OR directors continue to struggle with an economy resisting improvement. More than two-thirds (68%) say the economy affected their OR staffing in the past 6 months, according to the 22nd annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey—virtually unchanged from 69% in 2011. The economy may be causing employees to stay put. More…

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The number of nurse practitioners is expected to double by 2025, according to a new report in the July 2012 Medical Care. How many will be perioperative nurses? Advanced practice is a great opportunity for perioperative nursing. Advanced practice RNs (APRNs) are critically needed to serve the nation’s health needs.…

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With all that managers have to balance—schedules, meetings, staff, reports, and shrinking resources, not to mention home, family, and school—who has time to think about being funny? Humor may be more valuable than you imagine, not only in dealing with stress but also in being a better manager. Humor is…

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A weak economy continues to affect staffing in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), according to the 22nd annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey, with about 80% of nurse managers saying staff turnover stayed the same compared to 12 months ago, similar to 2011 results. Other staffing parameters are also similar to last…

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Motivation means more than money. That’s a message perioperative nursing directors have taken to heart. The 2012 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey asked OR managers and directors for their most successful ways of recognizing staff beyond salary raises and bonuses. Most often mentioned by hospital OR directors are: • thank you…

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Who assists at surgery in your OR? If not physicians, most commonly they are RN first assistants (RNFAs) and physician assistants, OR Manager subscribers report in a new survey. Only 15% of respondents say they do not use nonphysicians as assistants. Not surprisingly, more community hospitals (89%) use nonphysicians in…

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Experts offer this advice on oversight of assistants at surgery. Experts on the first assisting role offer this advice on oversight of assistants at surgery.   Know the scope of practice Assisting at surgery in most states is a function delegated by the surgeon, and persons who assist perform their…

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Does your hospital have advanced practice RNs (APRNs) who want to assist in surgery? Are your perioperative nurses, including RN first assistants, interested in advanced practice? Here are things to know about this developing role.   What is an APRN? The APRN is a direct patient care role that requires…

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Nearly two-thirds (60%) of employees who leave a position do so because of their relationship with their direct supervisor, according to the Studer Group, a health care consulting organization. “Satisfaction is about relationship,” says Marcus Erb, senior research partner at the Great Place to Work Institute, which helps organizations become…

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The average age of a perioperative nurse is higher than the average of 47 for nurses overall. That makes retaining older nurses a critical need for OR managers. The immediate problem has subsided in recent years because of the poor economy. Still, “We’re concerned that as soon as the economy…

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Medicare’s inpatient prospective payment rule for fiscal year 2013 updates payment rates and adds to quality initiatives like value-based purchasing (VBP) and quality reporting. The rule issued August 1, 2012, takes effect October 1, 2012. Here are the highlights.   Payment rates Inpatient payment rates will increase by 2.8% for…

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Like their older, larger, and sicker fellow patients, children can be candidates for outpatient surgery, and some ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) opt to specialize in treating the younger set. There is more to expanding an ASC’s patient base to pediatrics than putting a few toys in the waiting room (although…

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Nurse burnout is linked to infection rates Nurse burnout leads to higher health care-associated infection rates and costs hospitals millions of dollars annually, new research finds. The study of more than 7,000 RNs in 161 Pennsylvania hospitals found more than one-third were suffering from burnout. Multivariate analysis showed a significant…

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