The Alcor Life Extension Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit scientific and research organization, currently has an immediate opening for a Readiness Coordinator at our Scottsdale, Arizona, facility. The Readiness Coordinator is responsible for assisting with the stabilization and transport phases of cryonics, and for maintaining logistical readiness for cryonics cases. Cryonics is the experimental practice of using ultra-cold temperatures to preserve human life in a state that may be recoverable by future medicine. For four decades Alcor has developed and implemented innovative techniques in the field of cryonics. These techniques involve a combination of experimental interventions and conventional medical skills.
At Alcor, we believe that intelligence, memories, and personality are determined primarily by the structure and chemistry of the human brain. Our aim is to preserve the brain and the unique identity within it so that advanced future medical technology might be able to restore the individual to good health. For more information about cryonics and Alcor please see our website at http://www.alcor.org.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
The Readiness Coordinator will work with Alcor’s Transport Coordinator in arranging and performing standbys, postmortem stabilization, and transport of Alcor patients to Alcor’s cryopreservation facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Readiness Coordinator will also be responsible for purchasing, inventorying, and otherwise maintaining supplies and equipment necessary for cryonics procedures at remote locations and at Alcor’s Scottsdale facility. Additionally the Readiness Coordinator will participate in training and outfitting of regional groups in the United States and other countries who assist with stabilization and transport of Alcor patients.
Specification of procedures and equipment are determined in consultation with Alcor’s technical staff, including Transport Coordinator, Technical Coordinator, Research Fellow, and external physicians, scientists, and consultants. Supplies and equipment include:
* Heart-lung resuscitators.
* Patient ice baths.
* Patient cooling systems.
* I.V. medications and administration supplies.
* Tubing packs and cardiopulmonary perfusion equipment.
* Sensors, data logging, and recording equipment.
* Personal protective equipment.
The Readiness Coordinator will report to Alcor’s Transport Coordinator, and perform the specific tasks below. All tasks except the first two are shared with the Transport Coordinator under the direction of the Transport Coordinator.
PREMORTEM RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Ensure supplies and equipment required for cryonics cases are maintained and ready for emergency deployment in Alcor’s Scottsdale facility and at remote locations.
2. Develop Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) documentation for tasks related to readiness.
3. Develop, document, and execute training programs for field cryonics procedures.
4. Communicate with and maintain awareness of the medical status of Alcor members at risk.
5. Establish contact with Alcor member’s physician or medical facility upon terminal diagnosis.
6. Track and assess a member’s condition without participating in treatment. Tracking may continue on an intermittent basis, in person or by phone.
7. Convey information about the member’s condition to Alcor’s Deployment Committee.
8. Organize and maintain a Standby, often in a remote location, in which cryonics transport technicians wait to perform postmortem stabilization procedures.
9. Establish contact with local funeral homes to assist in transport preparations.
10. Interact with patients, their family and local medical personnel to ensure the timely application of Alcor’s protocol after pronouncement of legal death.
POSTMORTEM RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Ensure the timely application of Alcor’s stabilization protocol, which includes surface cooling, medication administration, cardiopulmonary support, airway management, and blood replacement. If present at Alcor’s Scottsdale facility when the case begins, then ensure readiness of Alcor’s operating room to receive the patient.
2. Ensure the transport of the patient to Alcor’s facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. If at Alcor’s facility when the case begins, then assist in the operating room and oversee cleanup and reconstitution for the next case.
3. Assist with the timely preparation of detailed technical reports on the care provided to each patient, once each transport is concluded.
The Readiness Coordinator is to be on call on a 24-hour basis for emergencies. This position requires frequent out of town travel, approximately 10-15 times per year, including overnight and weekend work, for emergency deployments and scheduled training programs. Otherwise, normal business working hours are required.
The person we are looking for will be organized, self-motivating, and creative with good communication skills. The Readiness Coordinator must be able to learn essential aspects of a complex and challenging field, with limited supervision during the learning period. The Readiness Coordinator must be comfortable functioning in a medical/surgical environment. Most of all, the individual must share our vision that cryonics patients require the same conscientious dedication to patient welfare as conventional medicine, even though cryonics procedures are still experimental.
This is an exciting opportunity to participate at the frontiers of current scientific knowledge in the hope that cryopreservation of human beings will enable future resuscitation by radically advanced medicine. You will be part of one of the most difficult and ambitious technological endeavors ever pursued.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS:
* Paramedic, CCP, RN, NP, PA, or EMT-B.
* Equivalent experience in a health field will be considered.
* Experience in an emergency room or critical care setting is highly desirable.
* Experience in cryonics is desirable but not essential.
* Experience in tissue recovery is a plus.
* Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, are required.
Alcor offers a comprehensive benefits package. Employees must reside in the greater Phoenix area, or be willing to relocate to Phoenix (we may assist with relocation expenses). Qualified applicants should email their resume, salary requirements, and a cover letter describing their interest and attitude toward cryonics to Jennifer Chapman (jennifer@alcor.org).
