My Specialty
Perioperative Educator, Mary McDonald, Ventura County Medical Center
Providing education, policy review, and practice evaluation
Mary McDonald, RN
Perioperative Educator, Surgical Services Department
Ventura County Medical Center
Please give us a brief summary of your nursing career.
As someone who has always enjoyed serving my community, choosing nursing as my career felt natural.
I decided early in my career to work for the Ventura County Healthcare System because I was interested in the diverse population that the agency serves. I worked as a bedside nurse in the DOU, frequently floating to ICU, telemetry, postpartum, and PACU.
Eventually, I was drawn to the perioperative environment because of its fast pace and collaborative practice. I also work as a consultant, providing staff coaching, team building, and regulatory compliance preparation in the outpatient setting.
How did you transition to your current educator role?
Teaching is something I have always gravitated towards. I take great joy in creating a safe and supportive space where nurses can share information and ideas. When the perioperative educator position became available, I saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between our perioperative units through culture change, team building, and education.
What does your day-to-day look like?
I typically work 40–50 hours Monday through Friday. Maintaining an understanding of frontline staff perspective is important, so I try to also squeeze in a few on-call bedside shifts each month.
