Meet Our Team
Get to know the instructors of Zander’s Prep Courses
Meet the Zander Perioperative Education Team
In 2004, Wendy Zander created a program to help her staff at a large teaching hospital with a busy Level 1 trauma center, a thriving heart program and children’s hospital prepare for the CNOR Exam. No small feat as many of you know. The Program was so successful that in seven years of offering it to her staff she and her staff maintained a 100% pass rate. Fast forward to 2012 and we took the next step by founding Zander Perioperative Education, LLC. With a mission to improve patient outcomes by helping OR nurses prepare for their certifications. What started as a way for her staff to prepare for the CNOR exam has expanded across the country as a way to assist nurses and staff in the pursuit of excellence as CNORs, CAPA-CPANs, and CSTs.
With that expansion came the challenge of finding amazing people with real world experience that can take the course curriculum, add their personal flare and maintain the highest level of quality and engagement with you, our attendees.
Below you will find a little more information on each of these awesome new and old friends. We can’t say enough how much we appreciate the hours they put into bringing you our classes and the standards they hold themselves to in order to see you succeed in your careers.
The CNOR Team
Wendy Zander MSN/ED, RN, CNOR
Wendy is a nationally recognized perioperative nursing expert with performance improvement, education and bedside experience in all aspects of perioperative nursing and sterile processing.
- Completely focused on certification prep since 2004
- Engaging and talented educator
Jocelyn L. Atkins MSN, RN, CNS, CN-CP
Jocelyn is a seasoned Perioperative Educator and Clinical Nurse Specialist with 16 years’ experience in pediatric surgical, and adult level one trauma surgeries.
- Certified Perioperative CNS
- Passionate about OR nursing
Patty Bechtel Cady BSN, RN, CNOR
Patty is a nurse educator in surgical services at Beaumont Health in Royal Oak, Michigan. She is an expert in perioperative nursing and sterile processing. Patty has presented at both the AORN congress and Leadership meeting for AORN. In the past she volunteered as an item writer for the CNOR certification exam.
- 2017 Nightingale Award for Nursing Excellence, Runner-up for Excellence in Education
- Energetic and engaging public speaker
John Costo JD, BSN, RN, NOR
John is Director of Perioperative Services at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. He has over 13 years of perioperative practice at the University of Maryland Medical Center, the MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Ben Taub General Hospital, the Memorial Hermann Health System, and the Banner Health System. In addition, he is a former practicing attorney with over 20 years of experience, with expertise in the legal aspects of nursing.
- CNOR since 2012
- Teaching the Zander Perioperative Prep Course since 2014
- BSN from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
Jennifer Olin BSN, RN, CNOR
Jennifer has more than 15 years experience in operating room nursing. From her five years of working across the United States in hospitals of all sizes as a traveling nurse, she brings a wide breadth of firsthand knowledge. Since 2010 Jennifer has worked as an OR nurse at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.
- Communications background makes for an engaging speaker
- Stays abreast of the latest in nursing as a member of AORN and Sigma Theta Tau
Carmel Pound MSN/MBA, RN, CNOR
Carmel is a perioperative nursing expert with experience in direct patient care, management, performance improvement and staff development. She enjoys imparting knowledge and being able to collaborate with nurses seeking excellence through certification.
- Perioperative experience in several service lines, including pre-op and post-op patient care
- Engaging public speaker
The CAPA/CPAN Team
Wendy Zander MSN/ED, RN, CNOR
Wendy is a nationally recognized perioperative nursing expert with performance improvement, education and bedside experience in all aspects of perioperative nursing and sterile processing.
- Completely focused on certification prep since 2004
- Engaging and talented educator
Laura Habighorst BSN, RN, CAPA, CGRN, NPD-BC
The CST Team
Kathy Patnaude BS, CST, FAST
Certified Surgical Technologist with extensive clinical experience in various roles focused towards surgical practices and aseptic techniques.
- Recertifies by exam every 4 years
- Over 20 years as a Surgical Technologist
- Experienced college Surgical Technology Instructor