Sri Ramachandra Deemed Medical University and Medical Centre (SRMC), Chennai, invited MOHAN foundation for an organ donation awareness talk on 4th June 2016. The initiative was taken by Dr. B. Sreelekha, Reader, College of Nursing, SRMC. Around 98 students from the 3rd year B.Sc Nursing program attended the talk.
Dr. Sumana Navin, Course Director, MOHAN Foundation, addressed the gathering. The talk was divided into two sessions, the first session being an awareness session on organ donation and the second being a session on grief counseling. Basic concepts of organ/tissue donation and transplantation – what, when, who, why and how and the importance of donor card, the vital role played by the family during the donation process, the myths and misconceptions about brain death and organ donation were discussed.
Following this was the session on grief counseling conducted by Ms. Sujatha, Manager-Information Systems, MOHAN Foundation. The students were taken through the process of grief counseling and approaching a patient’s family for organ donation. The role played by a nurse in this process was clearly explained and in detail with relevant examples.
The talk ended with Dr. Sumana informing the students about the role and importance of Transplant Coordinators and the various courses offered by MOHAN Foundation to train to be one. The future prospects of nurses becoming Transplant Coordinators were also discussed. Information brochures were distributed to the students.