RN Heart Transplant Coordinator

Primary Location

Department

Shift

Schedule

Weekly Hours

FTE

Employee Status

*Expected Starting Pay Range

*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 specialty is encouraged.

A Role with Meaning and Long-Term Impact

Transplant nursing is more than coordinating appointments and clinical information. As a Heart Transplant Coordinator, you will build long-term relationships with patients and families during some of the most significant moments of their lives.

You will help a family navigate the uncertainty of transplant evaluation, support patients while they wait for an organ, coordinate care through transplantation and hospitalization, and remain a trusted clinical resource throughout life after transplant.

Your work will directly contribute to helping children with complex heart disease achieve the best possible outcomes and experience the highest quality of life.

Why Cincinnati Children’s?

Cincinnati Children’s is nationally recognized for pediatric care, research, education, and innovation. Within the Heart Institute, you will work alongside nationally recognized experts caring for children with some of the most complex cardiovascular conditions.

You’ll be part of a collaborative environment where nurses are valued as essential members of the interdisciplinary team and have opportunities to grow their clinical expertise and contribute to improving pediatric healthcare.

Cincinnati Children’s has been a Magnet-designated organization since 2009, reflecting our commitment to nursing excellence, professional practice, and exceptional patient care.

Schedule & Work Environment

This position works across both clinical and office settings within Cincinnati Children’s.

• Primarily weekday/daytime responsibilities.
• Combination of outpatient clinic, inpatient, and transplant coordination activities.
• Occasional evening or weekend hours may be required based on patient needs and program requirements.
• Requires the ability to coordinate care across multiple departments and settings.

Benefits

Cincinnati Children’s offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you personally and professionally, including:

• Medical coverage beginning day one
• Retirement benefits, including pension and 403(b) options
• Tuition assistance and professional development opportunities
• Employee wellness programs
• Employee discounts
• Relocation assistance for eligible positions
• Clinical advancement opportunities through the Cincinnati Children’s nursing career advancement program
• Opportunities to participate in education, quality improvement, research, and professional development

Join Us in Changing the Future of Pediatric Transplant Care

If you are an experienced pediatric nurse who thrives in a complex clinical environment, enjoys coordinating care across disciplines, and wants to build meaningful long-term relationships with patients and families, we invite you to bring your expertise to the Cincinnati Children’s Heart Transplant Program.

Be the clinical connection. Be the advocate. Be part of the team helping children and families navigate the transplant journey.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Post-Transplant/Donation Period - Demonstrates understanding of post-transplant/donation management including medications, complications, interventions and discharge planning. Coordinate the care of the transplant/living donor recipient in the outpatient setting to achieve optimal physical, social and emotional rehabilitation. Identifies complications and considers interventions with the transplant team. Coordinates/ensures discharge planning to provide for continuity of care. Assess recipient's compliance with medication and medical regimen and collaborates with transplant team to attain and maintain compliance. Collects and reviews data pertinent to recipient/donor health (and if applicable the organ function) with transplant physician. Communicates adjustments in patient plan of care and drug transplant therapy as ordered by medical providers. Arranges for consults, diagnostic testing, and hospitalization when indicated. Coordinates emergent evaluation of transplant recipient when indicated. Assists in the reporting required data to regulatory bodies.
• Perioperative Period - Participates in transplant/donation process according to specific standards. Shares pertinent information about the intended recipient including ABO compatibility with the transplant team. Facilitates admission or transfer of patient to the transplant facility. Notifies transplant team of pending medical and/or surgical procedure. Remove transplant recipient/living donor from list according to regulatory guidelines. Provides outcome specifics to regulatory bodies for donor family follow up.
• Pre-Transplant/Donation Period - Monitor and coordinate care of the candidate awaiting transplantation/living donation. Ensures monitoring per transplant center specific standards. Identifies and responds to the psychosocial and economic needs of the transplant/living donor candidate during the pre-transplant/donation period. Exhibits ability to maintain and update candidate listing status per regulatory regulations. Identifies the need for candidate re-evaluation and initiates process when appropriate. Acts as a resource for internal and external health care providers.
• Transplant/Living Donor Referral and Evaluation - Facilitates/coordinates evaluation and listing of potential transplant/living donor candidate. Identifies requirements and provides oversight of the candidate evaluation process. Interprets serological results and their implications for transplant. Gathers and communicates serological results and blood type in accordance with regulatory requirements. Identifies possible co-morbidities and absolute and relative contraindications for potential transplant recipients/living donor candidate. Functions as candidate advocate by applying knowledge of growth, development, educational and cultural background during candidate/family interactions. Collects and evaluates medical, psychosocial and financial data for review by transplant team. Communicates with referring physician, other care providers, payors and transplant team members regarding the candidate status and evaluation outcome. Provides data to regulatory bodies for listing statistics.
• Communication and Collaboration - Maintains thorough, accurate, and timely electronic documentation of all patient encounters to ensure safe transitions between all transplant/donation specific phases of care. Communicates effectively with patients, family and multidisciplinary team members, as well as referring and primary care provider and consultants regarding patient clinical findings and plan of care within a timely manner. Maintains/ensures communication with patient, referring physician, payors or other health care providers throughout the transplant/donation process. Collaborates with nursing staff, social work and other health care providers to establish and implement patient care plan according to current standards of care.

About Us

At Cincinnati Children’s, we come to work with one goal: to make children’s health better. We believe in a holistic team approach, both in caring for patients and their families, and in advancing science and discovery. We strive to do better and find energy and inspiration in our shared purpose. If you want to be the best you can be, you can do it at Cincinnati Children’s. 

 Cincinnati Children's is: 

• Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 10  best Children's Hospitals in the nation for more than 15 years 

• Consistently among the top 3 Children's Hospitals for National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding 

• Recognized as one of America’s Best Large Employers  (2025), America’s Best Employers for New Grads (2025) 

• One of the nation's America’s Most Innovative Companies as noted by Fortune 

• Consistently certified as great place to work 

• A Leading Disability Employer as noted by the National Organization on Disability 

• Magnet® designated for the fourth consecutive time by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) 

 We Embrace Innovation—Together.  We believe in empowering our teams with the tools that help us work smarter and care better. That’s why we support the responsible use of artificial intelligence. By encouraging innovation, we’re creating space for new ideas, better outcomes, and a stronger future—for all of us. 

Comprehensive job description provided upon request.

Cincinnati Children’s is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating an environment of dignity and respect for all our employees, patients, and families. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, genetic information, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. EEO/Veteran/Disability