“Life-Changing Surgeries’ and Support for Staff: Perioperative Services Nursing Director Reflects on New Role
Alexandra O’Malley. Photo by Tao Harris.
“I’m home.”
That’s how Alexandra O’Malley, MSN, RN, CNOR, remembers feeling during her first shift as a trauma operating room nurse earlier in her career, and it’s the same way she felt when she joined BWH Perioperative Services as nursing director this spring.
“Just a couple of weeks into my role at the Brigham, I witnessed our teams perform two heart transplants, a lung transplant and an abdominal aortic aneurism repair in a matter of three hours,” said O’Malley. “The team handled it with such ease. It was very impressive, and it made me feel like I was home.”
O’Malley’s passion for perioperative nursing began long before she ever set foot in an operating room. In this Q&A, she describes her career path and how she hopes to support BWH OR nurses and surgical technologists in her new role.
What drew you to perioperative nursing?
I have always wanted to be an OR nurse. When I was 5 years old, my grandfather had a heart transplant. He was able to spend five more healthy years with us, thanks to his surgical team. I knew I wanted to be part of that kind of team and be able to give someone else the chance to hold onto a loved one a little longer.
Can you describe how you felt when you began as a perioperative nurse?
I worked on inpatient units at Boston Medical Center to gain nursing experience. They began offering Periop 101 while I was there, and I was in the first group. I started out in ambulatory surgery and then was asked to switch to trauma. I was passionate about being in a fast-paced, high-acuity environment. The moment I stepped into a trauma OR, I knew I was home.
Alexandra O’Malley in the Operating Room. Photo by Tao Harris.
From there, what has your career path been like?
As an OR nurse, I immediately requested to work at night and tried to learn as much as I could about how to navigate the environment. I then took the charge role. After a few years, I went to a community hospital for a clinical leader role in the OR. I enjoyed the position, but I missed the high-acuity environment and trauma surgery. I went back to Boston Medical Center as a charge nurse for several years before eventually moving to Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital as the professional development manager in the OR.
What prompted you to take on leadership roles?
Every experience shows you who you can be. In all my experiences at BMC and elsewhere, I was always thinking about what I would do if I were the nursing director. How would I support people? What do the staff need, and what can I offer? As a charge nurse, I felt I could be a resource to my colleagues, and that was extremely rewarding. I wanted to help others succeed, and the ability to grow a team and build trust was important to me. The opportunity to serve as nursing director for the BWH OR allows me to be in the fast-paced, high-acuity environment that I most enjoy while serving as a resource to nurses and surgical technologists.
What are you focusing on in your first few months?
My priority coming in is listening to and hearing from our nurses and surgical technologists. I want to hear about the opportunities we have and build trust. The OR environment in general is built on trust, given what we do. From there, we can increase collaboration with all team members.
What do you want people to know about our OR teams?
The nurses, surgical technologists and all team members are exceptional in the care they provide. They perform very highly acute procedures every day. Almost every surgery is highly complex, and the skillsets of our team members are incredible. These surgeries might feel like just another day to our teams, but to our patients, they’re life-changing.
What message do you have for prospective nurses considering perioperative nursing?
The OR is a very fast-paced environment. It pushes you to a new level of critical thinking. I find it incredibly fulfilling. At the Brigham, we are fortunate to have an extremely supportive and collaborative team as well as a robust education group to ensure you feel comfortable in any situation. I would encourage anyone who’s thinking about it to learn more about what we offer.