*Purpose: A primary component in managing potential organ donors is working effectively and collaboratively in the multidisciplinary environment of the ICU. Fundamentals of Critical Care Support (FCCS, SCCM) is a nationally standardized curriculum used to prepare health care providers to care for critically ill patients. The purpose of this study is to understand the benefits of transplant coordinators attendance at the FCCS course.

*Methods: A survey was administered during two FCCS courses which involved surgery residents, pharmacy residents, respiratory therapists, ICU nurses, ED nurses, and transplant coordinators. The survey was administered before and after the two day course which focused on assessing and managing critical care patients. The intervention was conducted at and funded by Midwest Transplant Network. Survey results were statistically analyzed using a Mann Whitney U test, with p<0.05 considered significant.

*Results: Participants were polled on their comfortability assessing critical care patients, as well as managing acid-base disorders, mechanical ventilation, infections, and electrolyte disturbances. A statistically significant improvement in comfort levels was found for the all hospital based healthcare employees (N 28) in each of the above categories, particularly their comfort working with transplant coordinators (pre-course average 4.69 ± 1.28, post-course average 7.26 ± 1.60; two sided P value 0.0004). However, the transplant coordinators (N 21) consistently rated their comfort higher than the other care providers both in the pre and post intervention surveys making any improvement in comfort not statistically significant.

*Conclusions: Both hospital based healthcare employees and transplant coordinators felt the course improved their comfort in managing critically ill patients. Overall, the course appears to improve providers perceptions of managing potential organ donors in a critical care setting. Further evaluation of the course is required to determine its true impact for transplant coordinators, our inability to unveil a difference may be influenced by the low sample size. Additional follow up on individuals who completed the course will occur at six months and one year to assess lasting benefit and determine its continued administration to coordinators.

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