Editor's Note Substituting lower-wage staff for registered nurses leads to additional patient deaths, the Washington Post reported on June 15. The article focuses on a study published in the journal Medical Care, noting that the new research coincides with a nationwide shortage of RNs and “reports of widespread burnout.” Researchers…

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Editor's Note Surgeons and surgical trainees who are female or from minority racial or ethnic backgrounds report higher levels of negative emotions and self-doubt after adverse events, according to a recent study in JAMA Network Open. According to a June 5 report in MedPage Today, the single-site, mixed-methods study found…

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Editor's Note Healthcare executives expect the US nurse shortage to worsen, according to the 2024 Healthcare Executive Report from Incredible Health, a career marketplace for healthcare workers. Projected to reach 1 million by 2030, the shortage is exacerbating stress on current staff and compromising care quality, according to the company’s June…

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Editor's Note The state agency overseeing Oregon’s hospitals has received a “flood of complaints” due to a “first-of-its-kind” law mandating progressively stricter nurse and certified nursing assistant (CNA) staffing ratios, according to a June 7 report in KMTR.   Passed after extensive negotiations among hospital executives, staff, and nurse unions…

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Editor's Note AORN encourages perioperative leaders to speak up and reach out in honor of National Time Out Day, an annual recognition of the critical safety practice scheduled for June 12. The annual day of recognition draws attention to the need for everyone on the surgical team to pause before…

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Editor's Note Recognizing that perioperative leaders are busy people, we’ve extended the deadline to participate in the annual OR Manager Career/Salary survey—and we’re sweetening the incentives to include a free Premium Subscription to OR Manager.    Now open through June 7, this annual survey yields useful, actionable insights made possible…

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Editor's Note Colorado is the first state in naton to pass legislation regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in pivotal decision-making, including in healthcare, according to a May 22 report in Politico. The new law has sparked significant debate, according to the report, with some viewing it as a…

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Editor's Note Artificial intelligence (AI) threatens patient safety by undermining the judgment of human nurses, according to a survey by National Nurses United (NNU). “The findings, coupled with anecdotal reports from nurses at hospitals nationwide, underscore the urgent need for stricter regulation and greater input from nurses and health care…

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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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Takeaways Although women comprise half the population, they were left out of medical research on major causes of death for both women and men—cancer, heart disease, and stroke—until 1990. Using surgical tools designed by men, for men can impact every aspect of a woman surgeon’s work, from learning new procedures…

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