Editor's Note Medscape’s 2021 Nurse Career Satisfaction Report, published December 29, 2021, found that the COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for the burnout of 20% of respondents, according to the January 3, 2022, Becker’s Hosptial Review. The survey of 10,788 nurses in various positions (ie, RNs, LPNs, APRNs) found the following:…

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After more than a year in hiatus, OR Manager Conference was held in October 2021 in Chicago, bringing together hundreds of attendees, speakers, and exhibitors. After the live conference, OR Manager sat down with Cindy Kildgore, education coordinator for the OR Manager Conference; Amy Bethel, education coordinator for the OR…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers from Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, finds that healthcare workers (HCWs) had significant changes in their personal and professional lives during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, before the availability of vaccines. Findings from this analysis of 1,344 HCWs (ie, nurses,…

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Perioperative services leaders have their hands full with a range of pressing issues, from the return of elective case cancellations to new struggles with staff turnover. However, an even bigger problem is flying under the radar for many hospitals—impending changes in the market for anesthesiology services. Several factors are coming…

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Editor's Note This study led by nurse researcher Linda H. Aiken, PhD, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, finds that having more nurse practitioners (NPs) in hospitals has favorable effects on patients, staff, and efficiency—adding value to labor resources. Data on 579 hospitals gleaned from nurse, patient,…

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Responses to the 2021 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey indicate that OR leaders continue to face significant challenges as a result of COVID-19. The survey results come at a time when the buffeting waves of the pandemic are receding for some leaders, leaving them on the shoreline of a post-pandemic world.…

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First assistants (FAs) can play an important role in achieving optimal outcomes and higher surgical case volumes. Part 1 of this two-part series discussed types, education, and certification of FAs (OR Manager, May 2021, pp 1, 15-18). Part 2 answers questions related to risk management and oversight, and discusses possible…

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Non-physician surgical first assistants (FAs) perform a variety of tasks—everything from closing an incision and inserting drains to harvesting veins for bypass procedures and preparing anterior cruciate ligament grafts. A significant benefit of FAs is shorter case times, which may help reduce patient morbidity and mortality and increase case volumes.…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on December 1 released its 2021 final rule for the Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS), which expands telehealth services and increases payments for primary care and chronic disease management. The rule also reduces payments for surgeons, emergency physicians, and other…

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Release of the National Academy of Medicine’s (NAM) report, Future of Nursing 2020-2030, has been delayed until spring 2021. The report is expected to address “newly emerging evidence related to the COVID-19 global pandemic and include recommendations regarding the role of nurses in responding to the crisis,” according to the…

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