Beth Russell, MSN, RN, executive director of Knoxville (Tenn.) Orthopaedic Surgery Center, connected with Becker's to discuss what autonomy means to her as an ASC administrator.
Editor's note: This response has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Beth Russell: To me, autonomy means that I am trusted to run our amazing orthopedic ASC without being micromanaged. The board of directors and physician owners trust me to make the hard decisions, lead our organization and entrust me with the quality of care we provide our patients and how well we take care of our staff all at the same time. It is a huge responsibility, and I do not take it lightly. It takes a lot of trust to truly allow someone to have that level of autonomy, but it is an absolute must in order for an administrator to be truly successful.