February 6, 2002
Organ Center Alumni Graduate to Higher Calling in the Community
Some say the most rewarding work in transplantation can sometimes be found in the heart of UNOS - the Organ Center, Grand Central Station for transplantation.
Organ placement specialists, the infantry of transplantation, have been matching organs between donors and recipients for nearly 20 years. Long hours and tremendous devotion to detail are required, but the knowledge gained often carries the Organ Center employees along their way in medical and transplant professions.
The phones began ringing early there. The Organ Center's predecessor, the Kidney Center, helped coordinate the community's first transplant in 1982. It became the Organ Center in 1984, after heart and liver transplants were no longer considered experimental.
In the early days, one person often worked a 12-hour shift answering the telephones and fax line, recalled former Placement Specialist Bill Van Vleck, now UNOS Assistant Director of Membership for Regional Administration.
The phones and faxes are still used, but the majority of listing and matching is often done via UNetsm, the Internet-based application launched by UNOS in 1999 to place organs with people on the national waiting list.
The job still requires a fast learner. "We seek a multi-talented, professional, highly organized individual who is able to handle stressful situations," said Roger Brown, who manages the Organ Center with Judy Morrison. It often requires independent work as well as teamwork.
Once trained, placement specialists work three rotating 12-hour shifts per week. They remain on-call for one 12-hour shift per week.
Previous experience in transplantation or a clinical background can be helpful, said former Placement Specialist Chrissie Schaeffer, now a UNOS Policy Compliance Auditor. At least eight other UNOS staff launched their careers in the Organ Center.
Attention to detail and multi-tasking, the ability to perform several jobs at once, are the name of the game there, said former Placement Specialist Dee Dee Simmons, a 10-year veteran. The ringing telephones dictate the day.
Many learn Transplant 101 through 501 there. "I think it taught me the 'nuts and bolts' of transplant," Brown said.
The job is for anyone looking for a niche in the transplant community. The in-depth knowledge of organ allocation policy and organ placement as well as the contacts at organ procurement organizations (OPOs) nationwide helped Steve Pitzer decide to pursue a career in transplantation. Pitzer is Director of Professional Services at South Carolina Organ Procurement Agency (SCOPA). He began there in 1987, when the waiting list for transplants was about 13,000. Today, nearly 80,000 people wait for a transplant.
Organ placement specialists often work tirelessly to maximize the full potential of a cadaveric donor. Placement specialists never give up trying to place an organ if it can be used to help someone, said UNOS Director of Membership and Policy Development Doug Heiney, who worked the Organ Center from 1982 to 1984.
The exposure to and interaction with the transplant community brought Deidra Crews closer to medical school. The former Senior Organ Placement Specialist left UNOS in 1998 to pursue her medical degree at St. Louis University School of Medicine, where she will graduate in 2003.
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