Editor's Note A nurse’s ability to provide optimal patient care is influenced by a variety of factors, not just nurse to patient ratios, this study finds. In this study of 136 neonatal intensive care nurses caring for 418 infants during 332 12-hour shifts, subjective workload was the one variable that…
Editor's Note The Massachusetts ballot Question 1 that would have set strict limits on the number of hospital patients a nurse could care for at one time went down in defeat on November 6, the November 7 Boston Globe reports. Hospitals spent nearly $25 million to defeat the measure, more…
Editor's Note Survey data from thousands of nurses and patients shows that patient safety remains a serious concern and that failure to improve hospital work environments may be hampering progress, finds this study by Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Of 53,644…
Editor's Note US hospitals added 13,000 jobs in October to a seasonally adjusted 5,216,100, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on November 2. That is up 106,900 more employees than a year ago. Overall, healthcare employment has increased 322,500 in the past year. The overall unemployment rate is 3.7%, matching…
Today’s perioperative services staff consist of multiple generations with different backgrounds and communication styles. Nurse leaders must consider such differences, not only for recruitment and retention purposes but also for developing bonds with bosses who are not from their own generation—because they will have their own unique leadership styles. “Each…
Editor's Note Massachusetts voters in November will determine whether mandated nurse-to-patient staffing ratios will go into effect January 1, 2019, the October 3 SFGate reports. Implementing the ratios could cost providers $676 million to $949 million per year, according to an analysis by an independent state agency. A union representing…
A steady stream of changes and upheaval, ranging from increased use of bundled payments for reimbursement to the pressure of filling open positions with qualified staff, are affecting OR managers’ ability to be successful. Despite the challenges, more than two-thirds (67%) are satisfied with their jobs or positions, according to…
Leaders of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are less satisfied than they were a year ago, according to the OR Manager 2018 Salary/Career Survey. In 2017, 83% were satisfied with their current job or position, compared with 77% this year. Other areas where satisfaction dipped by five percentage points or more…
We asked some top ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders, including members of OR Manager’s Editorial Advisory Board, to identify the top challenges ASC leaders are facing. Here are their responses. We believe you will see some of your own challenges reflected in their comments. Mary Stewart, MSN, BSN, RN…
Editor's Note Just as it was with Boomers, empowerment is a popular desire among Millennials, but organizations need to know they can’t just talk about empowerment as they did in the past, they actually have to empower Millennials, according to Steve Keating in the August 30 LeadToday.com. Millennials aren’t fooled…