About

The International Transplant Nurses Society was founded in 1992 as a non-profit organization, to promote the education and clinical practice excellence of nurses who are interested in and participate in the care of solid organ transplant patients. Founded in Pittsburgh, where our executive office is located, we have grown to become a leading respected transplant organization with over 1,400 active members.

ITNS was founded in 1992 as the first professional nursing organization to focus on the professional growth and development of the transplant clinician. ITNS offers nurses a forum for learning about the latest advances in transplantation and transplant patient care. Over the years ITNS has continued to provide nurses skilled in transplantation with numerous opportunities to share their expertise with national and international peers, and receive recognition for their knowledge and scholarly pursuits.

Our Members

Our membership has a very diverse geographical background, with 77% of members living in the USA, 12% in Canada and 10% living in Europe. 36% percent of our members classify themselves as transplant coordinators, 26% as staff nurses, 13% as clinical nurse specialists, 5% as charge nurses or team leaders and less than 5% are employed by a pharmaceutical company or have an interest in organ procurement. Abdominal transplantation including liver, kidney, pancreas and small bowel have the highest representation with over 65%. Thoracic transplantation including heart and lungs represent the remaining 35%. We try to offer a continuum of care from pre-transplant through post-transplant with our meetings, and have had great success in offering education modules to those who work in adult as well as pediatric transplantation.

Mission

The ITNS is committed to the promotion of excellence in transplant clinical nursing through the provision of educational and professional growth opportunities, interdisciplinary networking and collaborative activities, and transplant nursing research.

Our mission is to promote excellence in transplant clinical nursing through the provision of educational and professional growth opportunities, interdisciplinary networking and collaborative activities and transplant nursing research. As we have grown, we have chartered over 26 local chapters, which help and promote the field of transplant nursing through their geographical region and transplant center. For a complete list of chapters near you, or information on how to charter and start a chapter please browse out chapters site within this Web site.

Goals

• Provide a network for communication among professional nurses with a focus and commitment to transplantation.
• Provide a means of continuing education for professional nurses with a focus in transplant nursing.
• Examine new trends in transplantation affecting patient care and the role of the transplant nurse.
• Promote and support research in transplant nursing.
• Distribute the results of scientific investigations among professionals interested in transplantation.
• Foster an awareness of ongoing ethical considerations in procurement, donation, and recipient awareness.
• Ensure the accomplishment of the proper and lawful purposes and objectives of the Society.

Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors are an elected group of individuals voted into office by mail-in ballot from all active members. Each of them has a commitment to the field of transplantation and strive to maintain the mission and integrity of the society through our activities and educational collaborations. The Board follows the by-laws of the organization, which are reviewed and amended each year at the General Assembly held in conjunction with our annual meeting.