Shawn D. Travis
Director of Nurses & Perioperative Services
Shawn D. Travis, RN, serves as the Director of Perioperative Services at Sterling Surgical Hospital overseeing every patient and physician need from arrival to discharge. She’s has honed her leadership skills over the last 14 years in operating room management including 19-plus years as a surgical nurse.
Travis, as the backbone of surgical operations, bolsters Sterling’s strong nurse management team with her hands-on leadership in its Surgery department. Shawn gives the Sterling physicians and staff a go-to expert for keeping the surgery engine running smoothly while maintaining the white-glove, red-carpet standard for which Sterling has become known for in Northshore community.
Travis came to Sterling Surgical Hospital having served as the Operating Room Supervisor at Slidell Memorial Hospital. Preceding that, she spent 13 years at the Louisiana Heart Hospital, working her way up from PRN Charge Nurse and Lead Neurosurgery Nurse to Head Charge Nurse, and ultimately Supervisor of Surgical Services overseeing 70 employees.
Travis is known amongst the colleagues for her compassionate, hands-on approach—rolling up her sleeves, putting in the hours and taking every team member into account— all while keeping things running like clockwork. She understands processes, potential pain points, and the importance of both creative problem-solving and endless flexibility. She gives her best and helps everyone around her to shine as well.
Travis launched her career at Tulane University Medical Center almost 20 years ago as an orthopedic and spine nurse hand-picked by renowned spine surgeon, Dr. Thomas Whitecloud. Working for Dr. Whitecloud solidified her strength and focus in spinal surgery, a specialty and skill set she now shares with the Sterling Surgical team.
While Sterling Surgical Hospital’s strength in spinal and orthopedic surgical services is a perfect match for her vast experience in those areas, Shawn finds herself most attracted to the hospital’s mission and vision. Drawn to the hospital’s sense of service to its patients, its physicians’ intimate involvement, and its intentional outreach to engage hospital employees while continuing to make themselves part of the greater Northshore community. She is a big believer that these human investments have an important impact on great patient experiences and significantly affect positive outcomes.
Shawn is a mother to two grown sons, Joshua, 22 and Cameron, 24. They love getting to spend quality time together by attending Saints and Pelican games. She enjoys being outdoors whether it’s working in the yard or biking the St. Tammany Trace and appreciates that Sterling Surgical affords her to do what she loves both personally and in her career.