Leadership 
Takeaways • Failure to understand the complexity of the work performed in the sterile processing department (SPD) can lead to staff shortages, errors, and significant financial loss. • Strategies for addressing SPD staffing include effective orientation, certification, competency assessment, analyzing staffing needs, and leader visibility. • SPD schedules should reflect…
Kim Rosencrans, RN, BSN, has worked as a surgical nurse in a number of successively more senior roles over the past 20 plus years—and she has retained a hands-on approach, even as an OR manager in the Surgery Department at Trinity Health in North Dakota, one of the nation’s largest…
An estimated 126.6 million Americans are dealing with the impact of a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition, according to a US Bone and Joint Initiative report. That means, one in two adults in the US have gone or will be going through a wide range of hip, knee, shoulder, and/or spine procedures.…
Emerging from the thick of the pandemic has been tough for OR managers and clinicians, between rampant healthcare industry burnout and other challenges. Yet the winners of this year’s OR Manager leadership awards, presented at the OR Manager Conference, are proving that the right combination of hard work, empathy, and…
From highlighting the need for better preoperative nasal decolonialization to touting the success of personalized pediatric behavioral health interventions, the posters on display at the 2023 OR Manager Conference highlighted the exceptional work of clinicians in 2023. Poster: “Go Virtual with Periop Training 101” In response to the ongoing nursing…
From highlighting the need for better preoperative nasal decolonialization to touting the success of personalized pediatric behavioral health interventions, the posters on display at the 2023 OR Manager Conference highlighted the exceptional work of clinicians in 2023. Poster: “Redefining the Perioperative Experience for Children with Neurodiversity” Changing the narrative for…
Whitman Partners, a firm that specializes in director of surgical services recruitment, emerged out of the 2008 financial crisis as an example of adaptability and resilience in healthcare staffing. Today, the firm places close to 200 OR directors annually in hospitals across the US. OR Manager sat down with Josiah…
The healthcare sector has begun grappling with a repeat challenge this fall and winter: the simultaneous surge of three significant respiratory diseases—flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 among both children and adults. When these diseases collide, they constitute what experts have termed a “tripledemic,” which poses a significant strain…
Pain treatments have applications in traditional hospital OR settings and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). “The choice of setting depends on the specific needs of the patient, the type of procedure being performed, and the resources available,” says Wang Lushun, MD, senior consultant orthopedic surgeon at Arete Orthopaedic Centre in Singapore.…
The importance of a dedicated robotics coordinator’s role in an efficient da Vinci robotics program cannot be overstated. “You need someone to take ownership of the program, set up training for staff and surgeons, and coordinate ongoing development,” says June Hill, BSN, RN, CNOR, clinical director of robotics, Inova Health…
