Editor's Note Although women are underrepresented in high-compensation medical specialties, new research shows a significant increase in female applicants and matriculants to surgical specialties specifically. Published September 30 in JAMA Network, the study found that the proportion of women entering high-compensation surgical specialties rose from 28.8% to 42.4%. In contrast,…

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Editor's Note A recent study challenges the claim that 50% of orthopedic surgeons leave their first job within two years, finding that only 5.7% of surgeons actually switch practices during that period, according to an October 10 report in Healio. The study, published by orthopedic researchers, analyzed data from 3,784…

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Editor's Note Research published in the American Journal of Infection Control finds that inadequate infection prevention and control (IP) staffing is associated with higher rates of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), including central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), Clostridioides difficile infections, and colon surgical site infections.  Medical Xpress…

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Editor's Note AI and machine learning (ML) models show significant promise in enhancing preoperative estimates of surgical control time (SCT), which are frequently wrong, according to a study published September 10 in Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management. The longitudinal study examined differences between predicted and actual SCTs, broken down…

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Editor's Note Nurse managers with strong leadership competencies indirectly improve frontline nurse retention by enhancing the work environment, according to research published in the October issue of the Journal of Nursing Administration. Researchers analyzed data from 248 units across 43 hospitals in 20 states, seeking correlations between NM competencies, nurse…

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Editor's Note Healthcare employment in the US rose by 45,000 from September to October, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), released October 4. That is compared to an overall monthly gain of 254,000 in August and below  the average monthly gain of 57,000 over…

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Editor's Note Beth Chrismer, MSN, RN, CPHRM, former director of clinical excellence at CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Health System, shared insights into a tragic workplace violence incident that occurred in 2013 at a Texas ambulatory surgery center (ASC) at last year’s OR Manager Conference. Chrismer was risk manager at the time…

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Many are quick to blame travelers for the poor state of hospital finances. However, isn’t there a difference between a traveler in the OR—an interim staff member in the hospital’s profit center—and an interim RN in an area financially supported by OR profits? What about the argument that travelers can…

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For many healthcare facilities, operational costs are steadily rising, and no clearcut solution is in sight. However, some hospital systems are gradually reclaiming control over their budgets by finding ways to stabilize their finances and improve workforce morale. During the pandemic, many hospitals turned to short-term contract labor as a…

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Takeaways Providers are generally seeking to reduce use of travelers through strategies such as float pools, training programs, and cultural reforms. However, travelers remain useful as a bridge to permanent staff and for difficult-to-fill positions. Best practices for selection, onboarding, team integration, and performance evaluation are essential for maximizing return…

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