Standardizing donation education for nursing students: one organ procurement organization's approach

Abstract

Nurses are often the primary source of donor referrals to an organ procurement organization. Early exposure to donation information during nursing school may enhance nurses' ability to identify and refer potential donors once they are in nursing practice. Although organ procurement organizations strive to provide donation education to nursing students, this process can drain an organization's resources. Therefore, to facilitate the educational process with a minimum of disruption to the function of the organ procurement organization, a standardized approach to donation was developed. After the program had been in place for more than a year, students and organ procurement organization staff alike reported great satisfaction with this standardized approach.