Competency matrix modeled on ski trail difficulty validates staff skills at Vail center
Surgeon concerns about staff competency and high turnover of surgical technologists at Vail Valley Medical Center (VVMC), Vail, Colorado, prompted the development of a staffing skills competency matrix. VVMC is a community hospital with 4 rooms in its main OR, 4 rooms in its adjoining surgery center, and 4 rooms…
Editorial
By 2020, 80% of RNs should have a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree, according to recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2010. Responses to the 2013 OR Manager Annual Salary/Career Survey showed that almost half of OR directors and managers have a master’s degree and…
Innovative nurse training program bolsters interest in OR career
Like most OR leaders, Doug Robinson, BSN, RN, CNOR, manager of the Roberts Operating Rooms at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, wants a steady supply of OR nurses. Robinson has reached back to his own student experience to develop a program that gives students OR exposure, with the intent…
Wisdom, inspiration, and passion capture spirit of annual conference
Perioperative nurse leaders from across the US and other countries packed the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor, Maryland, to participate in the 26th annual OR Manager Conference held September 23 to 25. Approximately 1,000 attendees heard a wide range of talks, met with poster presenters, networked…
Editorial
Last month we shared a positive view of the impact of health care reform on nursing. Kathleen Sanford, DBA, RN, CENP, FACHE, who will speak at the OR Manager Conference in September, said more emphasis on keeping people well will offer “an opportunity for clinical staff to make a difference”…
Initiative: Greater role for nursing
Nurses need to be able to practice to the full extent of their skill and education to meet the nation's health care needs, a national panel announced. Results of the 2-year Initiative on the Future of Nursing by the Institute of Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation were rolled…
Considering robotics? Plan for a program, not just procedures
Robotic surgery has become part of the OR landscape, partly driven by marketing, as competing hospitals purchase robots and advertise them to consumers eager for the latest technology. "It's definitely a consumer-driven health care offering," says Lynda Petty, RN, director of perioperative education, policy, and process improvement at The Ohio…
Simulation labs aid OR staff education
OR assistants needed more practice handling microscopes and laparoscopes. OR teams wanted to brush up on trauma skills. New nursing staff and medical students needed a realistic environment to practice scrubbing, gowning, and gloving. At Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, they go to the Center for Medical Education and…
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