Editor's Note In this meta-analysis, Mayo Clinic researchers identify solutions that are being used to prevent or lessen physician burnout. Effective individual-focused strategies include mindfulness training, stress management training, and small group sessions. Organizational changes include limiting physician duty hours and a range of care delivery process changes in hospitals…

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Editor's Note Despite significant challenges in their careers, cardiothoracic surgeons report a very high level of job satisfaction in a survey published online September 13 in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons reports. The 63-question survey was administered to more than 4,300 members of the Society…

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Editor's Note Nearly 5,000 Minnesota nurses are on strike after contract talks broke down, the September 5 Modern Healthcare reports.  The walkout at five Minneapolis-St Paul hospitals began Monday, September 5, at 7 am. The main issues of the negotiations include health insurance, workplace safety, and staffing. Allina Health says it…

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OR leaders face an increasing number of stresses, ranging from pressure to trim already lean budgets to searching for staff who could potentially replace them as they contemplate retirement. At the same time, OR leaders’ salaries remain flat, according to results from the 2016 annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. Respondents…

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Leaders in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are seeing little to no growth in salary, even through most are experiencing higher surgical volumes, according to the OR Manager 2016 Salary/Career Survey. The average annual salary was $104,721, slightly more than the $102,051 in 2015, but the average total compensation was down…

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Editor's Note A survey of general surgery residents in the US finds high rates of burnout. Of 665 residents surveyed, 69% met the criterion for burnout in at least one of three subscales. Higher rates of burnout on each subscale were reported by residents planning private practice compared with academic…

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Editor's Note To relieve work stress, two nurses at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia helped engineer the hospital’s first Paws for Pennsy event, the July 22 Nurse.Com reports. Nurses and other hospital staff were invited to cuddle, pet, and enjoy the antics of dogs and cats and get much-needed tension relief. About…

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New ideas and a renewed sense of purpose are two things OR Manager Conference attendees can expect to take home from each year’s gathering. Those who listen to Jody Urquhart will also return to their ORs armed with ways to inspire and engage their staffs. Urquhart, author of All Work…

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Personal wearable technology, which covers the gamut from activity trackers such as Fitbit to e-textiles that monitor vital signs, have the potential to revolutionize healthcare. Like most innovations, however, the technology comes with risks. For OR leaders, those risks include possible security breaches, distractions, and violation of patient privacy and…

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Much has been written about projected nursing shortages and the difficulty of recruiting and retaining nurses. With few options for structured education specifically geared toward the OR, and pending retirements of many perioperative services leaders, most healthcare facilities are relying on staff—which may or may not include a nurse educator—to…

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