Not all staff nurses can or want to be managers,” says Judith Mercado, RN, CNOR, nursing service director for perioperative and maternal child health services for Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. “Informal leaders stand out; they are the superstars of the group.” Identifying those leaders and mentoring them into…
Perioperative nursing is facing a leadership crisis. Though 9 in 10 perioperative nurse leaders think a smooth succession is critical when they retire, they worry about who will take these positions. Most think the scope of their roles needs to be re-evaluated to attract younger RNs, a new OR Manager…
First article in a 2-part series. Management should be the job people aspire to, says John Olmstead, MBS, RN, CNOR, FACHE, director of surgical services and emergency department at The Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana. “In too many hospitals, it’s the hot potato. People say, ‘I wouldn’t want to…
Attendance set a new record high, and excitement filled Caesars Palace in Las Vegas as perioperative nurse leaders gathered to celebrate 25 years of the OR Manager Conference held October 24 to 26, 2012. At the silver anniversary event, 1242 attendees discussed posters with their presenters, networked with colleagues and…
Serious barriers—including resistance from nursing leaders—are keeping nurses from adopting evidence-based practices that could improve nursing outcomes, finds a survey of more than 1,000 RNs. Leader and manager resistance was ranked among the top barriers along with politics and organizational cultures. Asked what would help, respondents named education, access to…
With all that managers have to balance—schedules, meetings, staff, reports, and shrinking resources, not to mention home, family, and school—who has time to think about being funny? Humor may be more valuable than you imagine, not only in dealing with stress but also in being a better manager. Humor is…
We all think we are good at multitasking—but we're really not. A good way to enhance decision-making is to sleep on it. Exercise boosts brain power and could stave off Alzheimer's. These are a few of 12 "brain rules" laid out by writer John Medina in his fascinating book of…
Two hospitals, both recognized nationally for their strong performance on patient outcome and financial measures, describe their approaches to OR governance. Leadership triad provides a strong base for safety Regions Hospital St Paul, Minnesota Level 1 trauma center with 17 ORs and an ambulatory surgery center As Regions Hospital moved…
When did the health care crisis get to be a crisis? Was it last year with the capital crunch and reimbursement cutbacks? Was it the evolution of managed care and corporate medicine? Does it go back to when Medicare was established? What would Florence Nightingale say about the health care…
An engaged workforce is more important than ever in the hard economic times facing OR managers and their facilities, says Jo Manion, RN, PhD, FAAN, NEA-BC, an author and management consultant. "A positive manager asks, 'How can we use this challenge?'" Manion told OR Manager in a June interview. Her…