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…

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With the rising numbers of staff shortages, early retirements, and employee dismissals, many OR staff are finding themselves taking up managerial positions with short preparation times and little support. That was a recurring theme discussed with the New Manager Panel at the 2021 OR Manager Conference—attendees shared some of their…

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Prior to the advent of nurses in operational leadership roles, operational decisions in healthcare were made by financial and business executives, as well as physicians, without full and adequate input from nursing. Today, nurses have earned their place at the management table as a vital part of the outcomes of…

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Editor's Note Reducing OR time availability at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, Pittsburgh, by 15% helped address a 30% staffing shortage caused by COVID-19, according to a study presented January 29 at the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ ADVANCE 2022, the Anesthesiology Business Event in Dallas. A five-phase approach was used, which included:…

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Editor's Note Artificial intelligence (AI)-based scheduling significantly improved physician engagement and reduced burnout, in this study presented by Ochsner Health researchers, January 28, at the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ ADVANCE 2022, the Anesthesiology Business Event, in Dallas. The AI-based scheduling software, which created fair and flexible schedules that supported work-life…

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Editor's Note On January 25, 2022, the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing released the results from a survey of more than 5,600 nurses, which were published by the American Nurses Association (ANA). According to the results, racism is a “substantial problem” within nursing. Health Leaders, in an article…

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Editor's Note A recent survey by McKinsey & Company finds that more than 30% of US nurses are thinking of leaving direct patient care for other roles. Reasons cited by nurses for leaving, include: ongoing demands of the COVID-19 pandemic hiring and retention incentives at other workplaces desire for support…

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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…

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The idea for a series on what I call the “Humble giants of leadership” came to me a couple of years ago. I wanted to present the management approaches of top leaders from around the country and describe the qualities that made them exemplary leaders. My articles are intended to…

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Having a “Battle Buddy” has helped US Army soldiers maintain resilience for years, and now the practice has been adopted to help healthcare workers at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis deal with COVID-19-related stress. A multidisciplinary team from the University of Minnesota’s department of anesthesiology and department…

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