Including AORN’s PeriOp 101 curriculum in a bachelor of science (BSN) curriculum has allowed the University of St Thomas in Houston to break new ground in nurse education. Launched in May 2012, the program—a partnership between AORN, the University of St Thomas School of Nursing (UST), and Harris Health System—exposes…
A perioperative immersion clinical for nurses pursuing a bachelor of science degree has gotten off to a good start in Wisconsin. Launched in 2012, the program matches students with preceptors during the final semester of their senior year. Students complete 252 clinical hours and the entire AORN Peri-Op 101 curriculum,…
Tim Porter-O’Grady, DM, EdD, ScD(h), APRN, FAAN, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s OR Manager Conference, which takes place September 17-19 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California. The conference features 4 tracks—ambulatory surgery centers, business management, a masters series, and new manager—designed to address…
By 2020, 80% of RNs should have a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree, according to recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2010. Responses to the 2013 OR Manager Annual Salary/Career Survey showed that almost half of OR directors and managers have a master’s degree and…
Surgical checklist compliance among 4 Canadian hospitals was around 60% in a large, retrospective study of acute care operations performed in 2010 and 2011. Although Alberta Health Services in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, had mandated checklist use starting in 2009, limitations such as instructional misuse, lack of perceived benefit, and lack…
It’s not uncommon for nurses to work 3 12-hour shifts at 1 hospital and then work another 3 at a different hospital, yet anyone who works 12 hours is putting their patients in jeopardy, Sheryl A. Michelson, MS, RN-BC, said at the AORN Congress in March 2013. “This is not…
Nurse turnover is a problem that affects the performance and profitability of every health care organization. The cost of a nurse leaving a facility is roughly twice that nurse’s annual salary while a replacement is sought and orientation is completed. In addition, patient care may be compromised because the temporary…
When the Pentagon decided in January to lift the military’s official ban on women in combat, it wasn’t news to many who have served. But women’s service stretches farther back than I realized—and one group involved nurses. In 1942, during World War II, 99 Army and Navy nurses were swept…
Perspectives on health care reform vary widely, and some view it negatively. But Kathleen Sanford, DBA, RN, CENP, FACHE, believes it will provide nursing with new opportunities—along with new challenges. Sanford, senior vice president/chief nursing officer at Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), Englewood, Colorado, will share her perspective during a general…
Nausea or vomiting after surgery can cause more distress than the pain, and even with modern anesthetics, it is not as rare as once thought. If the procedure is outpatient, symptoms may arise after the patient is at home, away from medical intervention. Thus, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) need to…
