At HonorBridge, our mission is to build connections that save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation. Every donation opportunity depends on strong partnerships, clinical expertise, and compassionate professionals who can support families while preserving the possibility of donation.
We are seeking an In-House Donation Specialist (IHDS) to serve as HonorBridge's dedicated presence within an assigned hospital. This role combines clinical assessment, family support, healthcare collaboration, and donation advocacy to help ensure every donation opportunity is recognized, preserved, and honored.
If you're passionate about healthcare, relationship-building, and making a direct impact on lives through organ and tissue donation, this is an opportunity to be at the center of meaningful work every day.
The Opportunity
The In-House Donation Specialist serves as HonorBridge's onsite liaison within an assigned hospital, partnering closely with physicians, nurses, care teams, and families throughout the donation process.
In this role, you'll identify and evaluate potential donor opportunities, collaborate with hospital staff to preserve donation options, support families through donation conversations, and coordinate closely with HonorBridge clinical teams to facilitate successful donation outcomes.
Success in this position requires strong clinical knowledge, relationship-building skills, emotional intelligence, sound judgment, and the ability to work confidently in complex and time-sensitive healthcare environments.
What You'll Do
In this role, you will:
Hospital Partnership & Donation Advocacy
- Serve as the primary HonorBridge representative within an assigned hospital.
- Build and maintain effective relationships with physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, case managers, and other hospital stakeholders.
- Conduct regular rounds throughout assigned patient care units to identify potential donation opportunities.
- Collaborate with Hospital Liaisons and clinical teams to support donation activity and follow-up efforts.
- Participate in educational programs and donation awareness initiatives for hospital staff.
- Promote best practices that help preserve opportunities for organ and tissue donation.
Clinical Responsibilities
- Provide timely onsite responses to organ donation referrals within assigned hospitals.
- Evaluate potential donor referrals and collaborate with the Administrator On Call (AOC) to determine suitability and next steps.
- Monitor active referrals and maintain communication with HonorBridge clinical teams to ensure donation opportunities are preserved.
- Review medical records and clinical information to support donor evaluation and decision-making.
- Initiate and complete required donor documentation following authorization.
- Verify appropriate brain death documentation and support donor case initiation activities.
- Coordinate donor assessment activities, order placement, and required notifications.
- Collect, label, and ship specimens for ABO and infectious disease testing.
- Ensure donation-related documentation complies with organizational, hospital, and regulatory requirements.
- Support uncontrolled Donation after Circulatory Death (uDCD) recovery processes when appropriate.
- Maintain access to assigned hospital electronic medical record systems and utilize available clinical information to support donor evaluation.
Family Services & Donation Conversations
- Collaborate with healthcare teams to understand the patient's clinical course and the family's understanding of the situation.
- Develop communication strategies with care teams to support end-of-life discussions and donation conversations.
- Present donation opportunities to legal next-of-kin and serve as a knowledgeable resource regarding organ and tissue donation.
- Facilitate authorization discussions and complete all required consent documentation.
- Conduct Donor Risk Assessment Interviews (DRAI) with individuals knowledgeable about the donor's medical and social history.
- Provide compassionate support to families throughout the donation process and during bereavement.
- When appropriate, support families during honor walks, flag ceremonies, and other commemorative events.
Operational Excellence
- Accurately document donor activity, hospital interactions, and case progression in HonorBridge systems.
- Maintain confidentiality of donor, recipient, patient, and organizational information in accordance with HIPAA and HonorBridge standards.
- Complete quality assurance, communication, project, and administrative responsibilities in a timely manner.
- Participate in continuing education, process improvement initiatives, and professional development activities.
- Perform other duties as assigned in support of HonorBridge's mission.
What You'll Bring
We're looking for someone who combines clinical expertise with compassion, professionalism, and a genuine commitment to helping families and healthcare partners navigate the donation process.
Minimum Qualifications
- Associate degree in a healthcare-related field required.
- Bachelor's degree strongly preferred.
- Minimum of two years of experience in a healthcare-related role.
- Strong interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills.
- Demonstrated knowledge of medical terminology.
- Ability to analyze and interpret clinical information in high-pressure situations.
- Understanding of hospital operations and the healthcare environment.
- Knowledge of the operating room environment.
- Experience with documentation, form completion, and medical record review.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Commitment to the mission of organ and tissue donation.
- Valid state driver's license required.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in organ donation, transplantation, critical care, emergency medicine, respiratory care, or related healthcare settings.
- Experience facilitating difficult conversations with patients or families.
- Experience working collaboratively with physicians, nurses, and interdisciplinary healthcare teams.
- Familiarity with hospital electronic medical record systems.
- Experience in family services, donation advocacy, or hospital-based outreach roles.
Why HonorBridge?
Every potential donor deserves the opportunity to leave a life-saving legacy.
As an In-House Donation Specialist, you'll work at the intersection of clinical care, family support, and hospital partnership. You'll help ensure donation opportunities are recognized, educate families about their options, support healthcare teams, and contribute directly to HonorBridge's mission of saving and healing lives.
If you're energized by meaningful healthcare work, strong relationships, clinical problem-solving, and the opportunity to make a lasting impact on donor families and transplant recipients, we'd love to hear from you.
What We Offer
- Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- Health Savings Account (HSA)
- Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
- 401(k) with Employer Match
- Paid Vacation and Sick Time
- Life Balance Account Reimbursement
- Financial Finesse Program
- Professional Development and Career Growth Opportunities
- A collaborative, mission-driven culture
- The opportunity to help save and heal lives through the gift of donation every day.