[Who is suited as operation room manager? Evaluation process for hospitals and candidates]

Operation room (OR) management is not an end in itself. The challenge is more to organize the complex, inhomogeneous and interference-prone machinery of intraoperative service provision according to business objectives. Although business objectives may differ in some details the ultimate consequence is always to assure the quality of medical care along with adhering to the general economic conditions. The narrower the economic framework the smaller the company's tolerance to unprofessional OR management. Consequently, it can be noticed that OR management has become of age. An internal socialization as frontline leader is no longer sufficient for taking over a job profile which, regarding the risks of revenues and costs belongs to the top management of a company. Prior to looking for a future OR manager it is mandatory to develop a profile of qualifications tailored to the company. In the following selection process the important thing is to identify the candidate who fits best to the developed profile. This paper sees itself as an assistance in the development of such a company-specific qualification profile for an OR manager. On the basis of knowledge, skills and characteristics, different manager typologies are developed, facilitating the successful evaluation in a selection process for both the company and the candidate.