Leadership 
When Ayumi Fielden, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, CPAN, worked as a preceptor in a PACU nurse residency program for new graduate nurses, she realized quickly that something was missing. “The graduate nurses struggled because they were not yet comfortable with basic nursing skills, such as assessments and giving medications. They also…
Nationwide staffing shortages are causing significant strain on healthcare systems. Hospital leaders have to be creative with how to mitigate this challenge while still prioritizing patient care. Healthcare workers are essential, but labor costs are often the largest expenses for hospitals. Even before the pandemic, labor costs, including recruitment, retention,…
When making decisions about technology and equipment, there is a tendency to focus on immediate productivity increases—or perhaps, practical aspects such as carrying out an implementation or training staff. But here is another major issue: how to maintain OR equipment once the warranty runs out. This is more complex than…
Today’s chat is with Cynthia Hess, MSN, RN, FNP-C, RT(R)(CT)(ARRT), Director of Nursing, Northeast Missouri Ambulatory Surgery Center, Hannibal, MO. Q: What is something that went right at your facility and/or that you are thankful for this year? What I’m thankful for, hands down, is my staff. They take such…
I met Jim at one of our first West Coast OR Manager Conferences in San Francisco in the early 90s. He was a speaker that year, and we were seated at the same table at the Speaker’s Dinner. Jim was still in the Navy and was wearing his white uniform.…
Imagine this: As a nurse in the OR talks with a patient, a computer listens in, recording the nurse’s notes so that data are added automatically to be retrieved later. The surgeon and anesthesiologist also interact with the patient without the burden of manual data entry, and the insurance company…
Consider the following requests posed to OR scheduling staff by surgeons: • “I need two blocks in different rooms to accommodate my daily case volume.” • “Can’t I just use that empty room to start my next case while the first case is wrapping up?” Surgeon requests like these are…
Today’s chat is with Ayumi Fielden, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, CPAN, Professional Practice Leader, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas. Q: What is something that went right at your facility and/or that you are thankful for this year? We have a lot to be thankful for this year. We lost some surgical…
Today’s chat is with Casey Orth-Nebitt, MSN, RN, CNOR, Director of Surgery, Buena Vista Regional Medical Center, Storm Lake, Iowa. Q: What is something that went right at your facility and/or that you are thankful for this year? I'm always thankful for my staff, who have remained loyal, hardworking, and…
Today’s chat is with Tracy Hoeft-Hoffman, MSN, MBA, RN, CASC, Administrator, Heartland Surgery Center, Kearney, Nebraska. Q: What is something that went right at your facility and/or that you are thankful for this year? What has gone right this year and makes our center so successful every year is the…
