Ms. Kapp began her nursing career as an OR nurse at L.A. County Hospital. She then was an assistant at Southern California Orthopedic Institute for Stephen Snyder, MD, where she learned about arthroscopy and shoulder repairs. Ms. Kapp also served as orthopedic coordinator at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, Calif., for 13 years before accepting a director of nursing position at SSC, moving into administration shortly after.
The staff at SSC makes Ms. Kapp's job enjoyable. "All of my staff members are very experienced in the services we work in, and needless to say, we were a success from the day our doors opened. I couldn't have made it through all the preopening duties and inspections if it wasn't for my mentor Vickie Landig, who has opened many centers of her own and guided me every step of the way," she says.
Great surgeons also have aided in SSC's and Ms. Kapp's successes. "I have tried to build individual relationships with each [physician]. Every physician on staff here, whether they are a partner or not, I try to make them feel important because they are, and without them we cannot do our jobs," she says. "Good communication is key with the physicians, patients and employees. At times, that is tough but very important, if not the most important."
Ms. Kapp's favorite aspect to serving as administrator is the pride she gets from each of the center's accomplishments. "I get to create an environment that isn't always perfect, but pretty close to it," she says. "There is a constant evolving of ideas and ways to do things, leading to perfection. This is obviously a never-ending task. I feel there is always a way to do something better or more efficiently, and realistically we will never be perfect, but it will be fun trying to get there."
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