Operating Room Flow Manager

Brigham and Women's Hospital; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and great benefits

Opportunities for growth and development

Tuition Reimbursement

Generous paid time off

Subsidized MBTA pass (50% discount)

Free parking for nights and weekends

Resources for childcare and emergency backup care

Hospital paid retirement plan and tax-sheltered annuity plan

Discounts on tickets and passes

Job summary

Brigham and Women's Hospital is looking for an Operating Room Flow Manager in Boston, MA. This pivotal role involves overseeing patient flow in a high-volume operating room and collaborating with medical staff to optimize the utilization of 46 operating rooms. The successful candidate will need a Bachelor's degree in Nursing and prior experience as an Operating Room Charge Nurse. The position offers competitive salary, benefits, and opportunities for professional growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's of Science in Nursing degree required.
• Previous Operating Room Charge Nurse experience required.
• Strong interpersonal communication and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work under extremely stressful conditions.

Responsibilities

• Directs the efficient flow and movement of perioperative patients.
• Establishes effective communications for efficient utilization of the Operating Room.
• Tracks and communicates any actual or potential delays.
• Monitors the accuracy of the Epic scheduling program.

Skills

Interpersonal communication and negotiation

Analytical and organizational abilities

Clinical knowledge and judgement

Effective decision-making

Customer-oriented philosophy

Education

Bachelor's of Science in Nursing

Master's Degree in related healthcare or operations (preferred)

Tools

EPIC scheduling program

Job description

As manager of the Operating Room Schedule, the Operating Room Flow Manager has direct responsibility for maximizing the efficiency of patient flow, controlling the transfer of patients for surgery. As part of the management team, time will be spent directing and monitoring patient flow in the extremely complex, high patient volume Operating Room setting with 46 operating rooms, 27,000 cases and over $50,000,000 in revenues per year). Decisions made regarding patient flow and Operating Room utilization have a direct impact on the expenditure of resources and maximization of revenues.

This position is the key controller, facilitator, and integrator of the effectiveness and efficiency with which the daily dynamic schedule functions. The OR Flow Manager works in collaboration with the anesthesia floor leader, nursing management, surgeons, and co-leaders in determining, through critical judgment and decision-making, that optimum utilization is attained and maintained. The OR Flow Manager will develop and promote a team philosophy and interdisciplinary collaboration among staff to foster a continuum of care for the perioperative patient.

At the Brigham, we place great value on being a diverse and inclusive community. Brigham Health and the Department of Nursing are dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion as we aim to reflect the diversity of the patients in our local community. We have a dedicated focus on equity. Thus, we believe in equal access to quality care, employment and advancement opportunities encompassing the full spectrum of human diversity: race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin and all the other forms of human presence and expression that make us better able to provide innovative and cutting-edge healthcare and research.

Principles Duties and Responsibilities:

• Directs the efficient flow and movement of perioperative patients from pre‑op, ED, or inpatient unit, to the operating room, and then to PACU or inpatient unit.
• Establishes effective communications with nursing management, clinical support, anesthesia floor leader, surgeon, and hospital administration to ensure efficient utilization of the Operating Room.
• Ensures that optimum utilization is maintained with minimum use of overtime and additional staff. Impact of errors could result in major revenue losses and increased personnel expenses.
• Track and communicate any actual or potential delays and trends to support institutional goals.
• Align nursing staffing numbers and skill set with surgical cases and volume at all times, paying particular notice to 3:00 pm, 5:00 pm, 7:00 pm, and 9:00 pm.
• Utilize clinical knowledge and judgement to adhere to OR schedule and minimize delays which can result in loss of revenue, increase personnel expenses, and impact patient outcomes.
• Establishes and sustains successful external relationships with ancillary departments including but not limited to Pre‑Op, PACU, and ICU, to assure smooth and efficient functioning of the Operating Room Schedule.
• Develops and maintains a plan of organization which facilitates congruency with organizational goals.
• Monitors the accuracy of the Epic scheduling program and interacts with Information Systems to ensure that the integrity of the system is maintained.
• Plans for additional staffing as needed and secures resources with consideration of budget impact.
• Implements and monitors adherence to personnel and departmental policies.
• Establishes and maintains an environment conducive to high morale and job satisfaction, fulfillment of staff goals, and delivery of optimum performance.
• Abide by organizational structure escalation pathways for support as needed.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's of Science in Nursing degree required.
• Previous Operating Room Charge Nurse experience required.
• Master's Degree in related healthcare, operations, engineering preferred.
• Knowledge of patient care and operational flow activities, as described.

Skills and Abilities:

• Must possess strong interpersonal communication and negotiation skills to provide effective leadership for promoting interdisciplinary collaborative team work.
• Must possess strong analytical and organizational abilities in order to make effective decisions in an expedient manner while maintaining high quality care standards.
• Must be able to appropriately prioritize room and staffing resources based upon patient needs and established protocols.
• Must use clinical knowledge and judgement to prioritize patients in collaboration with anesthesia and surgery, as routine, urgent, and emergent.
• Uses expertise and judgment in determining appropriate patient placement and defining appropriate patient scheduling.
• Must demonstrate ability to effectively communicate, negotiate, and problem solve with physician staff over scheduling and room assignments.
• Must often act as a liaison between staff and physicians in determining most appropriate resource allocation.
• Must demonstrate fair and equitable practice in assigning staff, determining overtime, and providing input into performance evaluations.
• Must be able to promote a customer‑oriented philosophy among all staff within the area.
• Must demonstrate independent judgment within the scope of this position, while maintaining effective relations with outside referring organizations, internal physicians, and departmental staff.
• Ability to work under extremely stressful conditions.
• Must be able to utilize computer applications programs such as EPIC.

Reasons to Choose Brigham and Women's Hospital

• Competitive salary and great benefits, including pension and 403(b) match. Magnet Hospital
• Opportunities for growth and development
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Generous paid time off
• Subsidized MBTA pass (50% discount)
• Free parking for nights and weekends
• Resources for childcare and emergency backup care
• Hospital paid retirement plan and tax‑sheltered annuity plan.
• Discounts on tickets and passes for everything from ski resorts to museums to sporting events.

The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.