The call for a diverse workforce echoes in ORs across the US. Although most OR leaders want to answer the call, they struggle in an environment where OR staff, particularly nurses, are in high demand. OR Manager recently spoke with experts from leadership, human resources, and DEI (diversity, equity, and…
This issue of OR Manager draws on content presented at both the 2021 OR Business Management and OR Manager Conferences. After more than a year, the OR Manager community came together to network, learn, and share knowledge as well as celebrate each other’s efforts from such a challenging year. The…
Lessons on leadership are the staple of any leadership-focused conference; but no conference presents leadership lessons tailored to the OR community quite like the OR Business Management Conference. After a 19-month hiatus, the OR Business Management Conference brought perioperative managers and administrators back together in what was described as an…
The new year is just around the corner, and it will bring new challenges for OR leaders as well as fresh opportunities to improve clinical, financial, and operational performance. The typical surgery department is a “target-rich environment”: low utilization, long turnover times, inefficient charge capture, poor documentation, high supply costs,…
Over the past year, job satisfaction of OR leaders as well as staff and physician engagement have all eroded, according to the 2021 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. Although more than two-thirds (67%) of respondents rate their current jobs or positions favorably, that is down from the 77% seen in 2020…
Even as vaccination rates rise, COVID-19 continues its grip on the healthcare system and nurses are feeling the consequences, including staffing challenges that have prompted a renewed focus on retention. Scars left by the pandemic will complicate retention efforts. “The pandemic has made things much worse, not only for the…
Mary Anne Douglas, MS, RN, CNOR, the 2021 OR Manager of the Year, has a daily routine: she spends about 15 to 20 minutes every morning catching up on pandemic- and healthcare-related news that might help her stay dynamic and innovative in her field. Evidence of her inspired work is…
Consistency is the word that comes to mind when reviewing results from the 2021 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) reported that salary, satisfaction, and the number of employees supervised were comparable to metrics reported in 2020. The good news is that…
Responses to the 2021 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey indicate that OR leaders continue to face significant challenges as a result of COVID-19. The survey results come at a time when the buffeting waves of the pandemic are receding for some leaders, leaving them on the shoreline of a post-pandemic world.…
Protecting healthcare staff from physical and verbal abuse has always been a part of nurse leaders’ responsibilities, but the increase in workplace violence (WPV) since the start of COVID-19 has made that even more challenging than in the past. In the first article of this two-part series, OR Manager looked…