There probably aren’t too many people who can look back on a career that spans more than 60 years. However, Joanne Oliver-Coleman is one of them.
Joanne first became a registered nurse in 1962 after graduating from the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing. “There was a six-week tour through the operating room and that’s when I decided that perioperative nursing is what I really wanted to do,” she says.
Upon graduation from nursing school, Joanne moved to Houston to work for world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley, who performed the first successful human heart transplant in the U.S. in 1968. She was appointed head OR nurse, cardiovascular service just three months after graduation.
“I learned so much as a young nurse working for Dr. Cooley,” she says.
After working with Dr. Cooley for four years, Joanne became the director of surgical services at Diagnostic Center Hospital in Houston, Texas, where she opened and managed the surgical services department. In this role, she developed all policies and procedures, created a new educational department for surgical services and aided in the development of a new surgical suite.
In 1983, Joanne went to work for one of the first OR computer software companies where she was promoted all the way up to McKesson in Houston as a nurse consultant, sales executive and product consultant. During this time, she helped develop the first perioperative computerized nursing record. Then in 1999, she became an independent nurse consultant specializing in OR computer implementation and management before serving as the director of partner development for Validare Inc.
In 2002, Joanne founded Healthcare Resources to provide independent perioperative consulting services. And in 2024 she completed
her MBA in healthcare management through Western Governors University.
The one constant in Joanne’s long and successful perioperative career has been her involvement in the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), which she has been a part of for over 60 years. A mentor encouraged her to start attending AORN meetings early in her career and she has been an officer, chair or committee member every year since at the local, state and national levels.
Joanne has written dozens of articles for industry publications and delivered dozens of speeches and presentations on perioperative nursing. She wrote the first AORN administrative standards that evolved over the years to become part of the AORN recommended practices.
“There were no standards of care or protocols at the time – hospitals were all doing everything differently,” she says. “I thought we needed to shape that up so I became chair of the program committee.”
Throughout her career, Joanne has received numerous awards and recognitions. These include the AORN Greater Houston Perioperative Nurse of the Year, Texas Nurses Association Award for Nursing Excellence, AORN Greater Houston President’s Award, Texas Collaboration of periOperative Registered Nurses (TCORN) President’s Award, AORN Jerry G. Peers Distinguished Service Award, AORN Foundation Nurse Philanthropist Award and AORN State Council Leadership Award.
Mentoring new nurses has been one of Joanne’s great passions throughout her career. In recognition, she received the AORN Greater Houston Mentorship Award in 2017.
“I bet I’ve mentored a couple of thousand nurses throughout my career,” she says. “In fact, I just spent two hours on the phone last night with a young nurse who was facing challenges.”
One of the biggest challenges Joanne has faced throughout her career has been bullying in the OR.
“It’s just not necessary,” she says. “It’s not about what you can do to control or hurt others in the OR – it’s about how you can help them. When teaching other nurses, I start out with what they’re doing right and then try to help them in areas where they need to improve.”
Looking ahead, Joanne sees technology, including robotics and artificial intelligence, taking on an ever-greater role in the OR.
“The outpatient area is going to expand exponentially from where it is now,” she says. “We’re already doing some open-heart and vascular procedures outpatient, as well as total hips and total knees. This is all possible because of improved technology.”
Joanne believes that nurse staffing will remain a challenge for ORs.
“Unfortunately, nursing students don’t get much exposure to the world of perioperative nursing and we’re short-staffed on faculty to train them,” she says. “Nursing students need to be more actively involved in the OR instead of just sitting in a corner and watching. They need to be involved in the surgical timeout and maybe even passing instruments.”
After more than 60 years in perioperative nursing, Joanne isn’t slowing down anytime soon. She continues to consult, write, speak and mentor young nurses while remaining an active AORN participant.
“I’m 85 years old and I wouldn’t trade one single day of my perioperative nursing career,” she says. “I’m still doing what I love and still contributing and making a difference. Once you’re a nurse, you’re always a nurse.”
Joanne has been an avid golfer most of her life and worked for many years as a scorer at the Houston Open.
“I walked with the pros and kept their scores and then sat in the tent with them after the round to make sure our scores matched,” she says.
She has also competed in challenge square dancing.
“There are seven or eight levels of square dancing, all the way up to challenge,” she says. “I still love doing this.”
Professional Spotlight Nomination
