Call Center - Tissue Authorization Specialist

Gift of Hope is proud to serve as the federally designated not-for-profit  that coordinates organ and tissue donation and provides compassionate service to families of donors in the northern three-quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana.

Since our inception in 1986, we have coordinated donations that have saved the lives of more than 23,000 organ transplant recipients, and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of tissue transplant recipients. As one of 58 organ procurement organizations that make up the nation’s organ donation system, we work with 183 hospitals in our donation service area.

Put your compassion to work and team up with Gift of Hope!

This position is well suited to individuals with healthcare call center experience who are compassionate and comfortable talking with families in bereavement.  

Gift of Hope is dedicated to coordinating organ and tissue donation in the northern three-quarters of Illinois and NW Indiana. Our goal is to provide the highest quality service to families and hospitals as we strive to fulfill our mission of saving and enhancing the lives of as many people as possible through organ and tissue donation.

The Tissue Authorization Specialist contacts family members of potential tissue and/or eye donors to request authorization of tissue donation and to conduct medical/social history interviews.

NOTE: This is a Night Shift position (7 PM - 7 AM) with a fixed, rotating schedule that includes alternating weekends. Night shift begins after an initial training period on day shift, for approximately 3-4 months.  

The following essential functions are the basic job duties that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Compassionately provide benefits of donation to next of kin
• Update relevant internal and external stakeholders on status of active referrals
• Communicate accurate referral information with the appropriate on-call AOC
• Conduct and obtain telephone authorization from potential donor families for tissue and eye donation; complete necessary paperwork
• Conduct medical/social history interview according to protocol and complete necessary paperwork

Education and Training Required

The following identifies the minimum education and training required to perform the essential functions of the job

• Associates degree or equivalent work experience

 Experience and Skills Required

The following indicates the minimum skills and experience required to perform the essential functions of the job

• Knowledge of medical terminology is preferred
• Ability to make sound clinical assessments in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to stay focused in an environment that has constant activity occurring
• Ability to maintain a positive and professional manner and to provide excellent customer service when dealing with all Gift of Hope partners and families

• Excellent verbal communication skills.
• Ability to express empathy and gain authorization for tissue donation in potentially emotional situations
• Attention to detail to assure that pertinent data about donors is collected and recorded
• Comfort and confidence in the presence of emotional distress and death
• Basic computer skills

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job

• Ability to function in a normal office environment
• Ability to sit for extended periods of time
• Ability to work outside normal business hours
• Ability to work three to four 12-hour shifts per week
• Ability to take overnight trips for conferences or educational needs outside of their normal work schedule 1 -2 times per year
• Ability to attend monthly staff meetings that may fall outside of scheduled work days
• Ability to speak clearly to handle extensive telephone work
• Ability to input data into a computer while talking on the phone
• Ability to cope with highly charged emotional people and situations.  

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that will be encountered by an employee while performing the essential functions of the job

• Open office environment which can be loud and distracting
• Long hours
• Ability to be flexible with shift schedule and work beyond scheduled shift to meet the demands of tissue donation
• Telephone conversations lasting up to one hour or more
• Fast-paced, highly regulated environment with frequent changes to policies and protocols