People you should know
Know your transplant team
After your transplant, you are not in it alone. You are part of a team that is there to help you recover from your transplant surgery, understand the post-op care, and provide comprehensive supportive care. Knowing the members that make up your transplant team is important for a successful and healthy recovery after your organ transplant.
Darnell Waun, a nurse and liver transplant recipient, talks about how to manage your transplant medications.
Transplant doctor
Depending on your specific organ transplant procedure, you will be assigned a specialized transplant physician who will monitor all nonsurgical aspects of your care from organ function to organ rejection and medications post-transplant. Examples of specialized physicians based on organ are as follows:- Kidney – Transplant nephrologist
- Liver – Transplant hepatologist
- Heart – Transplant cardiologist
Transplant surgeon
Your transplant surgeon will be the operating physician who will perform your transplant. Your transplant surgeon will likely check in with you prior to surgery as well as post-surgery to ensure your new transplanted organ is functioning properly along with a full health evaluation.Medical care team
There are multiple medical care team members that monitor your health and care while you are in the hospital recovering from your transplant surgery. This transplantation care team often includes doctors, nurses, and coordinators depending on your individual needs. Throughout your care, you may have some or all of the following health professionals on your post-transplant care team:- Medical residents
- Physician assistant
- Nurse practitioner (NP)
- Operating room nurse
- Intensive care nurse
- Transplant assistant
- Procurement coordinator
- Case manager
Consulting physician
A consulting physicians may be part of your organ transplant care team depending on your specific health needs. These are doctors who specialize in certain aspects of your healthcare. For example:- Nephrologists (kidney disease)
- Cardiologists (heart disease)
- Hepatologists (liver disease)
- Hematologists (blood disease)
- Oncologists (cancer treatment)
- Infectious disease specialists (contagious diseases)
- Anesthesiologists (anesthesia)
- Psychiatrists/psychologists (treat mental illness)
Transplant coordinator
Your transplant coordinator is the person who will coordinate your care from beginning to end. They will perform a number of duties to keep track of how you are progressing throughout the transplant process. Some of their responsibilities include:- Organizing health evaluations
- Checking your test results
- Educating you and your caregivers before and after transplant
- Providing discharge instructions
- Maintaining accurate medical information
