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Organ Donation: The Essentials for Healthcare Professionals

Understand the key processes regarding organ donation with this course for healthcare professionals, anywhere in the world.

8,621 enrolled on this course

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Organ Donation: The Essentials for Healthcare Professionals

8,621 enrolled on this course

  • 2 weeks

  • 2 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Intermediate level

Find out more about how to join this course

Learn about different aspects of organ donation in this CPD-approved course

Despite organ donation being hugely important there is currently limited training for healthcare workforce regarding the complex issues around organ and tissue donation. This course aims to change that.

On the course, created in collaboration with the NHS Blood and Transplant service, you will learn about the basic principles and processes involved in organ donation from the legal aspects, to types of donation, to the importance of communication with families.

Please note that this course will be facilitated by the educators on the third Monday of every month.

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What topics will you cover?

  • Fundamentals of organ donation
  • Criteria for donation
  • Legal and ethical issues around organ donation
  • The role of the Specialist Nurse in Organ Donation
  • Donations after Death by Neurological Criteria (Brainstem Death) or Circulatory Death
  • Checking donor suitability
  • The organ retrieval process
  • Family care and follow up

Organ Donation: The Essentials for Healthcare Professionals has been approved by the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom for 4 category 1 (external) CPD credit(s). The expiry date for CPD approval is December 2021.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explain the importance and basic principles of organ donation
  • Summarise the types of donation, organs which can be donated and the absolute contraindications for donation
  • Identify the key processes associated with organ donation such as referral, family consent, patient assessment, management of potential donors and organ allocation
  • Describe assessing and diagnosing death by neurological criteria and management of a brainstem dead patient
  • Evaluate the importance of laws and guidance that governs the process of organ donation and transplantation
  • Describe tissue donation and how this is facilitated in UK
  • Reflect upon the importance of family communication in the organ donation process

Who is the course for?

This course is for Specialist Nurses in Organ Donation (SNODs), and healthcare professionals such as nurses and doctors of all levels of experience who wish to either update their knowledge or improve their awareness of the subject, for personal or CPD reasons. It will also be useful for students training to become healthcare professionals.

Who will you learn with?

Professor of Epilepsy & Medical Education; Mother of a son who donated his organs

Specialist Nurse in Organ Donation (SNOD)
NHS Blood and Transplant UK.

Specialist Nurse for Organ Donation 2009 - 2016 NHS Blood & Transplant (NHSBT). Base: St Georges Hospital. Practice Development Specialist (PDS) NHSBT 2016 - present

Who developed the course?

St George's, University of London

St George’s is the UK’s only university dedicated to medical and health sciences education, training and research.

NHS BT

NHS Blood and Transplant provide a blood and transplantation service to the NHS, looking after blood donation services in England and transplant services across the UK.

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$27.99

For the first two months. Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$109/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 11 Apr 2024

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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