Transplantation in General Medical Education

The care for a solid organ transplant patient requires the involvement of a team of care providers throughout the life of the patient and their allograft. These care providers usually obtain additional training in the care for transplant patients. However, transplantation has become sufficiently common to warrant inclusion in the training of many non-specialized practitioners. This chapter describes the current general transplant-related medical education of general surgeons, internists, subspecialist physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and medical students. Following this is an examination of further methods of education and instruction available to students, current resident trainees and those in practice. It is important to the overall care of transplant patients that general care providers receive education on solid organ transplantation early in their careers and through continuing medical education.