M A R C H 2 0 1 7 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 4 7
I'm reminded of a past experi-
ence that speaks to the chal-
lenges surgical administrators
face in building a new facility.
During the planning phase of a
new community hospital, I
brought in a group of outside
experts from multiple disciplines. As
we sat around the conference room
table going through the introductions,
each person's credentials and experi-
ence were more impressive than the
last.
At one point, the expert in medical
gases said to me, "Tell me about the
gases you need for the anesthesia
machines." I said, "You're the expert —
why don't you tell me what I need?"
Although he could tell me the minimum
requirements, he wanted to know about
the project's overall goals.
This taught me that, as an adminis-
trator, my role and experience were
invaluable to the success of the proj-
ect. It also taught me to get involved in
construction projects from the very
beginning, whether the conversation
surrounds room layout, medical gases
or surgical equipment. On the flip side,
you have to realize that you do not have
all the answers, meaning you need
critical feedback from key stakeholders
— not just the surgeons, but also the
nurses, surgical technicians, anesthe-
sia providers, lab/pathology, the busi-
ness managers and the purchasing
department, among others.
My advice: Pool your resources and
always insist that you have a seat at the
planning table. I took that approach
when we built our new cancer center,
and as a result found there are very
few instances where I could say, "I
wish we would have done this differ-
ently."
— Brenda Kendall-Bailey, RN, BSN,
MS, CNOR
PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE
Don't Wait to Get Involved in Project Management
• LEAD ROLE When building or renovating ORs, have a hand in every decision
involving technology upgrades and room layout.
The
Valley
Hospital
