On a rainy day in Savannah yesterday, it felt cozy inside the Convention Center. For the Periop Leader Week team and our esteemed program committee, it was a happy and enriching day as all of us saw each other in person again instead of on Zoom calls and emails. And in two rooms at the Convention Center, early arrivals from the perioperative leadership community assembled to participate and connect during two lively preconference workshops.
In one room was a group of leaders learning about the latest Joint Commission survey and accreditation requirements, policies and procedures, straight from the source. Robert Campbell, PharmD, BCSCP, Joint Commission’s vice president of accreditation/certification program development and accreditation management, led an interactive three-hour workshop where hospital, health system and ASC perioperative leaders got a better sense and clearer picture of exactly what Joint Commission currently expects from them. Dr. Campbell’s warm, approachable, pragmatic style led to a lively, informative and engaging experience for all.
In another room, the New Leaders preconference workshop took place. Those who are new or up-and-coming in perioperative leadership enjoyed three hours of unfiltered insights, guidance and mentorship from five more experienced peers who were extremely open to candidly sharing what it really takes to be an effective leader in an industry where the pressures and demands can be overwhelming.
The New Leaders workshop was the epitome of what we’re trying to establish at Periop Leader Week. It began in a more traditional classroom style, with the five leaders sitting on stage introducing themselves and then talking about their careers and leadership philosophies and experiences. It then seamlessly evolved into an “Ask Me Anything” Q&A session where new leaders quizzed those on stage on a variety of real-world scenarios and situations they’re facing. Then the wall between “speakers” and “attendees” completely broke down, as the experienced leaders sat at tables with the new leaders and free-flowing discussions commenced. Those discussions would likely have continued well beyond the three allotted hours; as the moderator, I felt badly interrupting everyone when time was up. I had the sense that if I hadn’t said anything, there would still have been people talking with each other in that room for another hour or two.
We thank the leaders who took the time to mentor the next generation and build new connections:
It was a great way to kick of Periop Leader Week, and something we hope to build on for next year’s event in Indianapolis. More on that to come!
