Mitzi Cox Thomas
Gloucester,VA
Summary
I have been a Registered Nurse for 25 years. I started my career in nursing as a medical surgical nurse working on a telemetry unit. After recognizing my passion for the operating room, I applied and became a staff nurse in the operating room. I grew in my role over the years by advancing my clinical skills and knowledge. I have been the Director for 19 years, overseeing the Surgical Services Department, including the Gastroenterology Suite, Sterile Processing Department, and Anesthesia Services. My goal is to improve clinical outcomes and driving operational efficiency. As the Director of Surgery my role is to apply strategic planning, team leadership, and quality improvement expertise to enhance surgical services and patient care excellence in a high-performing healthcare organization.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Surgical Services
Riverside Walter Reed Hospital
10.1999 - Current
- Kept practices, techniques, policies and procedures consistent with professional standards and regulatory agencies.
- Interviewed, hired, evaluated and terminated management and support staff.
- Reviewed financial reports, made modifications to reduce costs and identified sound alternatives for purchasing equipment and supplies.
- Chaired committees, work groups and meetings.
- Oversaw regulatory compliance, ensuring adherence to state, federal, and accreditation standards for surgical services departments.
- Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to optimize patient care plans and expedite recovery times.
- Improved patient outcomes by implementing advanced surgical techniques and equipment.
- Streamlined surgical processes for increased efficiency and reduced operation times.
- Reduced hospital readmission rates through comprehensive post-surgical follow-up programs.
- Achieved cost savings by negotiating contracts with vendors for medical supplies and equipment.
- Maximized resource utilization by scheduling elective surgeries according to available operating room capacity and staffing levels.
- Established effective communication channels between physicians, nurses, and support staff for optimal collaboration during surgeries.
- Enhanced patient safety with thorough preoperative assessments and risk evaluations.
- Evaluated new technologies for potential incorporation into the department''s surgical procedures, enhancing overall operational effectiveness.
- Managed financial resources, establishing budgets and monitoring expenditures to ensure fiscal responsibility in the department.
- Coached, mentored and supported managers, colleagues and staff.
- Coordinated with anesthesia providers to ensure safe delivery of anesthesia services during surgical procedures.
- Developed and maintained a high-quality surgical services team through rigorous training and performance evaluations.
- Implemented continuous quality improvement initiatives, identifying areas of concern, and developing action plans to address issues proactively.
- Established and maintained effective communication with staff, physicians and community organizations to promote high quality patient care.
- Recruited, hired and trained all staff, providing direct supervision, ongoing staff development and continuing education to employees.
- Developed and updated policies and procedures, maintaining compliance with guidelines relating to HIPAA, benefits administration and general liability.
- Designed and introduced leadership development, coaching and team management model, resulting in promotion of employees into increased levels of responsibility.
Certified Nursing Assistant
Riverside Walter Reed Hospital
03.1997 - 1999
- I began my nursing desire working as a certified nursing assistant in the Home Health Setting. Taking care of people and making them feel the best they can, is something I will always love to do. After nursing school, I went to work at Riverside Walter Reed Hospital in 1999, working on the medical surgical unit, and then later transferring to the operating room.
- My passion of caring for others and her focus on creating a healing environment for both caregivers and patients has led her to HeartMath and Caritas Coach Education Program. I am committed to the journey of using science and technology to reach the inner heart in a manner that will allow nursing leaders to connect to the clinical team and deliver healing to those surgical patients that are touched every day.
- As our health-system adopts the concept of HeartMath and Jean Watson’s Theory of Caring into our mission for our caregivers they will be able to develop trusting caring relationships and make connections between humans to humans and give a sense of healing.
Education
Masters - Nursing Leadership and Management
Walden University
Minneapolis, MN01.2013
Skills
- Leadership excellence
- Surgical expertise
- Patient safety
- Financial acumen
- Teamwork
- Performance improvement
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Customer service
- Reliability
- Excellent communication
- Critical thinking
- Effective communication
- Decision-making
- Relationship building
- Operational efficiency
- Conflict resolution
- Operations management
- Professionalism
- Employee recruitment and hiring
- Quality control
- Public speaking
- Interpersonal communication
- Strategic planning
Accomplishments
- Supervised team of 40 staff members.
- Used Microsoft Excel to develop inventory tracking spreadsheets.
Personal Qualities
Over the past 19 years, I have proven leadership in surgical team management. I owe that to the healthcare organization that I have worked for and to my direct leaders that have painted and created the way to becoming a professional. I have been described as energetic, motivating the clinical team, and being detail-oriented with a focus on efficiency and quality improvement. As the leader it is important to deliver on expectations, have a visionary approach to advancing surgical programs, and a deep commitment to patient safety and surgical outcomes. I serve as the co-lead of the Surgical Services Oversight Committee and work together with the multidisciplinary team to put the patient in the center for all decision-making. I have experience in scheduling, budgeting, and regulatory compliance. In addition, I incorporated a data driven approach to process optimization and outcome tracking. I have personal qualities and professional skills that are conducive in my leadership and feel that they can be nurtured effectively in future professional growth.
Timeline
Director of Surgical Services
Riverside Walter Reed Hospital
10.1999 - Current
Certified Nursing Assistant
Riverside Walter Reed Hospital
03.1997 - 1999
Masters - Nursing Leadership and Management
Walden University
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