HONORING EXCELLENCE IN PERIOPERATIVE LEADERSHIP

CONGRATULATIONS FINALISTS!

DEBORAH EBERT Vice President Surgical Services, UCSF Health

EDNA GILLIAM Assistant Vice President of Perioperative Services,
Nemours Children’s Hospital

LINDSAY MEADE Perioperative Services Director, Texas Children’s Hospital

TIFFANIE LEPPO Director, SurgiCenter

REBECCA RAYBURN Perianesthesia Nurse Manager, Sawgrass Surgical Center

MICHELLE SYKES OR Nurse Manager-Outpatient Surgery,
Dartmouth Health Outpatient Surgery Center

JEANNE ARTHUR Nursing Director PACU, Pre-op, Day Surgery, Surgery Liaison, Pre-Admission Testing, MGB Newton Wellesley Hospital

HEATHER HEBBERECHT Nurse Manager – PACU,
University of Rochester Medical Center

AMANDA MITCHELL PACU Manager, Deerpath Ambulatory Surgical Center

About the awards

The OR Manager awards honor perioperative leaders who are making strides to better the experience of surgical patients, improve OR operations, drive healthcare innovation, and inspire the next generation of perioperative leaders. 

Nominations closed at 11:59 pm PST on July 19. Thank you to everyone who nominated a deserving candidate this year! The three finalists for each category are invited to the 2024 OR Manager Conference. The award ceremony will be held on Wednesday, October 30, at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV, during the OR Manager Conference. We will publish the winners online following the ceremony.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2024 AWARDS PROGRAM HAVE CLOSED. Please check back for information regarding 2025 awards.

About the Awards

This award recognizes an exceptional leader who develops and supports their staff, fosters teamwork, finds creative solutions to problems, and continually makes improvements to provide excellent patient care. Past award winners have made exceptional contributions to their facilities during the most challenging times, including drafting and implementing innovative policy, helping to boost efficiency, and incentivizing staff growth.

Eligibility

Nominees must carry a title of leader of the surgical department, such as OR manager or director, director of perioperative services, and other variations. Charge nurses are not eligible for this award. Depending on the structure at the facility, vice president and other executive titles are eligible, but C-suite level roles are not. Nominees must be a licensed nurse working within the surgical department.

This award honors an outstanding ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leader who wears many hats and takes an active role in setting up and advancing their outpatient surgery center to deliver high quality patient care. Past award winners have made exceptional contributions to their ASCs by improving operations by supporting staff to cope with a fast-paced environment and constrained resources, growing existing and new service lines, and incentivizing innovation.

Eligibility

Nominees must carry a title of leader of the ASC, such as ASC manager or director, ASC administrator, and other variations. Charge nurses are not eligible for this award. Depending on the structure at the ASC, vice president and other executive titles are eligible, including C-suite titles. Physicians are not eligible. Nominees must be a licensed nurse working in the outpatient setting.

This category is only for free-standing ASCs; while different ASC ownership structures are eligible, HOPDs are not for fit for this category.

This award honors an exceptional  leader of the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) who has made remarkable contributions to advance pre- and postoperative care and improve quality outcomes for patients after surgery. Past award winners have made exceptional contributions to their departments during the most challenging times, including drafting and implementing innovative policy, improving patient output, and incentivizing staff growth through cross-training.

Eligibility

Nominees must carry a title of leader of the PACU department, such as PACU manager or director, director of postop services, and other variations. Charge nurses are not eligible for this award. Depending on the structure at the facility, vice president and other executive titles are eligible, but C-suite level roles are not. Nominees must be a licensed nurse working within the PACU department.

HOW TO SUBMIT A WINNING NOMINATION

Judging Criteria

Nominations for the above categories will be reviewed and judged based on the following criteria:

• Actions the nominee took in 2023 to help their facility/department/ASC achieve or exceed financial, operational, and/or clinical goals.
• Measurable results and/or recognition by staff, physicians, hospital leadership, or board of directors for said actions.
• Examples of memorable actions include leadership initiatives that led to specific improvements in patient and/or staff safety, leading quality improvement/assurance projects, spearheading renovation in the OR/department/ASC, creative staffing shortage solutions, multidisciplinary and cross-facility collaborations, and more.
• Actions that have led to improved community health, that address facility- and/or department-wide challenges, and have otherwise influenced the perioperative community are also worthy of nomination.

Note that the same person may not be nominated in more than one category. Facility size is taken into consideration when reviewing nominations and evaluating the impact of the nominee’s actions within their facility/community environment.

Successful nominations will explicitly state how the nominee’s contributions have improved their facilities and offer detailed information about the scope of responsibilities under the purview of the nominee. Consider the following questions when nominating someone:

• Is the nominee effective in their role? Are there tangible metrics or data that show the direct impact of their leadership/intervention?
• Do they deliver care and service that goes above and beyond others in the same role?
• Have they brought innovation into their department/ASC? Have they advocated for technology that has put their facility/staff ahead of the curve?
• Are they good collaborators? Do they foster and maintain good relationships with not only with their staff but with other departments and leaders?
• Have they brought significant efficiency, cost savings, profit, or any other improvements to operations? Have they been recognized by their staff and/or leaders in some way?
• What problem did they solve? Who did they directly impact? What new service have they created?

Materials

Required documentation for nominations include a current resume and letter(s) of recommendation attached to the completed nomination form. A headshot is recommended but not required. The number of nominations for one individual will not influence the selection; however, different nominations for the same nominee may include supplemental information that shows the nominee’s full contributions in accordance to the above criteria.

Contact

If you have questions about the OR Manager Awards, including about the criteria, nomination and selection process, or deadline, please contact Tarsilla Moura, senior editor of OR Manager, at [email protected].

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2024 PROGRAM HAVE CLOSED. Please check back for information regarding 2025 awards.