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April 02, 2026 in Our Experts

What is a Surgical Recovery Coordinator?

Have you ever wondered how recovered organs get to their recipients? Here at LifeSource we have an entire team that specializes in the recovery and transportation of gifts.

Two people in medical apparel, leaning over a table

Surgical Technologist and Organ Recovery Specialist, known at LifeSource as a Surgical Recovery Coordinator (SRC) is a team of specialists that aid in the donation transplantation process by ensuring that organs are correctly packaged and labeled for waiting recipients while making sure that the hospital staff are provided with the right resources.

SRC’s work primarily in the operating room (OR) as coordinators to surgeons and the hospital team directly aiding them through the organ recovery. These duties include assisting the hospital team on what items are needed for the organ recovery. 

In the OR, the SRC’s primary responsibility is to properly preserve, package, and label the recovered organs. This means that the SRC’s are required to actively multi-task in order to be efficient, as the window of time is very limited.

During the recovery process, there can be upwards of 6 different recovery surgeons or teams that are coming into the OR to assist in the recovery of an organ. This is because the recovery of each life-saving gift requires a team of surgeons.

Qualifications of a Surgical Recovery Coordinator

Some of the important qualifications of an SRC include: 

  • Requires a combination of education and experience equivalent to two years in surgical tech, anatomy, biology, or a related area of healthcare. 
  • Requires a minimum of one year of professional experience in an operating room environment, demonstrating aseptic/sterile technique execution.   
  • Designation as a Certified Surgical Technologist, Certified Surgical Assistant, Surgical Technologist or equivalent preferred.
  • Requires successful completion of Certified Transplant Preservationist certification within two (2) years of entry in the position. Once certified, you must obtain the required continuing education or recertification credits/process.Requires successful completion of Certified Transplant Preservationist certification within two (2) years of entry in the position. Once certified, you must obtain the required continuing education or recertification credits/process.   

Interested in this role in saving lives? Click here to see if we’re hiring Surgical Recovery Coordinators.

About LifeSource

LifeSource is a nonprofit organization that saves lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. It’s our privilege to serve the 7 million people who live in communities across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and portions of western Wisconsin.

We are dedicated to working with our hospital and community partners to support donor families, manage the donation process and educate our communities to create a culture of donation. We’re a passionate and committed cross-functional team who believe in our vision that everyone shares the gift of life. Each of our team members plays an integral role in our life-saving work, using their unique talents and contributions to further our mission.

As an organization, LifeSource is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and welcoming workplace with opportunities for all talent to thrive. We are an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourage BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, veterans, persons with disabilities, members of marginalized communities, and non-traditional applicants to apply.

If you’re interested in joining the team, visit our careers page. We also offer informational interviews, to connect with a member of our talent engagement team, please contact us.