All leaders at some point in their careers should find ways to reward and recognize their staff. But what most leaders fail to grasp is, the heart behind the reward is immediately apparent and matters almost as much as the reward itself. Stuart Downs, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, CPHQ, FACHE,…

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COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on nurses and other frontline healthcare workers. Just about everyone has been affected by shortages of basic supplies like personal protective equipment (PPE), syringes, and IV tubing, and staffing issues are even more concerning, says Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH, president and CEO of Ofstead…

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Staffing and labor costs have been consuming the thoughts of managers at all levels of leadership. Since the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated work conditions and safety concerns, healthcare leaders have had to deal with an unprecedented number of resignations and increased turnover with the rise of travel nursing. Calls for greater…

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Concerns about the pipeline of OR nurses existed long before COVID-19, but the pandemic has heightened these concerns. Many nurses plan to exit the profession in the next few years (sidebar, Workforce outlook). Unfortunately, the pipeline of replacement nurses is nearly dry as student experiences in the OR have been…

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The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) released the updated ANSI/AAMI ST91:2021 Flexible and semi-rigid endoscope processing in healthcare facilities. The revised version reflects current research and advancements in flexible endoscope processing. What follows is an abbreviated summary of some of the key revisions and additions. Future columns…

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Perioperative nursing was the first recognized nursing specialty in the late 1800s. Modern education and training of nurses entering the specialty is still like this early period. Orientation is heavily reliant on workplace training and precepted learning experience. However, these long-standing methods have not been rigorously studied for effectiveness. The…

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While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve with impacts shifting over time, some of the changes it brought to healthcare—specifically the OR—may be permanent. One trend it accelerated: the rise in new ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), which specialize in elective or same-day outpatient surgical procedures. While this trend was largely…

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Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) rely on OR staff to clean the room during turnovers, sometimes contracting with outside firms to do terminal cleaning. As COVID-19 brings renewed attention to disinfection methods, ASC administrators may ask: What are the best methods to keep OR rooms clean? Since the pandemic began, the…

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