Older nurses: A resource too valuable to lose
The average age of a perioperative nurse is higher than the average of 47 for nurses overall. That makes retaining older nurses a critical need for OR managers. The immediate problem has subsided in recent years because of the poor economy. Still, “We’re concerned that as soon as the economy…
Medicare rules allow broader use of nonphysicians
Hospitals now have the flexibility under federal law to include practitioners other than physicians on their medical staffs. That’s one provision of Medicare’s revised Conditions of Participation (COP) for hospitals and critical access hospitals, which take effect July 16, 2012. The revision is the first major overhaul of the COPs…
Planning and staffing a hybrid OR
"Building hybrid rooms is building for the future," says Nicholas D. Troeleman, RNFA, director of perioperative services at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), Baltimore. "Having hybrid rooms in a research setting like the University of Maryland gives physician researchers the ability to develop new techniques and build on…
Surgical scheduling: Taking an important role to the next level
Wanted: Operating Room Scheduler. Salary $33,000. Operating room schedulers reserve space for each surgical procedure in a hospital or ambulatory surgery facility. They determine how long a procedure will take and what staff is necessary. OR schedulers work with anesthesiologists to assign one for each procedure, as well as OR…
Twelve-hour shifts: Is it time to look for a better alternative?
In this issue: A nursing professor challenges nurse leaders to seek alternatives to 12-hour shifts, page 15. Read results of OR Manager's online survey on 12-hour shifts, page 17. Twelve-hour shifts are popular. Many nurses like working 3 12-hour days and having 4 days off. The extended shifts also help…
Specialty staff versus generalists: How do ORs strike the balance?
In the middle of the night, a patient arrives with a leaking abdominal aortic aneurysm, and the surgeon wants to insert an endograft. Or a patient arrives with a major pelvic fracture. Another patient needs an image-guided craniotomy. Who will answer the call? In an ideal world, specialized teams for…
OR analyst: A support for periop leaders
Perioperative directors have seen their jobs expand, with growing demands for financial analysis, operational efficiency, and quality monitoring. To help provide support, HCA Inc, one of the nation's largest health care providers, developed the role of OR analyst. It's estimated more than 50% of HCA's 173 hospitals now have such…
Who's going to take your place? Developing a plan for succession
The average OR nurse manager is 51. Do you know where your replacement is? Though a lot of attention has been focused on the nursing shortage, not as much has been paid to the pending shortage of managers. By 2010, about 20% of current nurse leaders plan to retire, and…
Family & Medical Leave Act and OR staffing
OR managers are raising questions about the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). They say they try to be sympathetic to the needs of employees that the act is supposed to alleviate, but the prolonged leaves can cause staffing problems. Questions focus on the privacy requirements of the act.…
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