The Heart of Outpatient Care: Celebrating Perianesthesia Nurses
At St. Cloud Surgical Center, our pre and post-anesthesia nurses are the backbone of patient care, ensuring comfort, safety, and expert guidance throughout every surgical journey. As we celebrate Perianesthesia Nurse Awareness Week, we take a moment to recognize their dedication, skill, and the impact they make every day.
To give you a closer look at the heart of outpatient care, we sat down with two of our incredible nurses to hear their stories, insights, and what makes their work so rewarding. From the fast-paced nature of their role to the deep connections they build with patients, here’s what they had to say.
SCSC: Hi, Monica and Steph; thank you for taking the time to sit with us today. We look forward to talking more about what you do here, as your role is crucial to our success.
Monica & Steph: Thank you for having us. We’re honored to sit down with you today.
SCSC: How long have you both been with the center?
Monica: I have worked at the St. Cloud Surgical Center for the past ten years in the PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit) department, where I help prepare patients for surgery and care for them after their procedures.
Steph: I also work in the PACU alongside Monica. I’ve been here since 2022 after making the transition from an inpatient setting.
SCSC: Are you glad you made the change?
Steph: Absolutely. There are so many things that I appreciate about being at the surgical center, but really, the people here make it special, and all the satisfaction results can back that up. We collaborate and work like a true team every day. The culture here is like nothing I have experienced in my nursing career.
Monica: I couldn’t agree more. There are many things I like about working here, but certainly, one of them is just the people I get to work with. Whether it’s other nurses, staff, or our surgeons, we all work well together and enjoy being here, making it a nice place to work.
Steph: I like what you said about everyone working together well. While we all have a role, we’re willing to pitch in when needed. Every team member comes to work with the idea of giving excellent care and working together while doing so.
SCSC: So, you wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the center as a place to work?
Monica: Again, I’ve been here for 10 years. I wouldn’t be if I didn’t enjoy it, and the people that I get to work with and the patients we get to work with here. You really feel like you’re a member of a really large extended family when you work here.
Steph: Exactly. The culture here is beyond comparison. I’ve had jobs in healthcare and all have been great because I love what I do, but at the end of the day, the culture here is something that you don’t really get until you’re here. I remember when I interviewed at the Surgical Center, I had so many people say what a family we are. And I’ve heard that at other places. But truly, here, you’re cared about in ways that go beyond the walls of work.
Monica: Well said, Steph. I would just like to add that even though the center gets bigger and we add more and more surgeons, we still have been able to keep that feeling of community, our staff that really translates to great care for our patients.
SCSC: We really do have an excellent team! And teamwork is one of our core values, as well as clinical quality, integrity, service excellence, accountability, continuous improvement, and inclusion. Could you both share how you see our core values come to life here?
Monica: I know we’ve touched on this already, but our teamwork here is unmatched. Recently, we had a pretty significant outage with our computer system, which really curtailed the day. This is healthcare, though, and things can’t just stop. We all came together and did what we had to do to keep things running smoothly for the day.
SCSC: Sounds stressful!
Monica: It really was, but because we can work so well together, we could put our patients first and kept surgeries running smoothly and safely.
Steph: That was a crazy day, but as Monica said, we are a team and came together to keep our patients safe. This is the perfect example of how our core values are on display every day, and even though the day could have been a bust, we continued to operate within our standards of care.
SCSC: So, service excellence was still on display this day?
Steph: Absolutely. No matter the circumstances, we are committed to service excellence from the time a patient enters the door to the time they leave. We need to give our patients the most positive experience. No matter their age or procedure, surgery is a hard and scary thing to go through. They should feel welcome and safe here.
SCSC: On that note, when people ask you about having a procedure here, what do you tell them?
Steph: When people ask me about having a procedure at the surgical center, I think the truest testament is that I have had my own family members come here, including my children. I know that when my loved ones are here, they’re going to get the best care. From the nursing staff to the physicians and MDAs, everybody here does an excellent jo,b and they care so much. It’s hard not to bring your loved ones here when you know what they get.
Monica: The same goes for me. In fact, I have even had surgeries here. My mom had her knee replacement here as well. So, if it’s good enough for my own family, I certainly recommend it to others.
Steph: What people need to know is that from the time that you walk through our doors, you’re in the best of hands. I have full faith in everybody that we have here. Everybody’s role is important, and we value our patients to a degree that it’s not even tangible. We value the patients that walk in the door and it is our utmost priority to give them the best experience and to give them the best care.
SCSC: Wow, thank you ladies. These are incredible insights that I think prospective patients and employees will appreciate hearing. I want to end this by saying thank you to both of you and your teams for all that you do at the center. We wouldn’t be able to deliver the highest level of care without the work you do.
The dedication and experiences of our perianesthesia nurses at St. Cloud Surgical Center are at the core of exceptional patient care. Through their stories, it’s clear that they believe in the mission of our center and are proud to share it with others. Not only are they exceptional teammates, they make a lasting impression on every patient they serve.
As we celebrate Perianesthesia Nurses Week, we extend our deepest gratitude to these incredible professionals. Their commitment to service excellence, teamwork, and patient well-being is what makes St. Cloud Surgical Center a trusted place for surgical care.
To all the perianesthesia nurses here at our center, thank you for your hard work, your heart, and the difference you make.