Sandra Oglesby spotlights hands-on leadership in ambulatory surgery care

Sandra Oglesby, a registered nurse and healthcare executive in Florida, is being featured for a 40-year nursing career and 30 years in leadership. Her work at TGH Brandon Health Plex has helped the ambulatory surgery center earn national recognition and sustain top-tier rankings in Florida.

Why it matters: - Sandra Oglesby’s career reflects how hands-on leadership can shape staffing, retention, physician engagement and patient experience in ambulatory surgery. - Her approach highlights the pressure on surgery centers to deliver high-volume care with specialized teams and tight operations. - The center she leads has been recognized nationally, underscoring the business and clinical value of stable, visible leadership.

What happened: - Influential Women featured Sandra Oglesby, a healthcare executive, registered nurse and co-owner of Clin Access Solutions. - Oglesby serves as administrator and CEO of a high-volume, multi-specialty ambulatory surgery center at TGH Brandon Health Plex in Valrico, Florida. - She has 40 years of nursing experience and 30 years in progressive leadership roles. - The surgery center has been named by Newsweek as one of America’s Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers. - The facility has ranked among the top three ambulatory surgery centers in Florida for the past five years.

The details: - Oglesby’s clinical background includes trauma, high-risk obstetrics and perianesthesia care. - Her past leadership roles include directing multi-state surgery center operations across six states. - Her expertise includes ambulatory surgery center operations and revenue cycle management. - Oglesby said her leadership style is built on visibility, accountability, respect and service. - She said effective leaders should be willing to step in and help with tasks such as transporting a patient, mopping a floor or starting an IV. - Oglesby said that visible leadership helps strengthen engagement, retention and employee morale. - She said many current team members previously worked with her and rejoined her because of the work environment. - Oglesby said sustainable change requires commitment, accountability and consistency, not just new initiatives. - She said leaders should trust capable staff, provide direction and avoid micromanaging. - Oglesby described nursing as a way of life that demands compassion as well as technical skill. - She said ambulatory surgery center nurses must be highly specialized because they do not always have the same resources as inpatient hospitals. - She said staff in her center often come from emergency department or intensive care backgrounds. - She said intraoperative staff must be comfortable working across specialties including orthopedics, general surgery and urology. - Oglesby said physician engagement depends on efficient scheduling, accurate case times and less downtime. - She also pointed to payer authorizations and contract limits as important operational and financial issues.

Between the lines: - Oglesby’s message is that healthcare leadership works best when executives understand the work at the bedside and in the operating room. - Her emphasis on trust, vulnerability and accountability suggests a management style aimed at keeping experienced staff in a competitive labor market. - The feature also reflects a broader challenge in ambulatory care: centers must balance clinical readiness, physician satisfaction and financial execution at the same time.

What’s next: - Oglesby will continue leading the surgery center at TGH Brandon Health Plex while focusing on team support, operational efficiency and culture. - Her Influential Women profile is available here. - Influential Women says its platform is designed to help women connect, share perspectives and create empowering content.

The bottom line: - Sandra Oglesby’s career centers on one idea: leaders in healthcare should serve the teams that serve patients.