Leadership 
With all the factors involved in optimizing OR utilization, assigning OR slots is a complex proposition. When you consider that the average cost to run a fully equipped OR is now at approximately $1,000 per hour in staff and equipment costs, it is more important than ever for hospitals to…
Paula Graling, DNP, RN, CNS, CNOR, NEA-BC FAAN, this year’s recipient of the OR Manager of the Year award, is the kind of leader who receives appreciation cards from co-workers saying, “Because of you things get done, things happen on time, and everything is better.” Evidence of her exemplary work…
Electronic health records (EHRs) can be a force for good, promoting patient safety, but they also often have multiple pain points. OR leaders can take steps to ease those pain points. Part 1 of this two-part series provided an overview of EHR challenges and how managers can work with staff…
Compensation has remained relatively flat for leaders in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), according to the 2022 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey, even as leaders face ongoing stressors. This is reflected in the 40% of respondents who reported a total current annual compensation of $120,000 or more—unchanged from 2021. Ongoing stress is…
The good news from the 2022 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey is that in the wake of lessening disruption from COVID-19 throughout the country, surgical procedure volume has returned to many ORs, with nearly half of respondents (48%) reporting increased volume over the past year, double last year’s findings (26%). The…
A prominent leader in the OR, Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, MBA, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, CCTP, became a nurse in an unexpected way. With no intention of pursing nursing, she saw an opportunity and ran with it. Today, Boston-Leary is an instrumental voice advocating for the well-being and safety of nurses in…
The 2022–2023 fiscal budget for most health facilities has now been approved. Leaders across the board are facing unprecedented challenges with retaining their staff. And those leaders who choose to invest on their teams’ professional development are seeing the best results. Most, if not all, facilities have a bucket set…
Jeffrey Whitehorn, LFACHE, ACC, executive coach and former hospital CEO, draws from his 29 years working in the healthcare industry, 25 of which he led conglomerate HCA Healthcare as hospital CEO, to help leaders unlock their leadership potential. Whitehorn is a certified coach by the global accrediting body, International Coaching…
What if unprofessional behavior in the OR could be managed through something as simple as an informal chat over a cup of coffee? This peer-to-peer approach advocated by Vanderbilt University School of Medicine led to the development of two well-established, scientifically validated programs designed to offset unprofessional behavior: the Patient…
Is there really a nursing shortage? “Is this a question or a statement?” asks Ruth P. Shumaker, BSN, RN, CNOR, executive director perioperative services, Regional One Health, Germantown, Tennessee. “It’s a little bit of both,” she answers. “Some of it has been self-made, and some of it is because we…
