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Compiled by John Brieske, Pulse managing editor. Got a health care job that you love? Please send email to jbrieske@ajc.com.
Job: Director, Surgery and Sterile Processing Department at DeKalb Medical, North Decatur campus.
What I do: "I have the pleasure and challenge of learning the scope of this position, as I have been in this role since July 2013. The director needs to be a transformational leader who supports clinical staff in providing safe, quality patient care for the patient having a surgical procedure."
How I got into this: "My background clinically is the operating room as a staff nurse progressing to a clinical leader for orthopedics to performance improvement for Surgical Services. My formal introduction to management began when I became the manager of Surgical Services at the downtown Decatur campus. I have also had the opportunity to further build physician relationships and impact surgical care while in a co-management model prior to the director role."
Best part of the job: "Developing relationships with staff, physicians and other departments so that the surgical patient has an optimal surgical outcome while experiencing service excellence at DeKalb. It is rewarding to speak with patients and families to provide that comfort and assurance that we, along with our physician partners, will take excellent care of them
while in surgery."
Most challenging part: "The foundation of the surgical experience begins with scheduling the patient's procedure and builds through assessing the patient for a plan of care to ensuring that all the instruments, supplies and implants are available for the surgery. The challenge can be ensuring that vital communication is uninterrupted between the numerous individuals that 'touch' the patient's surgical experience."
What people don't know about my job: "This role allows a greater opportunity to 'touch' more patients as one develops staff, teams and processes for the surgical patient."
What keeps me going: "The surgical nurse/team is the patient's advocate when the patient is vulnerable, so it is imperative that the surgical administrative team supports evidence-based decisions when implementing change."
Preparation needed: "For a nurse as a director, a MSN is preferred. I am currently completing my MSN in leadership at Walden University. A clinical background in peri-operative services is advantageous in knowing the surgical business."
