APPENDIX 1: Guidelines for the Role of the Clinical Director of Anesthesiology and Director of the Operating Rooms

1. Responsibilities to the department of anesthesiology
1. Personnel management
1. Long-term faculty schedule
2. Daily faculty/resident/certified registered nurse anesthetist assignments; assurance of comprehensive resident case exposure/coordination with program director
3. Staffing calculations and planning; recommendations to chairman
4. Creation of management team representing all clinical aspects of the department
2. Subspecialty coverage
1. Develop appropriate faculty daily and on-call coverage
2. Participate in resident subspecialty rotation development

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3. Daily operations
1. Early morning review of schedule
2. Morning clinical/staffing conference
3. Assignment changes during the day
4. Chief arbiter of clinical and interstaff problems
4. Participative roles (with significant institutional variations)
1. Preoperative evaluation clinic/preadmission testing procedure
2. Anesthesia equipment/monitoring
3. Quality assurance/quality management process
4. Disaster planning
5. Evaluation and promotion of the clinical director
1. Clinical management-oriented job may require special criteria
2. Clinical tract appointment most likely
3. Teaching time may be limited
4. Research areas may exist in management and statistical and clinical studies
2. Responsibilities to the OR/hospital/medical staff
1. Scheduling and data gathering
1. Daily review/final arbiter of OR scheduling
2. Supervisor of scheduling/data processing personnel
3. Enforce scheduling policy
4. Management of OR utilization data and submission of reports to appropriate governing body
2. Communications center (OR front desk)
1. Establish practices that provide expeditious service
2. Supervise front desk personnel
3. Clinical director's role with OR nurses, PACU nurses, and support staff (with significant institutional variation)
1. Leadership and supervisory role for OR personnel
2. Strong working relationship with nursing hierarchy and hospital administration
3. May function as OR manager with budgetary, materials management, and quality assurance functions
4. Chief liaison to:
1. Hospital administration (formal position)
2. Nursing administration
3. OR committee (may serve as chairman of the committee). Authority must be delegated from surgical and anesthesiology departments and hospital administration
5. Basic support from hospital administration
1. Office, secretary, scheduler, and other personnel as necessary
2. Financial subsidy may be appropriate
3. Administrative authority
3. General qualifications
1. Seniority, appropriate academic rank—associate or professor level may facilitate the role
2. Clinical proficiency/commitment—being respected for clinical abilities is a significant attribute
3. Educational qualifications—formal training or experience in negotiation and interpersonal relationships and business administration may be desirable