Mid-America Transplant Offers a Career with Meaning
Beyond the clinical work, it’s the culture at Mid-America Transplant that keeps Breanna inspired.
“I love what I do, and I love the company I work for,” she says. “The mission is something I really believe in, ensuring that no one is left waiting.”
She also values being part of a team that shares that commitment. With most OPCs coming from ICU or ER backgrounds, there’s a shared language and understanding that fosters collaboration and trust.
“We’re all here for the same reason,” she adds. “To make sure every donation opportunity counts.”
For Breanna, nursing was always about helping others. But working in organ procurement has deepened that purpose in a way she never expected.
“I’m still saving lives, just in a different way,” she says. “And I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”
If you feel a calling toward organ donation, consider joining an organization committed to a lifesaving mission; find a rewarding career with Mid-America Transplant. View our current job openings.