This relationship started with a conversation in an airport bar in Washington DC. We were discussing our similar cardiac surgery backgrounds and the Denver Bronco’s linebacker, Karl Mecklenburg, who, coincidently, was the son of a surgeon with whom she had worked. This conversation has grown into more than 35 years…
It has been a roller coaster of a ride for almost 2 years now in both our private and professional lives. No one has a crystal ball, but I would guess that there will be more bumps in the road before we arrive at something close to normal—whatever normal will…
After the 2021 OR Manager Conference (ORMC), OR Manager sat down with ORMC award recipients Mary Anne Douglas, executive director of Surgical Operations at Intermountain Healthcare; Patrel Nobles, clinical director of Cardiac Surgery Operating Room at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus; Janet Quigley, nursing director, PostAnesthesia Care, at Massachusetts General Hospital;…
Last year saw healthcare professionals grapple with unimaginable challenges. For perioperative nurses in particular, a pressing issue was and continues to be staffing. This is a topic that is brought up time and again—in conversations, meetings, events, and everything in between. Questions that most OR managers are still considering include:…
After more than a year in hiatus, OR Manager Conference was held in October 2021 in Chicago, bringing together hundreds of attendees, speakers, and exhibitors. After the live conference, OR Manager sat down with Cindy Kildgore, education coordinator for the OR Manager Conference; Amy Bethel, education coordinator for the OR…
Health systems across the country are enacting COVID-19 mandates to comply with a broad-sweeping federal requirement. Amid reports of high compliance rates, the mandate has triggered passionate and visceral responses on both sides of the debate. While some healthcare employees are eager to roll up their sleeves, others decry the…
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…
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…
Bullying is a serious problem seen in all aspects of life—at home, in school, and in the workplace. Anyone can be a bully, but bullying is often carried out by those who are threatened by or view themselves as superior to others. However, the younger generations, who are slowly taking…