Maintaining a strong relationship with the hospital CEO has always been important for an OR leader. In the coming year, good relations with the executive suite will be critical. Hospital executives are under greater pressure now than at any time in the last 30 years. Changes in the healthcare market…
Letters nominating Pamela Smith, BSN, RN, CNOR, as the 2013 OR Manager of the Year described her as a leader who has supported her staff and their decisions, an advocate for education, and a clinical manager who “drives quality and efficiency while balancing high patient and staff satisfaction scores.” Smith,…
Surgical services is endowed with a large number of senior nurse leaders. The average age of perioperative nursing managers and directors is 55, and on average, they have been in nursing 30.5 years, according to the 2012 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. Nearly half plan to retire by 2020. As ORs…
It had been a busy morning in the OR at Moore Medical Center in Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20. By 3 pm, the surgery patients had left the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) and gone home. PACU nurses Debra Breshears, RN, and Barbra Barrow, RN, were getting ready to leave when…
Ten Elements of Safer Surgery. First in a series. What’s the essential ingredient for an OR to run safely and effectively? Many would sum it up with one word—leadership, followed closely by collaboration. An OR led by a strong team from surgery, nursing, and anesthesia backed by the hospital’s…
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…