Training and retaining skilled PACU nurses
When Ayumi Fielden, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, CPAN, worked as a preceptor in a PACU nurse residency program for new graduate nurses, she realized quickly that something was missing. “The graduate nurses struggled because they were not yet comfortable with basic nursing skills, such as assessments and giving medications. They also…
Prepare for DEA inspections, controlled substances oversight
The headlines are attention grabbing: hospitals forced to pay millions of dollars after employees were found to have stolen opioids and other controlled substances. After being discovered and investigated by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the agents uncovered a number of issues: poor record-keeping, inventory, tracking, and other failures that…
OR Manager Conference Program Committee Meets to Construct 2023 Agenda
The OR Manager Conference will take place September 18–20, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee, at Music City Center. The Program Committee overseeing the OR Manager Conference met recently to develop the 2023 conference program. At the meeting, committee members focused on developing hot topics and recruiting new speakers not seen at…
Pediatric patients benefit from calming, quiet OR environment
Takeaways • Children are not small adults. Greater attention should be paid to their fears and anxiety, and equipment and medication should be tailored to meet their needs. • All staff should have Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification. • ASCs can use toys and games as distractions to ease…
Making real change: How nurse leaders can collaborate with legislators
Takeaways • OR nurse leaders are becoming a force in healthcare legislation. • Legislators value nursing expertise and want to collaborate with nurses on healthcare legislation. • It is easier than expected to get involved with legislation to improve patient safety, support staff, and optimize the workplace. Tracy Hoeft-Hoffman, MSN,…
Editorial
For healthcare, and for hospitals and health systems especially, 2022 was one of the years with the worst financial performance seen in decades. Monthly reports throughout last year depicted rising costs, mostly exacerbated by the crippling staff shortages and a reliance on more expensive contract staff, and diminished profit margins.…
Managing labor costs in a time of staffing shortages
Nationwide staffing shortages are causing significant strain on healthcare systems. Hospital leaders have to be creative with how to mitigate this challenge while still prioritizing patient care. Healthcare workers are essential, but labor costs are often the largest expenses for hospitals. Even before the pandemic, labor costs, including recruitment, retention,…
Assessing options for post-warranty equipment maintenance
When making decisions about technology and equipment, there is a tendency to focus on immediate productivity increases—or perhaps, practical aspects such as carrying out an implementation or training staff. But here is another major issue: how to maintain OR equipment once the warranty runs out. This is more complex than…
Free Daily News
- Study: Excessive nurse overtime, agency staffing harm patients
- Commentary: Technology no substitute for cadaver-based medical education
- Study: Early-stage breast cancer surgery may not be necessary after chemo, radiation
- Experimental brain implant translates thoughts to speech
- Nurses deem flexible, transparent scheduling key to satisfaction, retention
- OR Manager 2025 Career/Salary Survey offers opportunities to learn, give back
- The Joint Commission revises volume criteria for cardiac, stroke certifications
- Pulse oximetry monitoring at home found to save lives of high-risk opioid surgery patients
- New data suggest same-day discharge is safe for joint replacement patients with atrial fibrillation
- FBI investigates as Oracle health data breach exposes patient information
Career Center
- PEDIATRIC CARDIAC SURGEON - Stanford University, School of Medicine - Honolulu, HI
- CARDIOTHORACIC SURGEON STANFORD MEDICINE - Stanford University, School of Medicine - Corvallis, OR
- Tampa Vascular Surgeon - Vein ans Vascular Institute - Tampa, FL
- Congenital Cardiac Surgeon Clinical Instructor - Stanford University, School of Medicine - Oakland, CA