OPERATIVE PHILOSOPHY: Prospective Lead Florida CVOR FA Segment Lead - (Ms. Kathryn Wright, BSN, RN, CVOR, CRNFA, CLNC)

Partnership Position

Candidate: Ms. Kathryn Wright, BSN, RN, CVOR, CRNFA, CLNC

The Lead Florida CVOR FA Segment Lead will be a partner in the practice based in the Orlando metroplex and will be focused on clinical excellence and business development to expand clinical affiliations, demonstrate surgical excellence, build a strong team of APP First Assists, and work directly with Executive Management and our Private Equity sponsor to build out our transplant surgery pillar.

Surgical Focus (80% - 90%):

Learning the fundamentals of CVOR First-Assisting to eventually build a team of other CRNFAs to serve the Orlando market on high-risk cardiac surgeries
Developing Standards of Practice (SOPs) on Cardiovascular Surgery First Assisting
Lecturing on Operating Room etiquette fundamentals to be an effective member of a high-stakes surgical team
Teaching junior Surgical APPs best practices in operative technique in high-stakes surgery

Business Development Focus (10% - 20%):

Attend social events and galas in the Scottsdale area
Represent practice at industry-centric conferences around the country
Utilize personal and professional network to drive personal brand and surgical eminence

Preliminary Assessment Questions

Operating Room Etiquette

What are some of the key pillars of proper Operating Room Etiquette to show leadership and 'executive presence' to the surgical team? Are there any communication or other protocols that you believe are important in these high-stakes and high-intensity cases?

Surgeon Respect

Cardiovascular surgeons tend to be much more "old-school". How would you address the surgeon and what are some leading practices you would employ as a CRNFA to show respect and build trust to become a synchronized partner in each case?

Most Intense Case as a CRNFA

What has been the most intense case you've experience as a Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant (CRNFA)? What made it so intense and how did you handle yourself?

Underperforming Team Members in the Operative Field

As a Senior Member of the Operative Team, how have you dealt with underperforming team members scrubbed into the operative field? Are there any communication protocols to let a team member that their surgical performance is unacceptable mid-case?

Intraoperative Code

As a Senior Member of the surgical team, what is your role in an intraoperative cardiac arrest situation? What do you think are keys for both you and the team to collaborate effectively?

Surgeon / First-Assist Relationship

What do you believe makes for a very successful and collaborative relationship between the Attending Surgeon and the Cardiac Surgery Nurse First Assist? How do you anticipate a surgeon's needs and ensure he / she can maintain focus on the operative field?

Pet-Peeves as a CRNFA

As a Surgical Team Leader and CRNFA in Surgery, what are some pet-peeves amongst personnel in the Operating Room? Are there any specific roles on the team that consistently impair optimal performance of the team? Do you believe a Dedicated Team of the same personnel in each role would facilitate better outcomes in high-risk cases?

Ambitions in Cardiovascular Surgery

How would a heavy operative role fit in with your other pursuits such as being a highly-skilled Legal Nurse Consultant? Would you mind marathon cases (10+ hours) without breaks on lifesaving procedures? What would be on your preference card?

Surgical Rituals

One thing that has been written about is the "rituals of surgery". Do you have any pre-op rituals that get you in the zone to perform at your highest level at the table?

Patient Barriers

Have you ever consulted a friend or acquaintance about a high-risk surgery? Do you believe an emotional barrier needs to exist between a Surgical FA and patient especially when faced with high-risk cardiac surgery to preserve surgical objectivity and optimize performance?