Editor's Note No single key retention strategy solves the issue of keeping older nurses in the workplace but, rather, a multifaceted approach is necessary, this study finds. An exploratory study was conducted at a 730-bed teaching hospital in northeast Ohio using four focus groups of staff nurses−three groups consisted of…

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The pace of increased surgical volume has slowed, but continues to trend upward, according to the 2017 annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. The volume of surgical procedures in the past 12 months increased for 43% of respondents, the same as in 2015, but was down from the 51% reported last…

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Hiring experienced staff remains a challenge for leaders in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) even as many organizations increase case volume and specialties, according to the 2017 annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. More than two-thirds (67%) of respondents said that recruiting experienced RNs had become more difficult in the past 12…

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Generational diversity issues in the workplace have never been more present or more complex. As many as six generations are now working side by side, and a great generational shift is underway. At one end of the spectrum, the workforce is aging, while at the other end, it is getting…

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Leaders seeking competent staff for the OR are increasingly training their own. These internal programs, typically targeted toward both new graduates and nurses without previous OR experience, require planning, organization, and follow-through. “You need to integrate the didactic with the clinical setting,” says Ellen Lord, MS, RN, CNOR, a perioperative…

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Editor's Note Hospital employment rose 0.15% in May to a seasonally adjusted 5,104,400 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on June 2. This is 7,400 more employees than in April and 95,500 more than a year ago. The nation’s unemployment rate fell by 0.1% in May to 4.3%.…

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What’s the best strategy for OR leaders to boost productivity, reduce costs, and, most important, provide excellent patient care? Ensure staff are engaged. Staff engagement has become something of a buzzword in healthcare, but for good reason. “Employee engagement is the bull’s-eye on the target of providing excellent patient care,”…

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Editor's Note New studies of census, earnings, and retirement data show that women’s career paths are more closely mirroring men’s, including an increasing tendency to work full-time into their 60 and 70s, the February 11 New York Times reports. About 30% of women aged 65 to 69 are working, which…

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Editor's Note The Advanced medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) in a February 8 press release linked medical technology job losses to the Affordable Care Act’s medical device tax. The US medical technology industry lost nearly 29,000 (7.2%) jobs from 2012 to 2015 while the 2.3% medical device tax was in effect,…

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Editor's Note This study led by Linda H. Aiken, PhD, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, finds that employment of more nurse assistants relative to the number of professional nurses in hospitals is associated with higher mortality and lower quality of care. Every 10-point increase in the percentage of…

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