By the time a patient walks into an operating room, countless details have already been handled. At Olena Medical, Cheryl Jones is one of the women making sure those details come together.
There is a moment in healthcare that patients rarely think about.
It happens before the doors to the operating room open. Before the physician enters. Before the anesthesia provider meets the patient. Before the first procedure of the day begins.
Schedules have been reviewed. Providers have been assigned. Surgical centers have communicated their needs. Changes have been made, sometimes more than once. Phone calls and messages have gone back and forth. And someone has been keeping track of all those moving pieces.
At Olena Medical, that person is often Cheryl Jones, Operations Manager.
Her work takes place largely behind the scenes, but it is central to keeping the organization moving.
“I see myself as the connection between the different pieces,” Jones says. “My job is to stay one step ahead, maintain clear communication and solve problems before they affect the surgical centers or our providers.”
It is the kind of leadership that doesn’t always come with recognition.
In fact, when Cheryl is doing her job well, most people may never know how much work went into making the day run smoothly.
And that, she says, is exactly the point.
The woman who keeps the pieces connected
Healthcare is rarely predictable.
A surgical schedule can change. A procedure can be added or postponed. A provider’s availability can shift. A surgical center may suddenly have different anesthesia needs.
One small change can affect an entire day’s schedule.
Cheryl’s job is to see those connections before they become problems.
Her work begins by communicating with Olena Medical’s surgical centers about their anesthesia needs for the coming week while also making sure there have been no changes to the current week’s schedules.
She then reviews operating room schedules for the following day and coordinates anesthesia provider assignments. Once those assignments are confirmed, she communicates directly with the surgical centers to make sure everyone is on the same page.
On paper, it may sound like scheduling. In reality, it is much more.
“There are many moving parts,” Jones says. “Surgical schedules can change, anesthesia needs can change, operating room assignments can change, and provider availability can change.”
Keeping everything aligned requires organization, communication and, perhaps most importantly, the ability to remain calm when plans suddenly change.
“I have to stay organized, communicate clearly, and pay attention to the details so everything runs smoothly.”
When success means nobody notices
There is an unusual quality to operational leadership in healthcare: success can be almost invisible.
When coverage is missing, everyone notices.
When schedules become confused, everyone notices.
When a surgical center does not have the provider it needs, everyone notices.
But when everything is in place and the day proceeds exactly as planned, the person who helped make that happen may never be seen.
Cheryl understands that paradox.
“A lot of what I do may not be visible to patients or even the surgical teams,” she says. “But it plays an important part in ensuring the day runs efficiently.”
Her goal is to anticipate problems rather than simply react to them.
“A lot of the work may go unnoticed when everything goes well, and honestly, that’s the goal,” she says. “When providers are where they need to be, surgical centers have the coverage they need and the day runs smoothly, it means the behind-the-scenes work is doing what it’s supposed to do.”
There is confidence in that philosophy. And there is also humility.
Cheryl isn’t looking for the spotlight. She is focused on making sure everyone else can do what they came to do.
More than a job — a team
For all the schedules, communications and problem-solving that fill Cheryl’s days, there is one part of her job she says she values most: the people.
“What I enjoy most about working with Olena Medical is the people and the teamwork,” she says. “I appreciate being part of a team where everyone plays an important role in supporting our surgical centers and providers.”
That sense of connection is something Cheryl believes distinguishes the organization.
“At Olena, we are family,” she says. “We support one another, celebrate each other’s successes and step in when someone needs help.”
For Cheryl, that isn’t simply a phrase used in a company brochure.
It is something she experiences in her everyday work.
“There is a genuine sense of care and connection among our team, and you know that the people you work with have your back.”
That matters, particularly in an industry where the pace can be demanding and the stakes can be high.
“We care about the work we do, but we also care about the people we do it with,” Cheryl says. “That makes coming to work feel like being part of something bigger than just a job.”
The art of staying calm
Some people thrive when everything is predictable.
Operations managers learn to thrive when it isn’t.
For Cheryl, problem-solving is a major part of her role. She may be coordinating multiple locations, communicating with providers and surgical centers, and adjusting plans when circumstances change.
