OR Nurse Credits Foundation Scholarship for Helping Her on SNP Journey

Scholarship Supports One Nurse’s Goals

Shereen Cruz, BSN, RN, CNOR knows the impact a perioperative nurse can have on patient.

During her six years working in the OR, she’s helped countless patients navigate some of the most challenging moments of their lives. That’s why she emphasizes delivering a high level of care during every case.

“We are there for people during their toughest time. You see them at the beginning of the procedure and a little at the end, but they are putting all their trust in you,” she said. “It may be a part of our day, but it could be one of the biggest and most stressful moments of their life.”

Cruz currently works as an OR nurse at teaching hospital in Dallas. She took the position to be closer to family (who encouraged her to become a nurse growing up), but also saw it as an opportunity to further her career.

In addition to working full-time at the hospital, she’s enrolled as part-time online graduate student in the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) Graduate Nursing Program at the University of Connecticut. She’s working towards becoming a surgical nurse practitioner, so she can take a more active role in caring for patients throughout their entire surgical journey, from pre-operative preparations to post-operative recovery.

AORN Foundation Scholarship

Cruz credits the AORN Foundation for providing a $2,000 Ethicon Scholarship Fund for Perioperative Nurses of Color for helping make her goal possible.

“I am so grateful because the scholarship literally came at the best time. When I applied for the scholarship, I was moving and a lot was going on. I work 40 hours a week in addition to taking two classes, and I thought I would have to pick up extra hours. This helped alleviate a lot of stress,” she said.

The scholarship has helped Cruz balance her life, and in turn, continue to focus on patient care and reinforcing her skills. She said she not only loves caring for patients, but the teamwork it takes to ensure success.

“Working as a team helps you do your job well. I like the process of working in the OR, because you’re setting things up and getting ready for a big procedure, and you need to think critically through the next steps,” she said. “Each patient is different, so we’re always adjusting based on the patient and individualizing our care.”

Reflecting on the theme for Nurses Month (You Make a Difference), Cruz praises the resiliency of healthcare workers and her coworkers and for keeping patient safety as the top priority, despite the stress of the pandemic.

“Several facilities were short staffed because of the pandemic, but people have just made it work. Everyone has learned to accommodate and adjust, and that’s great,” she said.

“A lot of the older, skilled nurses have retired, and there are a lot of newer people teaching newer staff. Now, I’m pretty experienced compared to other nurses.”

Cruz is also an active member of the AORN Mentor Program and enjoys passing on her foundational knowledge to novice nurses.

“When I teach newer nurses, I say that for the next patient, you need to make it a good experience for them and their family, because this (procedure) is what they’re going to remember. We don’t realize how important it is to them and their family until we put ourselves in their position,” she said.

“You may have gotten yelled at by a surgeon in the morning, but it’s important to put it behind you and put the patient first. If someone snaps at you, it’s not because it’s you, it’s because of the scenario. You can’t let it affect you.”

AORN Mentor Program

The mentor program constitutes another benefit of AORN that’s helped Cruz in her career, and she sees the association as a vital resource for both seasoned and new nurses.

“AORN has wonderful resources, it helps nurses in their practice, and it also helps connect nurses who are on the same career path,” she said. “One of the best things is that you can talk to people from other facilities and see how they’re doing things, and that also helps you stay on top of your profession.”

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