Story and photo by James Coburn, Staff Writer
Tammy Hanks tells people that her best made plans never go the way she wanted, but they always end up better than she is capable of dreaming.
“I landed into nursing. It wasn’t my first choice, but I fell in love with it,” said Hanks, DNP, chief nursing officer at OneCore Health, located in Oklahoma City.
“We are a surgical specialty hospital. That’s what we want to be great at,” Hanks said. “It’s really providing that sense of comfort, obviously bringing competence and expertise to surgery. At the end of the day, we all have the shared goal of safe surgery — let’s make this an excellent experience for our patients. Let’s recruit and maintain the best staff who just love being here.” (story continues below)
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As an executive nurse leader, Hanks is an advanced practice registered nurse, pediatric clinical nurse specialist, and perioperative specialist. She earned her BSN from Oklahoma City University, MSN from Texas Christian University, and finished her DNP in nursing leadership at the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 2021.
A nurse since 2010, she began her career in the pediatric operating room at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital where she quickly learned she loved operating room nursing.
Her master’s degree led to her involvement in shared governance with OU Health. She examined how each department works together and how nurses can collaborate with decisions to impact the system
As CNO Hanks sets a vision and tone for the organization. She manages staffing guidelines and develops policies and procedures based in evidence-based practice. OneCore Health strives to build layers of backup at every level.
“In a small facility like this, it could mean I am taking care of patients, or I am circulating a case,” she said. “I’m still able to be present every day to talk to patients, learn what’s working and what’s not.”
She said surgery is one of the most vulnerable life experiences for a person. So, being able to bring comfort and knowledge to patient care is what Hanks loves most about her career.
Hanks began her career at OneCore Health as the director of quality compliance. Two months later she moved into the CNO role. Hanks said she is still learning. Her doctorate in nursing leadership enabled her to lead an organization and make changes on an assisted level.
“Things we’re working on at a daily basis is looking at our staffing, how we can tweak things here and there to be more efficient and respectful of our resources,” Hanks continued. “Here we’re strong on our core values and competence, respect, and empowerment. And part of that respect is respecting what we have.”
Hanks said everyone feels the strain of the nursing shortage and supply chain costs going up. So, she collaborates in looking at how to be good stewards of resources while functioning safely and efficiently.
She values the dedication that is evident among the core nursing staff and employees. Dedicated PRN employees also have a lot of longevity. Hanks posts patient satisfaction notes weekly.
People love our nursing staff. They are compassionate and caring. They take the time to stop and talk to people,” Hanks said. “We have a lot of repeat patients, too. We do a lot of pain procedures and pain injections.”
Surgical services include comprehensive orthopedics and trauma care, ear, nose and throat, total joint replacement, back and spine, pediatric orthopedics, sports medicine, hand surgery, arthroscopy, podiatry, dental, urology, general surgery, and pain management.
Her memories of pediatric surgery are indelible in her mind. It’s the love of a parent and being there as a comfort. Both adults and children are incredibly special to their loved ones.
“To hand them over to a nurse, I think is really meaningful and impactful to have that sense of trust,” Hanks said.
Being able to tell a patient that they handled their surgery well means a lot not only to the nurses, but also the physicians and supporting staff.
“We all get to see the full circle here and that’s really special,” she said.
Being a nurse has impacted her reactions to intense situations at work and gives her more perspective at home.
“It’s changed the way I parent. There are some things I will never let my child do,” she said. “Nursing enhances her understanding that things just happen sometimes. It’s not about placing blame. But we’re trained to respond, treat, and restore. I think that shapes the kind of person you are outside of work and how you approach people who are suffering.”
For more information about OneCore Health, visit: https://onecorehealth.com/jobs/ 
