What does it take to get endoscopes dry? That is the question that prompted a new study on endoscope drying effectiveness by Ofstead & Associates (St Paul, Minnesota). “We asked that question after a study we did 2 years ago found that increasing the automated endoscope reprocessor [AER] drying cycle…

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Disruption in the healthcare setting occurs all too often and can be dangerous for patients and staff like. Part 1 of this series discussed some of the reasons behind the volatile behavior of patients or their families and provided a list of organizations with resources for managing the problem (OR…

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By 2024, the demand for registered nurses in the US will top 1 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), with the largest gaps seen in hospitals in the South and West. The RN workforce is expected to grow 16%, from 2.7 million in 2014 to 3.2 million…

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Employee engagement is a buzzword that often crops up in articles, webinars, and conferences. OR leaders may be tired of seeing it, but engagement is crucial for success in an environment of fast-paced change, leadership turnover, and increasing demands for better performance. In healthcare, research has linked engagement with greater…

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Developing effective leaders for the perioperative setting is typically one of the most challenging parts of a current leader’s role. It’s tempting to quickly plug leadership holes with whoever is at hand—even if the person’s leadership aptitude or abilities are lacking. But that approach usually leads to high turnover and…

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The loss of experienced nurse leaders to Baby Boomer retirement has been a concern for the past several years. A total of 17% of respondents to the 2017 OR Manager Salary/Career survey said they plan to retire sometime in 2018 to 2020, so grooming their successors should already be well…

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The average age of OR nurses is over 50 years, and for the past several years, healthcare organizations have been trying to groom the next group of nurse leaders. Many have had success with perioperative nurse internships. As part of succession planning at Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio, we…

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New leaders are at a premium in the perioperative setting, a fact that has been pushing organizations to explore innovative options to fill leadership gaps. Ideally, healthcare organizations should have a comprehensive program that integrates didactic instruction with mentorship to successfully build new nurse leaders. One example is the structured…

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No homeowners willingly allow a burglar to enter their home and steal their most valuable possessions. Instead, people put locks on doors, install alarm systems, build fences, or keep big dogs. The thieves may still get in, but deterrents like these will reduce the risk of a successful burglary. Ambulatory…

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