How do you find candidates who aren't even looking?

Most of the directors we place aren't looking. We know who they are because we've been talking to them for years. When your seat opens, we don't post it on a job board and hope — we pick up the phone and call the three or four people who fit, and see who's ready to move.

What credentials should I expect from the candidates you send?

It depends on the seat. A Director of Surgical Services typically holds a BSN with CNOR behind their name. OR Managers and PACU leaders carry CNOR or CPAN. Surgical Techs hold CST. We also look at what they've actually done — robotic programs they've stood up, turnover minutes they've cut, satisfaction numbers they've moved. The credential gets them in the room. The track record is what we ask about.

Why not just use our internal HR team or a generalist agency?

Your internal team recruits for surgical leadership once every few years and starts from scratch each time. A generalist recruiter is juggling IT, finance, and nursing roles in the same week — they can't tell you the difference between a CNOR and a CST. We run six to twelve surgical searches at any given time. That's all we do, so we know the market, the going rates, and who's open to a move.

How fast can you actually get someone in front of us?

The Director of Surgery market is one of the most competitive in healthcare right now — strong leaders are rarely sitting idle, and the ones who are open to a move get picked up fast. We don't promise a specific timeline because every search is different, but we don't start from zero. We already know who fits your OR volume, trauma level, and case mix, so Day 1 is spent reaching out, not building a list. From there, how quickly someone lands in front of you depends on the market, the candidate's situation, and how fast your team can move on interviews.

Do candidates pay anything to work with you?

No. The hiring hospital or health system covers the fee. Candidates submit a resume and book a confidential call at no cost. We represent the candidate to the employer — they never pay us.

What's the difference between permanent and interim placement?

Permanent placement is a direct-hire search for a long-term leadership role — your next Director of Surgical Services. Interim is a short-term fix: an experienced leader who steps in for a leave, a gap, or while you run a permanent search. We handle both, for hospital ORs and ambulatory surgery centers.

Who leads Surgical Nurse Recruiter?

Surgical Nurse Recruiter is led by Chris Monroe, Founder & CEO. The firm is a division of The Clinical Recruiter, based in Franklin, Tennessee, serving hospitals, health systems, and ambulatory surgery centers across the United States.

Employer Resources

Hiring a Director of Surgical Services

The right surgical services leader can lift your first-case on-time starts by 15 points, cut your turnover time by 10 minutes per case, and protect millions in OR revenue. The wrong hire costs you 18 months of stalled progress. Here is how to get it right the first time.

Define Your Operational Needs

Before we start sourcing, we need to understand your facility's specific pain points. What is your current first-case on-time start rate? What is your average turnover time, and where is it breaking down? What OR volume, trauma level, and case mix are we matching to? Who does this position report to? How many FTEs and OR rooms will they manage? What are the primary areas for improvement — throughput, utilization, robotic ROI, or surgeon relations? The more information you share with us, the better our search results will be. But if you don't have it all handy, don't worry — we'll rely on our years of recruitment experience and find you a great candidate.

Initiate a Targeted Search

We do not post and pray. We proactively engage passive candidates from our national network — leaders who are currently running an OR somewhere, not scrolling job boards. We present your opportunity confidentially to candidates whose experience matches your facility's scale, trauma level, and operational challenges. Every outreach is personal, every conversation is confidential.

Review Candidates We've Spoken With

We present candidates after discussing their operational experience with them — OR throughput and turnover track record, robotic program management, block scheduling, sterile processing oversight, AORN and regulatory knowledge, and surgeon retention history. You then review credentials, conduct interviews, and make the final determination of fit and accuracy.

Facilitate the Offer & Onboarding

We facilitate introductions, support the offer process, and help coordinate onboarding through day one. We know what hospitals budget for surgical services leadership because we talk to COOs and CFOs every day. Our market intelligence helps guide an offer that is competitive. The hiring decision is always yours — we present the candidate, you make the call.

What We Discuss With Candidates

Operational Fluency

OR throughput and turnover mastery, block scheduling discipline, and first-case on-time start track record.

Regulatory Knowledge

AORN standards, Universal Protocol, sterile processing compliance, and Joint Commission survey readiness.

Financial Impact

Proven track record in OR utilization improvement, turnover reduction, robotic ROI protection, and surgeon retention.

Stop the Post-and-Pray Cycle

Partner with a firm that understands surgical services operations. Start your search today.

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