Editor's Note Male nurses earn approximately $6,000 more annually than female nurses, despite representing only about 10% of registered nurses, according to Nurse.com’s 2024 Nurse Salary and Work-Life Report. Becker’s Clinical Leadership covered the news July 11. According to the article, the pay disparity reflects broader societal gender pay gaps.…

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Editor's Note What better way to advocate for perioperative nursing than spotlighting and celebrating exceptional leadership at a gathering of the entire industry? Our annual OR Manager Awards—OR Manager of the Year, PACU Leader of the Year, and Ambulatory Nurse Leader of the Year—aim to do just that, but time…

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For me, the answer is easy. For 25 years I have consistently said, “I’ve never nursed an OR a day in my life; it’s always been the patients.” As perioperative nurses, what we do is about more than where we work. Why is it that 25 years after the Association…

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Competency assessment in perioperative nursing—and American healthcare in general—is a story of unrealized potential. Particularly in the wake of the pandemic, staffing shortfalls and financial pressures have made focusing on staff development difficult for nurse leaders. Nonetheless, the argument for investing more in professional development and competency has never been…

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Takeaways Meeting people where they are is a basic principle of staff development. Coaching and mentoring are fundamental to employee development, but new managers should understand the difference. Resources for staff development include education, certification, clinical ladders, committee work, and professional networking. Transitioning to leadership involves many competing pressures, but…

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Editor's Note Inspired by a leader in the postanesthesia care department (PACU)? Here’s a chance to provide well-deserved recognition from the entire perioperative community. Whether in an outpatient setting or a hospital, ensuring successful surgery requires attention to more than what happens in the OR. That’s why OR Manager’s annual…

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Takeaways Research shows that there are high nurse burnout rates from systemic workplace issues, including unmanageable case-loads, poor communication, excessive administrative burdens and an overall lack of care. Nurse wellness programs—including resilience training, peer-to-peer counseling, and meditation—are critical, because of high exposure to trauma and suffering, but these efforts need…

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Editor's Note:  A new survey from the American Organization for Nursing Leadership Foundation found that 12% of nurse leaders are planning to leave their position in the next six months, underscoring the ongoing issues of nurse retention and burnout post-pandemic. The five-part longitudinal study, which began in 2020, explores the…

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Takeaways • Failure to understand the complexity of the work performed in the sterile processing department (SPD) can lead to staff shortages, errors, and significant financial loss. • Strategies for addressing SPD staffing include effective orientation, certification, competency assessment, analyzing staffing needs, and leader visibility. • SPD schedules should reflect…

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Emerging from the thick of the pandemic has been tough for OR managers and clinicians, between rampant healthcare industry burnout and other challenges. Yet the winners of this year’s OR Manager leadership awards, presented at the OR Manager Conference, are proving that the right combination of hard work, empathy, and…

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