The MOHAN Foundation: Supporting nurses to develop skills in organ transplant coordination

This blog was written by Dr. Sumana Navin, Course Director, MOHAN Foundation, Chennai, India

There is a growing need for trained nurses in the field of transplant coordination. The world over nurses are an integral part of organ donation and transplantation. 

In 2009, the MOHAN Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation, launched structured training programmes for transplant coordinators. Training was conducted face to face with durations varying from one week to one month. Working healthcare professionals including nurses found it challenging to attend because of time constraints. In addition, participants had varied skillsets and learning requirements. To meet this challenge, the MOHAN Foundation rolled out a one-year E-learning course, the Post Graduate Diploma in Transplant Coordination and Grief Counselling (PGDTC). 

The course comprises E-learning modules and webinars. There are 70 E-learning modules that cover the medical, legal, ethical, socio-cultural and religious aspects of organ donation and transplantation as well as counseling, grief counseling and transplant coordination, and 45 video lectures and films. The films include simulations on testing for brain stem reflexes, apnoea testing and Arterial Blood Gas analysis, and case scenarios for organ donation. In addition to self-assessments and assignments, there is a final online examination.

Since September 2017, participants have enrolled in this course from various parts of India as well as Qatar, Vietnam, Spain, Nepal, Pakistan and Botswana. 

“After I completed my Bachelors in nursing, I joined a private hospital in Mumbai as a scrub nurse in the operation theatre. Here I was blessed to be involved in organ transplant operations assisting leading transplant surgeons from India. It slowly dawned on me that the impact of our work was immense. Organ transplantation had the potential to give new life to people. This experience left an indelible impact on me, I wanted to learn more about the complete process of organ donation and transplantation so I chose this course to know more about organ donation and transplantation. During the course, various methodologies were used for teaching such as real-life case discussions, role-plays and panel discussions. I believe these methodologies are very helpful for us to learn from others and also develop our own skills such as communication and teamwork in the process of learning.” Sona Lazar, registered nurse, Spain. 

To learn more about the MOHAN Foundation and this course, click here.