Life Changing Is … Care That Lasts for Years

Ashley F., Transplant Coordinator

“It’s so incredible to get to know these people and their families.”

As a post-lung transplant coordinator, Ashley is responsible for the care of between 90 and 100 patients at any given moment.

“Whenever someone gets their lung transplant, there’s kind of a lifestyle of care that goes with it afterwards,” she says. “And I am sort of the interface between them and the physician and the rest of the team.”

It’s a role that holds a lot of responsibility but one that Ashley accepts and appreciates. She became a post-transplant coordinator after previously working as a nurse for about 10 years.

“It’s so incredible to get to know these people and their families,” she says.

Her job as a coordinator allows Ashley to form an ongoing bond with patients and their families. She gets to know them and becomes a key part of their overall transplant journeys.

“We are so fortunate in our job because we manage the same group of people all the time,” she says. “I think the difference in the post side is that we get this really sort of special relationship with people. We have some patients who are 20 years after their lung transplant. There’s really something kind of unique and special about being able to take care of them all this time.”

Ashley’s mother, sister, aunt and great-grandmother were nurses, and she shares their passion for care.

Her job demands multiple skill sets and connecting with many different types of people and personalities, but the aspect she considers most important is caring for others.

At UPMC, Life Changing Medicine means building long-lasting bonds with our patients.

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