Below are some of the celebrations stories, as told by ITNS members....
The Seattle Chapter of ITNS celebrated Transplant Nurses Day by sending all 4 of the Seattle Transplant centers carrot cakes. Each transplant center was sent posters, balloons, pedicure kits, and tee shirts to celebrate the special day. Transplant Physicians and
Surgeons helped serve cake at some of the transplant centers. Other
transplant centers had Managers serve cake. One of the transplant
centers raffled off coffee gift cards in an effort to promote
transplant nursing. The carrots cakes were delicious and enjoyed by
all!
Baylor University Medical Center, 14R Transplant Unit celebrated Transplant Nurses Day by providing a luncheon for all staff members. Staff also participated in “Transplant Trivia” answering questions about transplantation facts in the U.S. along with trivia questions about Baylor Regional Transplant Institute’s Program which celebrated its 25th Anniversary this year. Prizes awarded for correct answers were the free gifts generously provided by ITNS. Our Transplant Nurse of the Year was also announced in recognition of her excellence in transplant nursing.
Submitted by Heidi Herbert, RN BSN CMSRN CCTN 14R Educator
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Rhoads 4. On April 15, 2009 the Abdominal Organ Transplant nurses at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA) celebrated their specialty with a pot luck style luncheon. Gifts were raffled off to members of the nursing team to thank them for the hard work and dedication they demonstrate to our unit and our patients on a daily basis. Several nurses were recognized for achieving their CCTN certification this past year. A total of 7 nurses on Rhoads 4 at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania are now Certified Clinical Transplant Nurses! The multidisciplinary transplant team which includes our Certified Transplant Coordinators, Surgeons, Social Workers, Nurse Practitioners, and Physicians Assistants celebrated with the nurses and commended them for all of their achievements throughout the past year.
Submitted by Rebecca Farrell RN, BSN, CCTN Clinical Nurse IV
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. My name is Erica Gemellaro and I am the Transplant Unit Based Educator at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Boston, MA. I am a proud member of our solid organ transplant in-patient unit where our dedicated team of nurses care for complex pre and post liver, kidney and pancreas transplant candidates and recipients. In honor of International Transplant Nurse Day, myself and Norma Wells, Transplant Nurse Manager, hosted a number of staff educational opportunities and appreciation festivities. Attached is a picture of our staff; including bedside RNs, Transplant Coordinators, Case Managers, Nutritionist, Manager and Educator. This picture was taken following a game of Transplant Jeopardy, an educational and fun team-building event! We love the work we do. We take pride and care in our patient population and we look forward to celebrating International Transplant Nurse Day again next year!
St. Louis University. The Abdominal Transplant Office at St. Louis University celebrated Transplant Nurses Day by treating all shifts of the floor and ICU nurses to breakfast treats, served on the ITNS plates and napkins. Names were drawn from a hat for the giveaways. As an office, all members of the team enjoyed a scrumptious pot luck brunch. Many of the staff joined the other members of the Gateway Chapter in the evening for dinner, drinks and camaraderie at a local Italian restaurant.
Submitted by Kathy Howard
St. Joseph Hospital, Orange California. I have some photos of our Donate Life Celebration and festival which we coincided with Transplant Nurses Day. We set up booths in one of our courtyards to bring awareness to employees and patients about the value of donation. We had health screenings and laptop computers people could log onto and sign up to donate. We had food and entertainment as well. We raised the Donate Life flag and the mayor was present to officially present a proclamation making April the official month in Orange, Ca. recognizing organ, tissue, and bone marrow donation. In the morning we hosted a continental breakfast for our transplant nurses and gave them each a small gift. It was a fabulous day!
Submitted by Wendy Escobedo, RN, BSN, CCTN Inpatient Care Coordinator St. Joseph Hospital Kidney Transplant Orange, CA
