Daniel Schreiber Translates Skills From Performing on Stage to Coordinating Surgery Products

Daniel Schreiber has always had a passion for music.

It led him to enroll at the University of Nebraska Omaha with plans to be a music teacher. But his passion stemmed from a love for being on stage, so he soon switched his major to music performance.

“Performing is a great joy,” he said. “It lets me express a side of myself that I don’t get to show people a lot of the time.”

After graduating from UNO in 2017, Schreiber auditioned for Opera Omaha and had his first experience as part of the chorus during Opera Outdoors. Since his debut, he’s performed as a chorus member in eight operas over the past six years, including performances of “Pagliacci” and “The Elixir of Love.”

“Music is my comfort,” he said. “It’s where I escape to.”

Forward-Thinking Mentality

Schreiber started working at Methodist in 2018 as a product stocker. In 2021, he became the product coordinator at Methodist Hospital.

In his role, Schreiber manages the daily replenishment of supplies for the operation room (OR) at the hospital. He orders and organizes implants – mostly breast implants, eye implants and other special orders. He’s also responsible for tissue tracking, which involves documenting deliveries of tissue – like skin, aortic heart valves and frozen ACL grafts – into the health system’s tracking system and taking them to their location in the surgery department. Schreiber audits the system for upcoming expirations and properly disposes of any items that may be expired or are about to.

Additionally, he handles general requests from surgery coordinators.

“I enjoy the feeling of being needed,” he said. “I feel like my job is very important and I keep things running.”

Over the past couple of years as product coordinator, Schreiber has learned how to anticipate the needs of the OR to make sure the staff has what it needs before someone asks him for more products. He’s also developed the skill of tracking requests from multiple departments so he can provide an answer when a surgery coordinator calls him with a question.

Schreiber believes that his experiences in musical performance have helped him develop a forward-thinking mindset, which is very helpful for his job at Methodist.

“As you get more advanced in performing, you have to sing from memory without even thinking about it,” he said. “Then you need to know where you’re going on stage and what the emotion of the moment is. And you have to be thinking about what comes next.”

A Passion for Music

Schreiber says that he’s passionate about a lot of things, but his main passion is music.

Over the years, he's performed at Disneyland as part of a tour with Norris High School (Firth, Nebraska) and at Carnegie Hall during college.

It’s been about a year since he last performed with Opera Omaha, but he’s looking forward to getting back on the stage to showcase his skills in a controlled environment.

“You can’t really sing full voice in your apartment, or really anywhere, without having people give you looks.”

He believes that being a part of professional operas allows him to meet people he wouldn’t otherwise encounter. And he really enjoys getting to know the primary cast members of each performance.

“It’s a product that takes a village to put together, and I’m just a part of it," he said.

Schreiber's next stage appearance will be as part of the chorus for Opera Omaha's upcoming Opera Outdoors concert at Turner Park at Midtown Crossing on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m.