Editor's Note On March 1, the American Hospital Association (AHA) submitted a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee urging Congress to consider and address the challenges the healthcare workforce is currently facing. As healthcare workers enter the third year of the pandemic, AHA likened current challenges to “a…
Editor's Note This study by researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, finds that small respiratory particles can remain moist and airborne for a longer time and greater distance than scientists have recognized. The researchers found that mucus shells surrounding respiratory droplets--emitted from the…
What happens to you when you become a new manager? “You become a jack of all trades and master of none. You need to practice true collaboration and rely upon your team members,” says Allan Sendaydiego, BSN, RN, interim director for anesthesia and interventional radiology at Kaiser Permanente. In this…
Editor's Note Incidental COVID-19—when patients are admitted to the hospital for something other than COVID-19 but test positive for the virus during their stay—is a reality for most, if not all, hospitals. However, a Becker’s study finds that the frequency of incidental COVID-19 cases is particularly challenging for hospital staff…
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…