2024 National Nurses Week

Title: Director of Nursing
Facility Name: Covenant High Plains Surgery Center - Quaker Avenue
City: Lubbock
State: Texas

If a nurse were to be the POTUS, what is the first thing that they’d do?

Invest in preventative health. This would mean affordable early access to healthcare, education and a monetary incentive for health maintenance. A monetary incentive could be in the way of a tax break for meeting wellness visits, especially for children, or a subsidy for wellness checks.

Title: Director of Clinical Services, 22nd Street Campus
Facility Name: Covenant High Plains Surgery Center - 22nd Street Campus
City: Lubbock
State: Texas

What made you choose nursing as a profession?

I started as a surgical technician 15 years ago and after gaining a few years of experience, I knew I wanted to continue to grow my career. Perioperative nursing was an easy decision for me. I truly believe I have the best of both worlds: I have the ability to contribute my knowledge and years of experience in the operating room and the opportunity to provide meaningful bedside care to my patients.

Title: Administrator
Facility Name: The Surgery Center
City: Middleburg Heights
State: Ohio

If a nurse were to be the POTUS, what is the first thing that they’d do?

They would invite all the CEOs of health insurance companies and medical supply companies, the entire Senate and Congress, everyone at CMS and anyone else who thinks they know so much about healthcare, when they don’t know anything about what healthcare really is, and let them spend time with them to see what it’s all about. Additionally, they would not rush to have patients discharged to meet the DRG days, and certainly they would require appointments for radiology, lab and other ancillary services, including healthcare visits to physicians, NPs, etc., to be scheduled at times other than during “normal workday hours” so that people would not have to take time off work to attend these appointments.

Title: Chief Nursing Officer/Facility Administrator
Facility Name: Red Rock Surgical Center
City: St. George
State: Utah

What is the most satisfying part of your job?

Nursing is one of the only professions where individuals can truly work together to achieve process improvements and see the fruition of those changes make a positive impact, not only with patients and in individual facilities but also in the overall industry. I find great satisfaction through my ability to make a difference for patients and other nurses using collaboration and research, and sharing learning experiences with other nurses. As the CNO and facility administrator of our ambulatory surgical center, I have the opportunity to team up with surgeons, working with them to identify what they need for their patients and relaying those needs to our surgical center nurses to ensure the patients have a safe, positive experience.

Title: Administrator
Facility Name: Wausau Surgery Center
City: Wausau
State: Wisconsin

What do you love and not love about your job?

What I loved about being an OR nurse is the same thing that I love today as an administrator—no two days are ever alike. Stay curious and challenge yourself by continuously exploring new opportunities. The ASC industry landscape of diminishing reimbursement compounded by ever-increasing supply and labor costs continues to challenge all of us. But therein lies the opportunity for creative solutions to continue to provide our high-quality, low-cost option for patients in the healthcare ecosystem.

Title: Administrator
Facility Name: Red Hills Surgical Center
City: Tallahassee
State: Florida

What is one thing you wish people knew about nurses?

One thing I wish more people understood about nurses is our exceptional ability to put others first. Beyond the technical skills and medical knowledge, it's our innate capacity for empathy, compassion and selflessness that truly sets us apart. Every day, we prioritize the well-being and comfort of our patients above all else, often sacrificing our own needs and personal comfort in the process.

Title: ASC Manager and Accreditation, Compliance and Quality Improvement Lead
Facility Name: Pro Spine & Pain
City: Kenosha
State: Wisconsin

What made you choose nursing as a profession?

I went on my first mission trip to Monterrey, Mexico, in fifth grade. From that day forward, I wanted to help people on a spiritual level as well as a physical level. I have been on nine medical mission trips since then and treat every day at work as my mission field.