Welcome to Nate's ePortfolio
My name is Nathan Peak, though some people call me Nate. I am from rural Western Kentucky. First, I am a Christian, married to my wife Karie, and dad to our two daughters, Raegan and Hayden, who are both in college. I like spending time with my family and being outdoors, especially out on Kentucky Lake.
My goal in finishing this degree isn't for career growth, it's just for myself. I started my medical career many years ago when I attended Madisonville Community College in the Surgical Technology program. That began my journey into the healthcare field, which I'm still in today as a healthcare leader. I am currently Vice President, Field Operations & Implementation for Surgical Solutions, a minimally invasive surgical services, endoscopy, and sterile processing company.
This course has shown me that I am in the right place with an interdisciplinary degree program. In my position, I am often faced with complex problems, both internally and with customers, that need to be solved. Interdisciplinary studies has shown me that solving complex problems often requires multipronged solutions involving many different disciplines and areas of expertise, getting to the root cause to solve them.
About Me
I chose surgical technology because surgery fascinated me, and honestly, it still does. It was also a program I could finish in a couple of years and get a decent job after. That practical side mattered to me, but it turned into something more than just a job.
I am passionate about patient care. Every day I walk into work, I want to be part of providing the best patient care possible, whether that is directly or through the teams and systems I help build.
One of the things I am most proud of over the years is the leaders I have helped develop. That is a real passion of mine, developing battle-tested leaders who can lead teams through uncertain times. Watching someone grow into that kind of leader, and knowing I had a part in it, is one of the most rewarding parts of my career.
Impactful Experiences
Throughout my career, I've made it a point to seek out the most difficult, hard to please people I work with and earn their trust through follow-through, finding common ground, and meeting them in the middle. Part of that is knowing when to just listen, and knowing when to push back.
One surgeon I worked with was particularly difficult. He complained constantly and would berate me and the entire team verbally. Instead of avoiding him, I sought him out and learned exactly what he wanted and needed for every procedure.
That work paid off in a moment that has stuck with me. During a routine minimally invasive surgery, he made a mistake that was about to force him to convert to an open incision on the patient. I stopped him before he made the incision and walked him through how to repair the mistake without opening the patient up. He was angry in the moment, but I spoke up and told him to listen to me, and he did.
That experience taught me that earning trust with difficult people isn't about avoiding conflict. It's about showing up consistently, knowing your craft well enough to speak up when it matters, and having the confidence to push back even when someone is upset with you.
Growing up in rural western Kentucky gave me honest values and a down to earth attitude that is welcoming to everyone, no matter where they come from. That upbringing still shows up in how I treat people, whether it's a surgeon in an OR or someone on my team.
Intellectual Autobiography
This is the intellectual autobiography I wrote for my IST coursework. Many organizations overvalue degrees and credentials, often overlooking people who could be better for the position. I used my own path, from Certified Surgical Technologist to operations executive, as the example for that.
This artifact shows my growth in Integrative Thinking, since it required me to connect ideas from psychology, education, and business into one argument grounded in my own career. This essay matters to me because you can't judge a book by its cover. People are not their credentials, and credentials should just be part of someone's identity, not the whole box they get placed in if they don't have the same credential as someone else.
Exploring Sterile Processing as a Discipline
I chose sterile processing for this assignment because it's the field I've spent my whole career in, first as a Certified Surgical Technologist and now leading operations across surgery, endoscopy, and sterile processing for hospitals nationwide.
I chose to write this essay to explore the sterile processing field as more of an academic discipline and career, not just a job. Sterile processing has its own history, standards, and professional organizations, with chapters across the country. Early in my surgical technology career, I had limited exposure to sterile processing and did not completely understand what they did in that department. Once I took a position where some of my time was spent in the sterile processing department, I gained a real appreciation for the work done there, and quickly realized it is the heartbeat of the whole facility. Going from that to leading operations across surgery, endoscopy, and sterile processing today, I can see how the work I do every day is backed by real science, not just company procedure. Digging into the research for this essay showed me how much this field has grown and earned respect over my career. This essay is where my work experience and what I've learned in school really come together.
