Purpose-Increasing healthcare professionals’ knowledge about organ and tissue donation; the national mandates regarding referral compliance; and the effect on donors, donor families, and transplant recipients is a challenging task. Physicians not routinely involved in organ donation or transplantation are some of the most difficult professionals for organ procurement organizations to access. A course for medical students was developed to initiate the transfer of information, comfort, and familiarity with the organ and tissue donation process.

Methods-Discussions with a local medical school revealed that little organized education on organ and tissue donation existed. An elective course was developed consisting of 2-hour lectures, once a week for 6 weeks. Topics included an overview of tissue and organ donation, history and significance of the current crisis, determination of brain death and its role in organ donation, tissue donation, pretransplant and posttransplant processes, ethical issues, and the donor family and recipient experience.

Results-A thorough course proposal was presented to the medical school’s Chairman of Surgery and Chairman of Transplantation. The proposal was approved for first- and second-year medical students.

Conclusion-Offering medical students a unique and comprehensive course may attract curious students who could become future champions for donation. This type of educational approach may significantly influence future interactions between physicians and organ procurement organizations. If more organ procurement organizations implement this type of program, the medical students’ knowledge of donation will not only affect and benefit the local organ procurement organization’s service area but other procurement organizations throughout the country as well. (Progress in Transplantation. 2005;15:124-128)

There is an overwhelming demand for organs for transplantation. Every day, the waiting list for lifesaving organ transplants grows, and the supply of donated organs remains relatively unchanged.1 In an effort to increase donation and donation awareness in the hospital setting, the 1998 Federal Conditions of Participation from the Health Care Financing Administration (now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) was introduced.2 It was the first major intervention in many years that required collaboration between hospitals and organ procurement organizations (OPOs).2 Since then, OPOs have made aggressive attempts to meet the professional educational demands set forth by the 1998 legislation.

Increasing healthcare professionals’ knowledge about the organ and tissue donation recovery process; the national mandates regarding referral compliance; and the effect on the donors, donor families, and recipients is a necessary and challenging task that may positively affect organ availability for transplantation. Regional OPOs are in a unique position to present all aspects of these processes to a wide range of healthcare professionals. Educating hospital personnel such as physicians, nurses, clergy, and social professionals requires originality, maintenance, and persistence. The hospital development and procurement staff members of OPOs sustain donation education and awareness in the hospital setting with diligence; however, other professional education opportunities remain.

Recent research has shown that nursing schools throughout the United States provide organ donation education in their curricula. One study documents that US nursing education curricula on donation- and transplantation-related content are increasing.3 This donation education describing proper procedures and protocols plays a key role in higher donation consent rates.4 In addition, Frottas and Batten5 demonstrated that nurses’ attitudes regarding donation directly affect their interaction with families. Nurses who believe organ procurement is a professional responsibility have the fewest reservations about facilitating donation.5 In contrast to nursing education, only a small amount of research exists regarding the education of physicians.6-11

Of the various professionals, one of the more difficult groups to access are physicians not ordinarily involved in organ donation and transplantation. The concept of organ and tissue donation during physicians’ education process is limited in the rapidly changing environment of organ donation medicine. The training of physicians directly affects the donation process and their involvement is paramount and should not be overlooked.12 However, achieving a partnership between OPOs and physicians is a complex challenge. In 1992, the United Network for Organ Sharing assembled a consortium of transplant professionals, and developed an organ donation and transplantation curriculum for medical schools.13 Its voluntary implementation was dependent on the medical school and the OPO was not always involved. However, the fact that the curriculum has not been updated since it was originated limits its utility. At the same time, the environment of organ donation and transplantation has experienced numerous changes in practice, policy, and philosophy. To enhance physicians’ knowledge, comfort, and familiarity with the organ and tissue recovery process and procurement organizations, a collaborative course was developed between the regional OPO and local medical school. The goal of this course was to facilitate the transmission of this information at the level of first- and second-year medical students.