It requires the ability to step back, assess the situation and resist the temptation to react emotionally.
“My philosophy for solving problems is to stay calm, examine the situation from all sides and focus on finding a solution rather than dwelling on the problem itself.”
It is advice that applies to far more than healthcare.
But in an environment where one change can affect an entire team, staying calm can make all the difference.
“It’s not just about schedules, emails and paperwork,” Cheryl explains. “It’s about constantly communicating, anticipating needs, managing changes, solving problems and making decisions that can affect an entire team.”
Her approach is practical: look at the entire picture, communicate, and find a way forward.
A different kind of leadership
Leadership is often portrayed as standing at the front of the room.
But Cheryl represents another kind of leader — one who works in the background, connects people and creates the conditions for others to succeed.
Her colleagues see that impact.
Dr. Shivani Thakkar, Chief Medical Officer at Olena Medical, describes Cheryl as an important part of the organization’s success.
“Cheryl is an invaluable member of our team. Her contributions and collaborative spirit are an integral part of our success.”
Dr. Harshu Chaobal, Founder of Olena Medical, describes her role in even more personal terms.
“Cheryl is much more than a critical manager and communicator at Olena Medical; she is truly the beating heart of our organization,” Chaobal says. “She has a profound impact on our company culture, the strength of our team, and the overall satisfaction of our employees.”
For Cheryl, leadership isn’t necessarily about having the loudest voice.
Sometimes it is about being the person who answers the question.
The person who makes the call.
The person who catches the scheduling issue.
The person who communicates the change.
The person who notices when someone needs help.
And sometimes, it is simply being the person everyone knows they can count on.
The women behind healthcare
When we think about healthcare heroes, we naturally picture the people patients see: physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists, technicians and other clinical professionals.
But healthcare is also powered by people whose work takes place outside the spotlight.
Operations professionals create the structure that allows clinical teams to do their jobs.
- They coordinate.
- They communicate.
- They anticipate.
- They troubleshoot.
- They keep people connected.
And much of their work happens without applause.
That is what makes Cheryl’s story particularly compelling.
Her contribution isn’t one dramatic moment. It is hundreds of small decisions, conversations and adjustments that help an organization function every day.
Her leadership is measured not by how much attention she receives, but by how effectively she helps everyone around her succeed.
“We don’t just say we’re family. We show it.”
For Cheryl, the strongest reason to be proud of her work isn’t a title or a job description. It is the people beside her.
“I’m proud to be part of a company where we really are a family,” she says. “We don’t just say that, we show it.” She believes that kind of culture matters for anyone considering a career with Olena Medical.
“If you’re looking for a place where you can feel valued, supported and truly part of a team, Olena Medical is a great place to be,” she says. “It’s a place where you can grow, learn and make a difference.”
The work can be challenging.
But Cheryl says there is an important difference between facing a challenge alone and facing it as part of a team.
“The work can be challenging, but you’re never in it alone.”
The mission behind the mission
Ask Cheryl to describe what she does, and she can sum it up simply:
“I keep our centers, providers, and team connected so everything runs smoothly.”
It is a simple sentence describing a surprisingly complex job.
Every day, Cheryl helps bring together the operational pieces that need to be in place before clinical care can begin. Patients may never know her name.
They may never see her working behind a computer, reviewing schedules, making calls or solving problems. And if everything goes according to plan, they may never have any reason to. But perhaps that is the greatest compliment to the work she does. Because sometimes the people who make the biggest difference in healthcare aren’t the ones standing in front of the camera.
They are the ones behind the scenes, quietly making sure everyone else has what they need. And women like Cheryl Jones remind us that leadership doesn’t always have to be visible to be powerful.
About Olena Medical
Olena Medical is a physician-led anesthesia organization focused on providing anesthesia services and supporting surgical centers and healthcare providers. Through clinical expertise, operational coordination and a commitment to teamwork, Olena Medical works with partner facilities to support efficient operations while enabling anesthesia professionals to focus on patient care. Olena was founded by Dr. Harshu Chaobal.
The post The Woman Behind the Scenes – The Quiet Leadership That Keeps Healthcare Moving appeared first on Women Daily Magazine.
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