I used Integrative Thinking in this essay by connecting my own hands-on career experience with peer-reviewed research and professional standards to understand sterile processing as a real discipline, not just a job. I thought the sterile processing career was a dead-end job and didn't quite understand what all was done and the real science behind everything that is done in that department. Now I know it can be a lifetime career for motivated individuals.
Personal and Professional Growth
I'm including this piece because it goes beyond my job title and gets into who I actually am, my faith, my family, where I come from, and what I still want to work on. It shows the self-awareness side of the growth this program has pushed me to think through, not just the professional side.
What experiences have had the greatest influence on who you are today?
A lot of my work ethic was built early, starting with a lawn mowing business I ran with my older brother when I was 13, and he was 16. We had 25 yards between us, and I learned early on what it took to manage a workload and keep customers happy. When my brother left for college, I kept building on that foundation and spent my high school years working on my neighbor's farming operation. That season built even more grit and taught me that nobody hands you an instruction manual; you learn to show up before sunrise and finish what you start. I also spent time working at a local farm store, dealing with the general public every day, which is where I really learned customer service and how to work with all kinds of people.
From there, I started out in my chosen field as a Certified Surgical Technologist, but after a decade or so in the medical field, I thought I wanted to get out of the medical field altogether, and spent a couple of years working as a production supervisor at a local poultry processing facility. That job is really where I learned how to lead diverse groups of people and honed the leadership skills I still rely on today. I eventually made my way back into the medical field, growing into various leadership roles. The lesson was the same everywhere I went, as the people who succeed aren't always the ones with the most credentials; they're the ones willing to put in the work and keep learning.
What are three to five characteristics that you consider central to your identity?
I'd say faith, family, humility, loyalty, and hard work are the five that anchor everything else about me. I try not to take myself too seriously, I'll be the first to laugh at my own mistakes, and I believe staying humble keeps you teachable because we don't know everything and can learn something from anyone. Loyalty runs deep in me, to my family, my faith, and the people I lead. And my faith in God is the foundation underneath all of it. I don't think I'd be nearly as steady in hard situations without believing there's a bigger plan than the one I can see. God has gotten me out of situations or put me in situations, and that has saved me from bad outcomes, and looking back, the only answer is it was in God's plan.
Which community has had the strongest impact on your identity? Explain.
My rural western Kentucky roots have influenced me more than any other community. Growing up around neighbors who helped each other without being asked taught me that a handshake and your word still mean something. That small town, do the right thing even when nobody's watching mentality is something I carry into every part of my life, whether that's at home with my wife and two daughters or leading a team at work.
What values or goals do you want to carry forward as part of your identity?
Going forward, I want to keep chasing down root causes instead of settling for quick fixes, in my work and in my own life. I also want to keep looking for talent in people who don't see it in themselves yet, because somebody did that for me once, and it changed everything. Above all, I want my daughters to grow up watching their dad stay humble, work hard, and put God and family first, no matter what's going on around us.
Closing Reflection:
I can now see how my faith, my rural roots, and being a husband and dad all work together rather than pull against each other. Honestly, one area I need to keep working on is my lack of patience with the whole process. I want to find the root cause of a problem and fix it right then, and I'm learning that real growth, whether it's in myself, my team, or my daughters, just takes time. Doing this reflection reminded me that who you are isn't something you finish figuring out; you just keep building on it throughout your entire life.
I used Critical Thinking in this reflection by looking honestly at my own patterns, like my lack of patience with slow processes, and thinking through where that comes from and how it affects the people around me. I also used Integrative Thinking because it pulls together my faith, my rural upbringing, and my roles as a husband, dad, and leader into one complete picture instead of separate pieces. This matters to me because growth in myself, my team, or my daughters isn't something you finish. You keep building on it.
Resume
Below is my current resume, reflecting my background in surgical operations, sterile processing, and healthcare leadership.
Thank you for visiting my ePortfolio. I'd welcome the chance to connect, whether about my academic work, my background in healthcare operations, or anything else on this site.
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