Speaker Spotlight: Dawn Whiteside

Dawn Whiteside MSN, RN, CNOR, RNFA Director of Education Competency and Credentialing Institute

I was fortunate enough to enter the operating room right out of nursing school. It was the typical, “you need to work on the floor for a year first.” When I interviewed for a floor position, I told the manager that I was there as long as it took to get into the operating room. She seemed surprised (OK, maybe shocked). She then excused herself and came back a few minutes later. She had called the director of the operating room to share my story, and the director wanted to interview me. I was hired! To this day the director is still a mentor of mine. She says, “I still remember how excited you were!” I was very excited to be able to realize my dream of being a perioperative nurse. As an educator and manager, I have been fortunate enough to provide that support to other new graduates and transfers from other specialties. My goal for all patient care and education for the future of our profession has been and always will be to challenge mediocrity and promote nursing excellence.

Find out more about Dawn and her experience in perioperative nursing as she presents, “The Educator’s Treasure Chest: Pearls and other jewels for compentency assessment” & “What would Florence do?” at the 2017 OR Today Live conference being held August 27-29 in Washington, D.C.

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