Cleveland Clinic G101 Specialty Care Transplant Unit

CCRN2BE · Apr 25, 2015

I completed a portion of my educational requirements on this unit, as well as the heart transplant unit. If I remember correctly, they specialize in liver, kidney, intestinal and pancreas transplants. No patients received their transplant during the time I spent there, but it was a great experience caring for both their pre and post-transplant patients.

I did routine nursing care as well as patient education/teaching, which is a critical component of this unit's responsibilities. As I'm sure you're aware, it is crucial that recipients fully understand the process, the lifelong restrictions and medication regimens, and the many other requirements and aspects of care for their best chances of a successful long-term recovery.

As the Cleveland Clinic is a world renowned hospital, they attract patients from all over the world and from all walks of life. I only had one patient from Ohio...had patients from Mexico, Georgia and other various places. Cultural awareness is huge here and if you've had any exposure to other cultures/customs, I would definitely mention that in your interview. Although they have extensive interpreter services and many other resources available, the cultural and language barriers can present challenges to providing effective teaching. Therfore, due to the nature of the unit's services, is even more critical that the education and patient responsibilities be clearly communicated to and fully understood by the patients and families.

Some other tidbits that you may find helpful:

The Cleveland Clinic is H-U-G-E and is like a city within a city. Make sure you have explicit directions not only for driving there, but also for which entrances and elevators to use so you don't get lost. I highly recommend driving there prior to your interview and getting familiar with the area you need to get to, especially where to (legally) park. Carry some cash with you so if you have the choice, you can park in a paid lot or garage versus parking (and then walking) three blocks away from the building you need. On your interview day, give yourself ample extra time in case of traffic, construction, etc. Don't underestimate the time it will take you to get from your car to your destination. You don't want to arrive huffing and puffing and frazzled and arriving late to an interview, no matter your reason, is a horrible first impression to make to a potential employer.

If you are from the Cleveland or surrounding area, so you may already know some of this. My advice would be to familiarize yourself with the general principles of the procedures they do on this unit and of the vast cultures of the patients you will care for. Their website offers tons of great information about the particular buildings and services offered, so maybe check it out.

Best of luck to you and I hope I provided you with some useful information :)

CR27 · Apr 28, 2015

Thank you! I actually found out that they mostly specialize in facial transplants which is very neat!