Boston Brock, RN Surgical Services
Director of Surgical Services at McBride Orthopedic Hospital where she encourages others.
story and photo by James Coburn, Staff Writer
When Boston Brock, RN, became Director of Surgical Services at McBride Orthopedic Hospital in Oklahoma City, she found the staff paid a high level of attention to detail while caring for patients. The patient to nurse ratio is staffed appropriately for a better level of care.
“They really hold the staff to a high standard,” said Brock, who came to McBride six months ago.
Brock is in her element. She began working as a surgical nurse at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center after earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at the University of Central Oklahoma in 2011. UCO was an exceptional experience, she said. Brock loved the teachers and her classes. UCO felt like a prestigious nursing program, she said.
Today, she has assisted all types of surgery including transgender surgeries in San Francisco, robotics, neuro, and has been on virtually every type of team except for cardiac. Additionally, she was a travel nurse for six years and worked in a level-1 pediatric facility while she stayed PRN in surgery at INTEGRIS. During this time, INTEGRIS had taken note of her performance and recruited her to come back to be manager of their surgery center.
“That’s how my leadership started,” Brock explained.
INTEGRIS Deaconess lost 50 percent of its staff during the COVID pandemic, Brock said, and asked her to take the leadership role there to rebuild the staff. The McBride surgeons had served Deaconess as well and recruited Brock to McBride Orthopedic Hospital.
“It was at a time when I felt we were doing great at (Deaconess), so it was a good time to make a transition,” Brock said.
Communication between hospital staff and the patient is a priority. Families are given pagers when their loved one is taken into surgery. Families frequently receive updates including any delays. As soon as the patient is taken into phase 2 of recovery their families meet with them right away.
Brock likes to be a working management director. She mainly supervises but depending on staffing, she might be in patient care.
“I think it’s important for me to stay in it, so I know what is going on. I feel like once you start getting too far out of patient care, you’re not seeing the problems on that first line,” Brock said. “So, obviously we have staff meetings, and we communicate that. But I also think it’s important for me to go back there, so I know what they’re going through. It’s important for me, for them to see me back there.”
She supervises and communicates regularly on both sides of the hospital and recently hired an assistant director of surgical services to enhance care.
“The patient experience motivates me highly,” she said. “I’ve had several patients whether it be getting a joint replacement and have been in pain,” Brock said.
People who have been waiting years for surgery are grateful for their better quality of life.
“It’s so touching to be able to be part of that. So that patient experience really drives me,” she said.
Brock’s leadership level instills a confidence that she can effect change. She can further ensure that surgeries are performed without delay, she said.
“I never thought I would like leadership. It just kind of fell into my lap in a way that I’m able to help those people that are doing the real work,” Brock said. “That’s what drives me, and I want to be that person because I want to do the hard things to make things better for them. I love the patient side of it. I love the staff side of it. And I love that I can be an advocate for all three in this role.”
She is empowered to embrace a shared governance among the nursing staff, a blend of ideas to rise in best practices for individualized care. Nurses are free to submit idea cards.
“They are the ones that can make the suggestions for huge improvements,” Brock said.
Her advocacy sets her to lead by example. Brock is mindful that as a leader, she knows staff members experiencing ups and downs in their lives. She encourages a holistic blend of life outside of their careers, too.
Encouragement means taking trips with family and taking time off for a sick loved one.
“I also think it helps me realize as a leader, everyone has different strengths,” Brock said. “So, you have to play up on those different strengths to really build the team.”
Coming from another facility to build trust has helped her grow by “getting in the weeds with the staff.”
Managing being a mom to two toddlers is a balancing act with managing a hospital.
“I think it’s important for me to show that example to the staff,” she said.
