Nurses play a critical role in organ and tissue donation. They are often the ones responsible for identifying a potential donor, referring them to Mid-America Transplant and supporting the donor’s family throughout the process. There is a need to include more information about donation as a part of their nursing education.
In 2017, Mid-America Transplant awarded a grant to Southeast Missouri State University (Southeast) to explore disparities in organ and tissue donation education for nursing students. Five online modules were created to address these gaps, which included an overview of donation, the nurse’s role in the process, and family bereavement and aftercare.
In cooperation with Southeast, the platform is now offered to 11 nursing schools with more than 25 faculty participating. Since its launch in 2019, 5,207 students have completed the program.
“Providing education regarding this vital end-of-life decision is an important step to prepare them for their roles as professional nurses, when they will be part of helping patients and families consider donation,” said Dr. Linda Heitman, who led the curriculum initiative at Southeast. She now serves as a Nursing Education Advisor at Mid-America Transplant and Professor Emerita at Southeast.
This educational offering is one of the many ways we are working to make more lifesaving organs and tissues available for patients awaiting the gift of life. We look forward to continuing to share this critical educational effort with tomorrow’s nurses.