Does your hospital have advanced practice RNs (APRNs) who want to assist in surgery? Are your perioperative nurses, including RN first assistants, interested in advanced practice? Here are things to know about this developing role.   What is an APRN? The APRN is a direct patient care role that requires…

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Nearly two-thirds (60%) of employees who leave a position do so because of their relationship with their direct supervisor, according to the Studer Group, a health care consulting organization. “Satisfaction is about relationship,” says Marcus Erb, senior research partner at the Great Place to Work Institute, which helps organizations become…

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The average age of a perioperative nurse is higher than the average of 47 for nurses overall. That makes retaining older nurses a critical need for OR managers. The immediate problem has subsided in recent years because of the poor economy. Still, “We’re concerned that as soon as the economy…

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Medicare’s inpatient prospective payment rule for fiscal year 2013 updates payment rates and adds to quality initiatives like value-based purchasing (VBP) and quality reporting. The rule issued August 1, 2012, takes effect October 1, 2012. Here are the highlights.   Payment rates Inpatient payment rates will increase by 2.8% for…

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Like their older, larger, and sicker fellow patients, children can be candidates for outpatient surgery, and some ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) opt to specialize in treating the younger set. There is more to expanding an ASC’s patient base to pediatrics than putting a few toys in the waiting room (although…

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Nurse burnout is linked to infection rates Nurse burnout leads to higher health care-associated infection rates and costs hospitals millions of dollars annually, new research finds. The study of more than 7,000 RNs in 161 Pennsylvania hospitals found more than one-third were suffering from burnout. Multivariate analysis showed a significant…

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An orientee comes to you in tears saying a couple of tenured nurses have snapped at her or huffed impatiently when she asked a question. Several other staff have met with you individually about conflict and hurtful comments they say are happening on one of the specialty teams. You already…

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Is this specimen fresh or frozen? Is it routine, or does it require a lung protocol? Does it go to the frozen section lab or the microbiology department? Proper labeling and handling of surgical specimens are critical to reduce the risk of misdiagnosis and the need for repeat surgery. Decreasing…

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