Organ Recovery Surgeon

Come join our team and become part of what the Boston Globe has recognized as one of the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts 2018 - 2023! 

Saving lives through organ and tissue donation is the mission uniting our employees and drives the work we do. 

New England Donor Services (NEDS) coordinates organ and tissue donation in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, the eastern counties of Vermont and Bermuda. Responsible for one of the largest of the 56 Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) that make up the nation’s donation system, NEDS works with over 200 hospitals and serves nearly 15 million people in our region, screening nearly 55,000 potential donor referrals annually. With approximately $110M in operating revenues, NEDS employs 348 clinical and non-clinical staff members throughout New England and across the country.

Our vision is to be a leader in the development and implementation of strategies to increase the life-saving and life-enhancing gifts of organ and tissue donation through effective relationships with our clinical partners, donor families and the communities we serve.

Under the administrative direction of the Sr. Vice President Organ Utilization and the clinical direction of the Chief Medical Officer and Surgical Director, the NEDS Recovery Surgeon is a licensed physician with experience in organ donation, surgical organ recovery and organ transplantation.  The NEDS Recovery Surgeon has the primary responsibility is the surgical dissection, removal and preparation of abdominal organs recovered from deceased donors for transplantation and research, as well as the intraoperative assessment of medical suitability of the deceased donor.  The NEDS Recovery Surgeon will adhere to all NEDS surgical recovery standards and is expected to contribute to the mission of NEDS to increase the availability of organs suitable for transplantation by assisting in operational efficiencies and high-quality surgical recovery services.

Administrative:

• Available a minimum of 20 on-call days each month, including some weekends. An on-call day shall be defined as a 24-hour period.
• Extensive travel within New England to donor hospitals both by vehicle and aircraft.
• Participates in weekly quality review of donors and is a member of the NEDS Research Committee.
• Attends UNOS/OPTN Region 1 meetings including Regional Kidney and Liver Consortium meetings.

Clinical:

• Responsible for organ recovery procedures, both Donation after Brain Death (DBD) donors and Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD) donors, ensuring they meet national standards and NEDS policies and procedures for organ recovery and transplantation.
• Assists in managing the donor hospital recovery process by collaborating with hospital staff in a respectful and professional manner.
• Responsible for performing organ biopsies and facilitating the interpretation of organ biopsies by donor hospital or other pathologists to determine suitability when biopsy requested.
• Responsible for inspecting the abdominal cavity for abnormalities that necessitate pathological evaluation.
• Responsible for recovering liver, pancreas, and kidneys from deceased donors for transplantation.
• Provides and documents an accurate and verifiable description of organ anatomy to include assessment of quality, anatomical abnormalities, and surgical damage. 
• Participates in verification of organ labeling to ensure accuracy and safety in accordance with NEDS policies.
• Recovers or assists in the recovery of heart valves and organs for research when requested.
• Assists the Organ Surgical Recovery Coordinator (OSRC) in perfusion and preservation.

Clinical Skills: Knowledge of relevant medical terminology and pathology, ability to translate complex medical information into easily understandable language for families and staff to understand.

Interpersonal and Communication Skills:  strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.  Ability to critically think, problem solve, and work productively both independently and as a team participant. Skilled in active listening and proven ability to handle sensitive and confidential information.

Emotional Intelligence:  Demonstrates the ability to understand, use and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and diffuse conflict.

Delegation:  Knows when and what to delegate.  Assigns tasks/assignments to match and individuals’ personal strengths.  Encourage employees to utilize critical thinking to solve their own problems. 

Initiative:  Is a self-starter.  Seeks solutions and makes practical suggestions.  Finds new and better ways to perform job and functions.  Displays ingenuity in anticipating and meeting unexpected situations.

Organization: Is able to successfully prioritize when faced with demands, requests and deadlines.  Effectively handles competing priorities. Is able to distinguish between the crucial and trivial.  Sees the big picture.  Keeps situations in proper perspective.

Confidentiality: Ability to handle highly confidential information in a professional manner.  High level of judgment and discretion.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Graduate of an accredited medical school and residency program
• Minimum three years’ experience as a surgeon performing Donation after Brain Death (DBD) and Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD) organ recoveries or transplant operations in the United States.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

• Licensed physician in one of the 6 New England states with an unrestricted and unlimited license to practice medicine.
• Required to drive NEDS authorized vehicles to meet the duties and responsibilities of this position. Must maintain the requirements of an “eligible driver” including maintaining an acceptable Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) and required minimum personal automobile insurance per NEDS automobile policy.
• Valid state driver’s license required.

What You’ll Be a Part Of:

You will be part of a team that supports the NEDS mission, to Save and Heal Lives, through the gift of Organ and Tissue Donation.  As an NEDS employee, our benefits include:

• Generous paid time-off program
• Health, Dental, Vision, and Mental Health insurance coverage
• 2x Annual Salary Life Insurance
• Fertility Benefits
• LGBTQIA+ Focused Healthcare Programs
• Flex Spending Account Options
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with Organizational Contributions
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Pet Insurance
• Working Advantage discounts Program.
• Personal career and skill development opportunities

You can also participate in Corporate sponsored events  like the annual Blue & Green Walk, Community Volunteering opportunities, Organization-wide team-building outings, and more!

HIRING ALERT: NEDS is actively taking precautions to protect our community, staff and partners during this time of medical emergency due to COVID-19. In order to be employed at NEDS, you must be vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19. 

When you join New England Donor Services, you can expect competitive salaries and a great benefit package. Benefits include BCBS Health Insurance, BCBS Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance,2x Annual Salary Life Insurance, Fertility Benefits, LGBTQIA+ Focused Healthcare Programs, Flexible Spending Account, Short-term Disability Coverage, Long-term Disability Coverage, 403b Retirement Contribution, Tuition Reimbursement, Employee Assistance Program, Pet Insurance, Discounts through Working Advantage and a generous Paid Time-off Program.

We also proudly offer inclusive benefits to support the health and wellbeing of our workforce, including comprehensive health care for the LGBTQIA+ community, and personalized inclusive fertility and family-forming benefits.

Grow your career at NEDS! Take advantage of additional benefits like online learning and development courses, tuition reimbursement, mentorship program, Employee Resource Group (ERG) – that provide opportunities and encourage our staff to grow professionally.  

New England Donor Services is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from underrepresented background to apply to meet the needs of the multicultural and multilingual communities we serve.