Meet the Expert: Tita Bordinger Herron, RN, CCTC

Mar 9, 2023 | Kristin Eggebraaten | @keggebraaten | Comments (1)

Recently, the Mayo Clinic Transplant Center in Florida celebrated its 25th anniversary! Congratulations to all the staff and all the patients who received transplants over that 25 years. A special thank you to the 100s of donor families who gave the selfless gift of organ donation to our patients.

As with every business, people come and people go. But one nurse coordinator has been there since the beginning, witnessing the growth and being an integral part of patient care. Tita Bordinger Herron answered some questions recently for our Communications team, and we thought you might like to meet this expert who has been with our Florida Transplant Center for 25 years and counting.

(Original story credit to Jennifer Aguinaldo, Administrative Intern at Mayo Clinic Florida.)

What has your journey been like since you joined the transplant center 25 years ago?

I started as a medical secretary in 1998 with the liver transplant program. Working with the physicians and nurses on the team was the reason I went back to school and earned my nursing degree. The teamwork and compassion for patient care demonstrated by the staff were the biggest influence on my decision to pursue my nursing degree. I left for about six months but ultimately realized that the transplant program was where I wanted to dedicate my career.  I was a nurse for the pre-liver transplant team for many years and am now a nurse coordinator for the pre-kidney and pancreas transplant programs.

What does your role involve?

I oversee the evaluation of patients in need of a kidney or pancreas transplant. I also provide education to patients about the evaluation and transplant process and assist the physicians with reviewing test results. I present patient cases to the selection committee to determine candidacy for transplant and inform patients of the committee's decision. I then conduct regular follow-ups with patients to be sure there has been no change in their overall health that could affect their transplant candidacy.

What would someone be surprised to learn about your job?

It's the complexity of the health of our patients and the multitude of moving parts involved in the evaluation and transplant process. We are constantly interacting with different entities, including other medical specialties and the scheduling team, while maintaining communication with our patients.

What has been most rewarding about working in the transplant center?

What is most rewarding for me is seeing patients come back to Mayo for their follow-up appointments after they have received a transplant. They look completely different — healthy again. Sometimes, I recognize their spouse or caregiver before I recognize the patient. The transformation is incredible. In addition, the compassion that the staff has for the patients and each other is amazing.

Our nurse coordinator role at Mayo Clinic has such a broad range of duties and responsibilities. What has your nurse coordinator done for you that you didn’t expect them to do?

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