Top 5 Takeaways from the 2025 Nursing Working Group Retreat

The annual Surgical Safety Network (SSN) Nursing Working Group Retreat brings together highly engaged nursing leaders committed to advancing safety, quality, and efficiency—while fostering resilience—in the operating room (OR), trauma bay, and beyond. 

This year, 19 nursing leaders representing nine institutions gathered for two inspiring days of learning, collaboration, and innovation. The theme that echoed throughout every session was simple yet profound: celebrate success to drive culture change. 

From the evolution of success cause analysis (SCA) to breakthroughs in OR technology and collaboration, the retreat reinforced that progress in surgical safety and trauma resuscitation isn’t just about addressing challenges—it’s about amplifying what works. 

1. Shifting the Lens: From Root Cause to Success Cause 

One of the most transformative conversations centered around SCA, a framework that turns traditional root cause analysis (RCA) on its head. 

The session, led by Dr. Komal Bajaj, a nationally recognized leader in patient safety, innovation, and healthcare transformation, explored how teams can reframe challenges, learn from success, and make safer, more human-centered decisions. 

Instead of asking what went wrong, participants examined what went right and why. This paradigm fosters psychological safety in healthcare,¹ team ownership, and engagement across perioperative and trauma teams. By focusing on excellence and replicating it, SCA promotes positivity, accountability, and growth even in the most high-stakes clinical environments. 

2. Harnessing Visibility and Technology to Drive Culture Change 

Nursing leaders shared real-world examples of how the Black Box Platform™ is transforming perioperative and trauma care by making performance visible, measurable, and actionable through video and data analytics. 

Institutions across the network are using the platform in diverse and innovative ways, including: 

• Leveraging the OR Black Box® to identify trends in Surgical Safety Checklist compliance and drive targeted improvements. 

• Incorporating video clips from Case Discovery™ into multidisciplinary conferences to highlight what’s working well and discuss areas for improvement.  

• Utilizing the Trauma Black Box® to enable trauma video review,² transforming subjective observations into objective learning data. 

• Supporting simulation and training programs that use recorded sessions for team debriefs and continuous training, leveraging Explorer™ to share content.  

By sharing success stories and lessons learned, leaders demonstrated that transparency builds trust, which serves as the foundation for safer, more effective teams. 

3. Leading Through Safety, Trust, and Courage 

Leadership sessions emphasized that the future of nursing leadership lies in creating psychological safety in healthcare teams³ and supporting human connection. 

In a compelling fireside chat, Megan Nolan, Senior Director of Nursing and Patient Care Operations at Boston Children’s Hospital, discussed how leaders can shape the future of perioperative nursing by fostering openness and courage. 

Amid challenges like staffing pressures, cognitive load, and cultural inertia, Nolan underscored that safety begins when team members feel heard and supported. Leaders were reminded to “be the squeakiest wheel”—to advocate boldly, listen deeply, and model curiosity, empathy, and resilience. 

4. Collaboration Across Borders and Institutions 

A defining strength of the Nursing Working Group is its spirit of collaboration. 

This year’s retreat featured vibrant cross-institutional exchanges through digital platforms that enable shared learning, governance, and best practices. Leaders showcased how collaboration tools are helping align teams, streamline communication, and accelerate adoption of new technologies. 

From cross-site governance structures to “super connector” nurses championing local initiatives, the retreat highlighted that progress happens through people who are willing to listen, share, and act. Collaboration, after all, is not just about sharing data; it’s about building a practice community dedicated to safety and excellence. 

5. Nurses as Catalysts for Innovation 

Perhaps the most inspiring theme was the recognition of nurses as innovators. 

From optimizing trauma handoffs to leading OR efficiency challenges, nurses across the network are driving meaningful change within leadership and at the front lines. Their message was clear: innovation doesn’t wait for permission. 

When empowered with the right tools, data, and trust, nurses are redefining what’s possible in patient safety. As one closing remark captured perfectly: “Success is a team story—celebrate it, measure it, and share it.” 

Looking Ahead 

At the conclusion of the retreat, leaders left with renewed energy and actionable insights to bring back to their institutions. The collective challenge now is to sustain momentum—to carry forward stories of success, use collaborative platforms to align teams, and take bold action without waiting for permission to innovate. 

To learn more about the Surgical Safety Network, download our fact sheet.⁴ 

Stay tuned in the coming months for more updates, including key insights from our 2026 Annual Conference. 

Recommended Resources 

1. Surgical Safety Technologies. (2025, May 8). Psychological Safety in Healthcare Drives High-Performance Teams - and AI Should Support It [blog post]. https://www.surgicalsafety.com/blog/psychological-safety-in-healthcare-ai-should-support-it  

2. Dumas, R.P. (2024, July 18). Trauma Care Breakthrough: Enhancing Performance Improvement Through Trauma Video Review [blog post]. Surgical Safety Technologies. https://www.surgicalsafety.com/blog/trauma-care-breakthrough-enhancing-performance-improvement-through-trauma-video-review  

3. Surgical Safety Technologies. (2025, September 25). Psychological Safety in Healthcare Teams: From the OR Front Lines to Executive Strategy [blog post]. https://www.surgicalsafety.com/blog/psychological-safety-in-healthcare-teams 

4. Surgical Safety Technologies. (2025). Surgical Safety Network [fact sheet]. https://www.surgicalsafety.com/resources/surgical-safety-network