Assistant Nurse Manager, Systemwide Surgery Team
St. Elizabeth Healthcare
Edgewood, Kentucky, United States
My name is Sarah Brungs, and I first began my nursing career as a Certified Nurse Assistant with St. Elizabeth Healthcare in 2008. In 2011, I graduated with my BSN and began my nursing career shortly thereafter. I worked as an RN in step-down & critical care until January 2013, when I began my nursing journey in the Operating Room (OR). From 2013-2017, I was a staff RN (circulator & scrub). In 2017, I obtained my Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA) certificate.
In 2020, I left the organization and began my nursing education & leadership journey at University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC), the local Level 1 trauma and burn center. I completed my MSN-ed in the spring of 2020. I gained experience as the Surgery Clinical Educator and later Clinical Nurse Manager for UCMC's OR. in 2023, I came back to St. Elizabeth as the RNFA Coordinator and have recently transitioned to an Assistant Nurse Manager in the Surgery department. I have a huge passion for education in surgery and was able to continue to grow this through running the RNFA program. Additionally, I was provided the opportunity to develop & implement an OR Patient Care Assistant (PCA) Program for St. Elizabeth's surgery departments. The implementation of the PCA role was new in surgery at St. Elizabeth. I worked with staff RN, Laura Handy, to create a curriculum for the program and engage the staff with the role's integration process.
I have since applied for my DNP and have been accepted to Northern Kentucky University. I am excited to continue to grow my skillset as a nursing leader, as well as support the many collaborative roles in the OR.
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
3023 - Strategic Staffing Support: Implementing Patient Care Assistants in Surgery
Saturday, April 11, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST