money is important,
but they also
express great pride
in being the point
person for OR pur-
chases and have an
incredible love of
working in a field
that's more of a call-
ing than a career.
They say surgery is
a unique profession
where the joy of tak-
ing care of patients
far exceeds the
occasional frustration of managing budgets with far more zeroes than
their salaries.
Gaining entr y
Nikki Williams, RN, CNOR, operating room director at the Lakeland
(Fla.) Surgical and Diagnostic Center, develops a capital equipment
budget by October of each year. She then gets quotes from several
companies to obtain best pricing before pulling the trigger on pur-
chases. She's become more confident when bargaining with vendors
with each passing year. "I've realized that you won't get better deals
unless you ask for them," says Ms. Williams. "The worst they can say
is no."
Her relationships with vendors paid off recently when the center
needed a new cerebral oximeter, which runs about $18,000. Ms.
J A n U A R Y 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 4 1
• JUGGLING ACT Sue Hrnicek, MSN, RN, CNOR (left), director of surgical services at
Columbus (Neb.) Community Hospital, balances her budgeting duties with numerous
clinical responsibilities.
Sue
Hrnicek,
MSN,
RN,
CNOR
