Gift of Life

 Hello friends! Im back with another exciting week! I went to a Corn-hole for Corneas event and toured the ICUs of Temple University Hospital! Read below for more!  Monday (June 26): Today Francesca and I embarked on our journey to Temple University Hospital. Amidst parking confusion, crosswalks, and business clothes we finally found our location. We met up with Joe Paparo, Temple University's Hospital Services coordinator, and shadowed him for the first half of the day. We began in a conference room where he sent out his weekly email to the team updating and editing current cases that the Transplant Coordinators and himself are tracking. Then, we visited the Neuro ICU which was in a separate building adjacent to the main hospital. We just made a circle and said hi to some of the nurses. Part of the reason it is important for these Hospital Services coordinators to make their presence known serves as a reminder for nurses and physicians to refer any patients they may not have...

 Hi Everyone! I am here with another update on my incredible internship with the Gift of Life Donor Program! This week was another eventful week with a field trip to MTF Biologics in Jessup, PA! Below is an outline of my week!  Monday (June 19): Today, we arrived to work early in order to complete some reading on donation and brain death before our meetings. We met with Gweneth O'Shaughnessy, the vice president of Hospital Development. We received an overview of the hospital development model and methodology. We learned about their standard processes and the importance of following the process in order to serve as a dual advocate for the donor family and transplant recipient, as well as improve the rates of donation and transplantation. We also took part in a didactic overview of the DATA department and an overview of the program used to manage all donors and recipients. This meeting helped familiarize us interns, with a data system that will help in our research project we ar...

 Hi all! Rachael here with a new exciting update on everything I have learned and experienced this week! Last weekend I spent some time in Ocean City, New Jersey with one of my friends participating in an internship there. I had never been to New Jersey and I had heard that I couldn't pump my own gas, but it was interesting to actually experience it! I was introduced to the boardwalk and was able to spend some time in the Atlantic Ocean. 10/10 weekend experience! This week I spent some more time rotating through tissue services and the Transplant Information Call center (TIC), received a didactic overview of the transplant pregnancy registry (TPRI), and an overview of family services. In addition, Francesca and I volunteered at a Juneteenth health fair where we educated black and brown communities on organ/tissue donation and encouraged individuals to register as an organ donors and to educate their friends and families on the beauty of organ and tissue donation. Below, is a detail...

 Wow this week was amazing!  I was definitely overwhelmed during the first couple of days as everything was a new experience. I've never had a job where business casual attire was the norm, so this week I learned about professionalism and the proper attire to convey that professionalism. This week I participated in Tissue services and observed the Transplant Information Call Center (TIC) on a rotational basis which will be outlined below. I also received Didactic overviews of tissue services and the TIC in addition to being enrolled in courses that inform me on what tissue donation is, how to talk to families, the proper procedures Gift of Life partakes in, and so much more.  Monday (06/05/2023): I arrived through the gates of the Gift of Life Institute and began my orientation. I was taken to the IT/HR department to take a photo so that I could have badge access to specific portions of the GOL facility. In addition, the other intern and I learned all about Gift of Life,...