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The 2022 Year in Review: Whitman Partners Success Stories, Black Nurse Oral History Project, and BIPOC+LGBTQIA Panels

December 14, 2022

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The 2022 Year in Review: Whitman Partners Success Stories, Black Nurse Oral History Project, and BIPOC+LGBTQIA Panels

As 2022 ends, we want to take the time to highlight some of our most popular stories. And to thank you for reading. As Directors of Surgical Services, we know that time is often at a premium. We work hard to ensure that the content we publish is of the highest professional use to you. So, if by chance you missed a few issues, here is your opportunity to play catch-up. 

Summer 2022: Periop Café Insider debuts Whitman Partners Success Stories 

Here at Whitman Partners, we value our community immensely. Whether we had a direct hand in your placement or created a networking opportunity, we are grateful to be of service to you. Through every promotion or new opportunity, we want to celebrate those triumphs. That’s why we started a new column, “Whitman Partners Success Stories.”

Keeli Stith, Associate Director of Perioperative and Procedural Clinical Services for The Ohio State University (tOSU) Wexner Medical Center, talks about the responsibility of having a seat at the table and her ongoing effort to pass on her knowledge and experience to the next generation of Black nurses.   

Faced with a new employment opportunity at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut, Susan Galaraga decided to bet on herself when faced with self-doubt. She got there with the helping hand of Client Partner Greg Masson, who walked her through a case of imposter syndrome. She had the skills, the experience, and the drive; she just had to have faith in herself.  

Meet the Highland Trio: Sheila Grumbach, Diana Potenza, and Tamblyn Johnson, who turned surgical services around at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. With a revolving door of leadership that made shallow changes that never stuck, the staff was demoralized and distrustful when Grumbach showed up as interim director of surgical services.

February 2022: Oral History Project Centers Black Nurses and Doctors 

For Black History Month, we featured The Black Frontline, an oral history project of The Armah Institute of Emotional Justice. The project’s goal was to capture the voices of Black nurses and doctors during COVID to create a record of their experiences and care delivery that could not be denied (vs. the 1918 flu pandemic, where their voices were nonexistent). A member of the Whitman community, Dr. Katie Boston-Leary, helped project coordinators recruit possible participants.

October 2022: Whitman Partners Website Redesign

Whitman Partners relaunched itself as the world’s first talent agency within the healthcare industry with a complete website redesign. We go beyond being merely a search firm but represent and support directors in ways beyond helping them find jobs.

October 2022: OR Manager BIPOC and LGBTQ+ Panels 

In collaboration with the Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI), Whitman Partners moderated two Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) workshops during the 2022 OR Manager Conference pre-conference event on October 16 in Denver, CO. Both the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ panels covered topics that included the challenges of translating healthcare information due to language barriers, working around cultural practices while providing care, weakening barriers to care for the LGBTQ+ community and ways that organizations can support LGBTQ+ patients and staff.

2022 10-to-1 Webinar Highlights 

Earn CE credits and practical knowledge with our 10-to-1 Webinar series, hosted by Whitman Partners’ principal consultant, Kathy W. Beydler, RN, MBA, CNOR, CASC. Two episodes that stand out include: 

10 Questions to Help Develop EQ

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) impacts how nurses perform in the work environment and determines how they relate to patients, peers, and leadership. EQ can be developed and improved over time. Upon completion, you will be able to: 

  • Discuss the characteristics of EQ 
  • Find out your own EQ 
  • Identify elements to help build a stronger EQ

10 Factors That Will Make Your SPD More Effective 

Kathy interviews De André Delsol, Director of SPD Operations at a multi-site teaching hospital. He has dedicated his career to improving the reputation and performance of SPD departments nationwide. In this webinar, you will learn to: 

  • Identify 3 factors of an effectively run SPD 
  • Identify 3 harmful habits that can negatively impact SPD 
  • List 4 actionable steps that can immediately improve SPD performance 
Carisa Brewster
Staff Writer & Media Relations

Our success stories received much positive feedback and high engagement. I think it’s incredibly insightful to share the ups and downs of the placement process and our unique approach to it: it’s not just closing a deal; it’s also growing relationships and supporting career growth.  

While we have come a long way, DEI initiatives in healthcare organizations should always be a high priority. Not just to increase staff satisfaction and financial performance but to provide equitable care to vulnerable patient populations.