Sarah Ransone brings 20 years of hospital operating room experience, a standard for excellent patient care, and a vision for expansion.
Sarah Ransone joined VPFW in March to take the helm of our in-house outpatient surgery suite, the Surgery Center at VPFW. Sarah brings an excellent standard of care from her 20-year OR career at HCA as well as a friendly and professional personality, making her a wonderful new addition to the VPFW family. The COVID-19 pandemic made for an extraordinary transition period. But now that Sarah has settled in, we’ve interviewed her to learn a little more about where she came from, why she wanted to make VPFW her new home, and what she sees for the future of the Surgery Center.
Can you tell us a little about your OR nursing career?
Growing up in Richmond, I always knew I would have a career in healthcare. After attending UVA School of Nursing, I worked briefly as a floor nurse and then had the opportunity to join an OR internship through HCA. Working in the operating room was the perfect fit for me, and I honestly never thought I would leave!
My 20-year OR career at HCA was rewarding and challenging. I specialized in vascular and kidney transplant surgery, where I learned from and worked with an exceptional group of physicians and nurses. The patients had very complicated issues, and the surgeries could be intense. I thrived in those conditions.
However, after 20 years of working off-hours and having to be on call, the hospital operating room started to become less appealing. I was facing the reality that in a few short years, my 15-year-old daughter would be off to college. It was time to make a change for myself and for my family. I was finally ready for a new career challenge; I just did not know what that was going to be.
You were ready for a new challenge – how did you choose VPFW?
Honestly, I was reluctant to interview at first. With my vascular and transplant surgery background, I was not sure an OB/GYN practice would be the right fit for me.
However, after my initial interview, I was invited back to spend time in the Surgery Center. I knew this was a special place. It felt like a family. I could tell that the administrators really care about their employees, and the employees and physicians seem sincerely happy to be here.
As the appeal of coming to a smaller company became apparent, I felt I could really make a positive impact here. I love the idea of supporting the employees so that they can continue to provide exceptional patient care as the Surgery Center grows.
What does your role as director of the Surgery Center look like?
I am incredibly fortunate to have the Surgery Center staff, who demonstrate great teamwork and work ethic every day. My role as director is to support my staff by working beside them as a nurse, facilitating positive changes to our processes, and quickly finding solutions to problems or questions that arise.
What a strange time to come on board – right as the COVID-19 pandemic was developing. Could you talk a little bit about how that affected your transition period?
Transitioning into this position during the onset of COVID-19 was a bit odd because we couldn’t conduct elective surgeries. On the bright side, having such a low case load meant I had time to thoroughly familiarize myself with the facility, the cases we do, and my new administrative duties. Unfortunately, most of my staff was furloughed while elective cases were restricted. But during that time, I was able to work closely with the Surgery Center’s lead nurse, Gwen Brown, who was and is a tremendous resource for orienting me to VPFW. That said, having all my staff back now is wonderful. Each of them offers so much!
How do you define and deliver excellent patient care?
I believe excellent care is delivered by setting your staff up for success every day – by supplying them with what they need (materially and emotionally) so in turn they can simply do the job they love. When staff are well supported, they can and often will exceed the expectations of the patients they care for and the physicians they work beside. In this setting we not only provide excellent patient care with great outcomes, but also efficient, cost-effective care that cannot be duplicated in quite the same way in a hospital setting.
What is your vision for the Surgery Center at VPFW?
The Surgery Center has an exciting future ahead with construction plans being finalized for VPFW’s Midlothian Turnpike location moving to a brand new facility near Johnston-Willis. We’ll be expanding to 2 OR’s, giving us so much opportunity for growth. It is my hope that we will see more of our physicians from outside of the Midlothian Turnpike office and expand on the types of procedures we can offer in the new facility. It’s also a great opportunity to really develop and streamline our processes in anticipation of bringing on new staff members. I feel so fortunate to be a part of VPFW and look forward to helping us grow!
To schedule an appointment with a VPFW provider, you can call us at 804-897-2100 or set an appointment online.