About education
Slovenia-transplant is a national competent organization responsible for educating professionals, the public and the media. At the national level, we organise courses, mentoring and examinations for transplant coordinators. We are a springboard for training our experts in reference programmes abroad.
In addition to the established training courses, we prepare lectures and seminars in the areas of ethics, communication, prevention of organ trafficking, multiple organ procurement and other topics.
We organise training courses throughout the year. We work together with professional associations, student organisations and faculties. For participation in the training courses, we ensure that the licence or credit points are obtained from the Slovenian Medical Association and the Association of Health and Midwifery Care.
Current dates for seminars, symposia and workshops for various target groups are published under Events.
Basics of the donor programme training
The lectures on the basics of the donor programme are aimed at a broad specialist audience and employees in medical institutions. The training is based on the standardised European training model ETPOD. The objectives of the 4-hour training course are:
- familiarisation with the basic elements and concepts of the donor programme in Slovenia;
- introduce the professional guidelines from donor identification to organ removal;
- understanding the protocols for brain death diagnostics;
- acquire basic skills for communicating about organ donation with relatives of the deceased;
- understanding the work organisation and outcomes of the donor programme.
We offer training on the basics of the donor programme in medical institutions. We organise them as required, usually at least twice a year.
Advanced education and training for health professionals
The intensive training course on donor medicine is aimed at doctors and other colleagues in intensive care units in donor hospitals. The 3-day intensive course on organ procurement and transplantation (Intermediate Training Course in Transplant Coordination) according to the TPM programme has been run in collaboration with the Spanish organization DTI since 2013. Participants learn about the latest professional guidelines in the donor programme. In the lectures, they acquire theoretical knowledge, while in the practical part, procedures and work in individual segments of the donation process are simulated.
The aim of the course is to further develop the donor programme and attract highly qualified colleagues to the programme. The course consists of 24 academic hours, with lectures and workshops taking place throughout the day. After passing the exam, participants receive a certificate.
We usually organise an intensive TPM course once a year.
Workshop: “Delivering the bad news and conversation with the family about organ donation”
The workshop »Delivering bad news and conversation with the relatives about organ donation« is aimed at transplant coordinators and doctors and nurses working in intensive care units. The main objectives of the workshop are to learn communication skills and ways of breaking bad news, responding to the shock and grief of relatives, conducting a conversation about organ donation and understanding the importance of the decision to donate organs for grieving relatives. The training in the form of lectures, practical exercises and role plays lasts 4 hours. The workshop programme is based on the uniform European EDHEP model, which is adapted to the specifics of the Slovenian cultural environment, modern guidelines and legislation in the field of organ donation. The workshop has been led for many years by the experienced clinical psychologist Bernarda Logar Zakrajšek, PhD in cooperation with a professional actress.
Training courses on grief in case of loss and communication with relatives are organised several times a year as required. We organise two levels of workshop: for beginners and advanced participants.
Workshop: »Brain death determination«
Slovenija-transplant in cooperation with the Simulation Center at UMC Ljubljana, organizes workshops on diagnosis and confirmation of brain death. The training is aimed at intensive care physicians, radiologists, neurologists and other doctors in intensive care units who are responsible for carrying out brain death diagnostics. The aim of the workshop is to present national legislation, procedures, regulations, state-of-the-art methods and theory for the determination and confirmation of brain death. We also want to motivate colleagues and raise awareness of possible deceased donors. The training includes a theoretical and practical part and ends with a knowledge test.
The workshop on the diagnosis and confirmation of brain death is organised on request.
Histovigilance workshop
The histovigilance workshop is aimed at tissue and cell institution’s responsible persons, transplant coordinators and other professionals involved in the procedures of removal, transplantation and processing of tissues and cells for the purpose of transplantation treatment. During the workshop, participants are introduced to the histovigilance system in the EU, the national reporting system, the use of the histovigilance case assessment tool and histovigilance cases from practise. The aim of the training is also to raise awareness and improve the reporting of adverse events and reactions. The workshop lasts 4 hours. It includes lectures, practical work in groups and discussions. It ends with a knowledge test.
Training on the histovigilance system is organised as required, usually once a year.
Cooperation with faculties
We regularly co-operate with the medical and health faculties of the University of Ljubljana and Maribor in the form of seminars and lectures. We co-operate with the Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences on scientific projects.
Persons authorized to collect organ registrations
The personal signing of the declaration for entry in the national donor register is only possible in the presence of a person authorised to collect declarations. In accordance with national legislation, persons who collect organ donation declarations must complete a 4-hour training course. The aim of the training is to become familiar with the basics of the organ donation programme and the registration procedure in Slovenia. We offer training for authorised institutions, associations, students, etc. as required.
International transplant coordinators certificate
The highest professional accreditation for transplant coordinators is passing an international examination organised by the Board of Transplant Coordinators (BTC) of the UEMS (European Association of Medical Specialists). The examination consists of 4 modules. The Executive Committee of the BTC usually announces one examination period per year. Slovenija-transplant encourages professionals from Slovenia to apply. More information about the exam.
Articles and professional manuals
Newsletter
We have been publishing e-news for professional public from Slovenija-transplant since 2022. 5 times a year, we inform the professionals about news, quarterly statistical data on donor and transplantation activities, media announcements, project results, training and other events. The aim of this communication tool is to reach a well-informed, motivated, cohesive and development-oriented professional public.