Stella Yau, BSN, RN, CNOR

Staff Nurse at the University of California San Diego Jacobs Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente Garfield Ambulatory Surgery Center

Candidate for Nominating Committee (Two to be Elected)

Stella Yau, BSN, RN, CNOR, is a staff nurse at the University of California San Diego Jacobs Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente Garfield Ambulatory Surgery Center, San Diego, California. She earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in nursing from Capella University, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Yau has been a perioperative nurse for 10 years and a member of AORN for 10 years. She is a member of

  • AORN of San Diego County (2013-present) and
  • eChapter (2022-present).

Yau has attended Congress four times in the past 10 years, two times as a delegate.

Highlights of Yau’s service to AORN include that she is

  • president of AORN of San Diego County (2022-present),
  • social media chair of AORN of San Diego County (2017-present), and
  • journal club chair for AORN of San Diego County (2021-present).

She has been

  • president-elect for AORN of San Diego County (2021-2022) and
  • a member of the AORN of San Diego County Nominating Committee (2017-2021).

In her community, Yau is

  • a volunteer for Elderhelp of San Diego (2020-present).

Election Statement

Our peers are going through some extraordinary times. With vacancy rates, staff turnover, burnout, and disengagement at an all-time high this is a time that our organization must actively find novel ways to provide support, education, and guidance on how to proceed forward. As a member on the Nominating Committee my goal would be to help identify potential leaders for our organization that will look out for our community while balancing the operational needs of AORN.

The experiences I have gained through my 20 years of military service, 19 years of nursing practice, and six years in AORN chapter leadership have shaped me to be a servant leader who listens, assesses, looks for active solutions, and implements sustainable strategies to complex problems. I have experience leading from the management seat and love my role as a staff nurse helping to get our mission done.

If given the opportunity to serve on the Nominating Committee, I will utilize my penchant for connection and networking to seek out the leaders who have their finger on the pulse of our perioperative community. Together we will find innovative ways to help our membership thrive in today’s evolving landscape.