Improving the recruitment and retention of organ procurement coordinators: a survey study

Organ procurement coordinators (coordinators) employed by organ procurement organizations (OPOs) are critical to the success of organ donation. However, their high turnover rates may threaten the success of organ donation. This cross-sectional study examined employment satisfaction and factors contributing to job turnover among 326 coordinators representing 52 of 58 OPOs (90%) who completed an online survey. Most (93%) respondents reported high levels of job satisfaction, although 26% reported considering leaving their OPO, and 61% perceived a high turnover rate at their OPO. Considerations of leaving the OPO were most likely to emerge at 2 years of employment. To secure coordinator job satisfaction, it is essential that prospective coordinators be adequately prepared and informed about negative as well as positive aspects of this line of work. In hiring, OPOs should recruit more proactively, using their staff as contacts, and seek experience in critical care, intensive care, or other on-call work. To retain satisfied employees, OPOs should offer more education and advancement opportunities and focus on such issues as call and hours, rather than salary per se. OPOs should consider a variety of alternative pay structures, particularly separate on-call pay, whether or not coordinators are actually called into service.