By Don Sadler
Some people know at a really young age what they want to be when they grow up. Jeff Keane says he knew he wanted to be a nurse when he was in preschool.
“Someone came to our class to do a presentation on nursing and I came to school fully dressed in nurse scrubs, gown, mask and hat,” says Keane. “Unbeknown to me, I guess my perioperative nursing career started then.”
When Jeff got older, his grandfather had multiple surgeries and was in and out of the hospital a lot, which further nudged him toward a career in nursing.
“Then when I was in nursing school, I had an opportunity to shadow in the operating room. I really loved the OR environment – the teamwork, the technology and the opportunity to be an advocate for patients. So, all throughout nursing school my goal was to pursue a career in perioperative nursing.”
Jeff was encouraged by mentors to start his nursing career on an inpatient unit so he began working as a staff RN at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Braintree, Mass. in 2005. About a year and a half later, he had the opportunity to go through the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Periop 101 training program. “This was the beta site for the online version of Periop 101,” Jeff says. “We provided feedback to AORN while taking the course.”
After completing Periop 101, Jeff fulfilled his dream by becoming a perioperative nurse at Beth Israel Deaconess. In 2015 he expanded his role to become a perioperative nurse educator, and in 2022 he became the hospital’s innovation and technology resource, supporting perioperative services by integrating new technology into the department.
In 2024, Jeff assumed a new role as the director of perioperative projects. In this role, he oversees all capital projects across the hospital’s 46 operating rooms, sterile processing and pre- and post-anesthesia.
“I serve as the eyes and ears for periop with regard to any capital projects planned in the perioperative space by bringing everything to the forefront with our facilities and maintenance teams,” he says.
“I love being in a director’s role but also having clinical exposure,” Jeff says. “Being at the patient’s bedside with other nurses and understanding what’s happening in the OR helps inform my decisions about projects. If we’re doing a room upgrade, I have a better understanding of how new equipment or technology will have a positive impact.”
Jeff has been an active AORN participant throughout his career, serving on a variety of committees and task forces at the local and national levels.
“My former manager Charlotte Guglielmi is an AORN past president and she encouraged me to get involved,” he says.
Jeff has also taken an active role in getting a surgical smoke evacuation bill drafted in Massachusetts that he’s hopeful will be passed during the current legislative session.
One of the most fulfilling parts of his job is being an advocate for surgical patients when they’re most vulnerable.
“I only get to spend a few minutes with patients before they enter the OR,” he says. “During this time I convey to them that we’re going to keep them safe and make sure everything goes well with the surgery and that they’re comfortable in the OR. It’s a big responsibility I take very seriously.”
Meanwhile, the most challenging aspect of his role is juggling all the balls that are in the air.
“We work in a fast-paced environment, so I try to make sure nothing gets missed,” he says. “If a ball does drop, I think it’s important to take ownership and figure out a solution. Finger-pointing isn’t going to get us anywhere.”
Jeff sees the future of perioperative nursing as “ever-evolving. OR technology is getting more and more complex and as nurses, we need to understand and help manage it. I see AI as playing a big role, especially with process improvement. It can collect, organize and analyze a lot of data, especially data about room turnover, which can help us streamline processes.”
Jeff and his family – wife Mary and 15-year-old daughter Emily – love to travel, especially to the beaches on Cape Cod and New Hampshire. They also enjoy cruising and vacationing at Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, where they have a timeshare. This summer, they were able to visit the new Universal Epic Universe Park that opened in the spring.
“Emily really likes the roller coasters and more adventurous rides,” Jeff says, admitting that he still enjoys riding most of them with his daughter. “During our time at Universal Epic, we spent 12 hours exploring all areas of the park. It was amazing to see a new park like this within the first month of its opening. They have one rollercoaster, Stardust Racers, that goes over 70 mph with many twists and turns.”
