Sylvia Puga
Houston,Texas
Summary
Dynamic nurse leader specializing in quality assurance and operational process improvement, with a track record of successfully managing multi-million dollar OR Suite renovations. Demonstrated expertise in developing new surgery service lines and achieving employee engagement scores exceeding 90%. Skilled in strategic planning and innovation, adept at transforming challenges into effective solutions. Committed to enhancing healthcare delivery, patient safety, and operational efficiency.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Surgery Manager
The Woman’s Hospital of Texas
10.2022 - Current
- Interim Director of Surgical Services for 2 months—successfully led Day Surgery, Surgery, PACU, and Sterile Processing, and provided seamless continuity during the transitional period.
- Lead a $1.7 million OR suite renovation: coordinate with design and construction project managers, facility management, and other related internal departments.
- Lead surgical services growth and development with a new pediatric cardiovascular surgery line.
- Manage, develop, and retain 50+ employees while maintaining an employee engagement score above 90%.
- Manage daily operations, including surgery scheduling, registration, pre-op, intra-op, PACU, sterile processing, and materials management departments.
- Completed the Joint Commission Survey with successful outcomes by demonstrating consistent compliance with surgical standards, promoting quality initiatives, fostering a culture of safety, and ensuring staff and leadership engagement.
- Partner with Quality Department for designing projects focused on enhancing performance and generating outcome data.
- Spearhead process improvement of surgical services metric goals
- Identify process improvement opportunities and streamline OR operations to improve efficiency, cost savings, and physician, patient, and staff experience.
- Monitor daily labor hour efficiency, and evaluate hours per case and overtime.
- Lead daily huddles for the OR team, and assist in leading Department of Surgery and Surgical Operations meetings.
Quality Analyst and Physician Peer Review Coordinator
The Woman’s Hospital of Texas
08.2017 - 10.2022
- Spearhead the implementation and development of a robust practitioner quality process project for over 1,200 practitioners.
- Manage the new Physician Professional Practice Evaluation Process.
- Facilitate Physician Professional Evaluation Committees.
- Collaborate with the Chief Medical Officer, the Medical Staff President, the Department Chairs, and the Department Leads.
- Junior Lead in comprehensive initiatives to ensure adherence to Joint Commission standards, resulting in the successful attainment of triennial accreditation with fewer requirements for improvement than the national benchmark.
- Participate in Joint Commission Surveys, Leveling Surveys, and State Visits.
- Monitor and assess outcomes to gauge the effectiveness of evidence-based practices, and promote best practices in patient care.
- Conduct complex data analysis, develop strategies, and improve care delivery across multiple service lines to positively impact patient outcomes.
Physician Review and Core Measure Data Abstractor
Q-Centrix
04.2019 - 02.2020
- Review, identify, and prepare clinical case reviews for all specialties in an acute hospital setting.
- Apply specialized, clinical knowledge of hospital partners: categorize, code, summarize, interpret, and calculate registry/case information from nuanced patient medical records.
- Ensure quality submission of all data in specified registries or measure data repositories, maintaining a high accuracy threshold.
- Prioritize, organize, and meet tight deadlines for multiple concurrent tasks and team requests; use tact and judgment to manage expectations, flag obstacles, and propose solutions in a timely manner.
- Navigate new technical systems: electronic medical records (EMR) and registry/case entry tools; use team resources to troubleshoot technical issues with systems and applications with a focus on solutions.
- Contribute to team best practices, data dictionaries, abstraction guidelines, and other business rule documents; identify process improvement opportunities to help streamline tasks and processes.
- Keeps up to date on mandated regulatory/publicly reported data requirements as specified by federal, state, payer, and other agencies.
Surgery da Vinci Robot Coordinator/Charge Nurse/Operating Room Circulator
The Woman’s Hospital of Texas
01.2010 - 08.2017
- Lead, OR $4 million, OR expansion: equipment contracts, room design, & progress.
- Lead the implementation of the new $2 million da Vinci robotic program.
- Initiate process improvement strategies for maintaining low cost, high revenue for the robotic program.
- Streamline Robotic Surgery Service Line.
- Demonstrate consistent annual growth of the robotic program.
- Support the surgical team in troubleshooting the da Vinci system during robotic cases.
- Target and support new surgeons interested in robotic surgery.
- Liaison between hospital administration, Intuitive Surgical, and health care professionals.
- Create documents and reports on procedure data collection, cost-benefit analysis, surgical procedure pathways, and guidelines.
- Create and maintain a learning program for staff on robotic surgery.
- Run Strategy, Steering, and Tactical Robotic Meetings.
- Manage 30 employees, and coordinate the daily schedule for surgical cases.
Senior Brachytherapy Sales Specialist
Theragenics Corporation
07.2006 - 02.2010
- Outperformed expected quarterly sales benchmarks by up to 20%.
- Negotiate service agreements, contracts, and submit product solicitation from various Group Purchasing Organizations throughout the U.S.
- Maintain client relationships in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois.
- Provide support during brachytherapy procedures in the operating room.
- Submitted comprehensive territorial volume reports.
- Train, manage, and support Brachytherapy Specialists.
- Prospect for new business in local and regional territories.
Education
MBA - Healthcare administration
Western Governors University
12.2025
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
LAMAR UNIVERSITY
12.2002
Skills
- Organizational Leadership
- Operational Process Improvement
- Project Management
- Regulatory Compliance and Accreditation
- Strategic Planning and Decision Making
- Innovation Management
Programs
- Microsoft Office Applications-Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Access
- Electronic Medical Record Software: Meditech, CPN, Cerner, Epic
- COMET Abstracting Software
- Tableau
- Power BI
- Kronos, Lawson, ISAS
Affiliations
SFL Cheer Assistant Coach 2024-2025
Twain Elementary PTO Classroom Communication Liaison 2020-2025
Twain Elementary PTO Events Volunteer 2020-2025
Employee Advisory Group Member 2019-2020. 2022
Accomplishments
HCA Gulf Coast Leadership Essentials Certification 2024
HCA Mentorship Program 2022
The Woman’s Hospital of Texas VIP of the Week: June 2022
Daisy Award Winner 2016
Top 5 Finalist: The Woman’s Hospital Employee of the Year: 2016
Certification
Texas Registered Nurse Licensure: Compact State Licensure
Basic Life Support 2026
HCA Gulf Coast Leadership Essentials Certification 2024
Robotic Coordinator Certificate of Training 2011
Languages
Spanish
Professional
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Surgery Manager
The Woman’s Hospital of Texas
10.2022 - Current
Physician Review and Core Measure Data Abstractor
Q-Centrix
04.2019 - 02.2020
Quality Analyst and Physician Peer Review Coordinator
The Woman’s Hospital of Texas
08.2017 - 10.2022
Surgery da Vinci Robot Coordinator/Charge Nurse/Operating Room Circulator
The Woman’s Hospital of Texas
01.2010 - 08.2017
Senior Brachytherapy Sales Specialist
Theragenics Corporation
07.2006 - 02.2010
MBA - Healthcare administration
Western Governors University
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
LAMAR UNIVERSITY
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