Brian Leader, Vice President, Orthopedic and Perioperative Services

He believes nurses need to have a voice because they provide the hands-on care

After graduating from Penn State University with a master’s degree in industrial engineering, Brian Leader never thought he’d be working in an environment where he would have an impact on people’s lives.

People with industrial engineering degrees, like his then girlfriend and future wife Kim, usually work in factories. However, when Kim accepted such a position with an Allentown-based company, Leader applied for and received a position at Allentown’s Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network (LVHHN). “As the hospital’s management engineer, I worked with different departments to improve the way they function,” Leader says. “Much of my time was spent managing the operating rooms.”

This experience eventually led to his being named LVHHN’s vice president of orthopedic and perioperative services in 1999. “Operating rooms are a fast-paced area within a hospital,” Leader says. “That’s why we’ve worked to make then as efficient as possible without sacrificing quality. When surgeries start on time, it’s better for our physicians, staff and patients.”

Leader has been able to accomplish with the help of the OR nursing staff. For example, one nursing committee found that some simple things - like incomplete OR checklists - were sometimes delaying surgeries. They put a plan in action that increased compliance and helped OR start times. “Whenever a decision needs to be made concerning patient care,” Leader says, “we work together, communicate and make the best decisions.”

Because nurses have this voice, staff turnover in the OR is down and patient satisfaction scores are up.

Although Leader comes from a different background, he’s understands that being an operating room nurse is unique and requires mentoring and special training. “To maintain an experienced nursing staff in our operating rooms,” he says, “we must introduce the idea to nurses early in their career.”

He’s done this by starting an OR internship program. Twice a year, LVHHN accepts nurses to participate in a six-month program that teaches new nurses to be proficient in the OR. “Not many hospitals have a program like this,” Leader says. “It’s another example of how LVHHN goes the extra mile to be the health care leader in the Lehigh Valley.”

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