Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are continuing to perform more and more surgical procedures. According to Fortune Business Insights, ASCs can expect to see even greater case volumes as the number of outpatient procedures is estimated to increase by 15% by 2028. With an increase in procedures, it is essential that…

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Congratulations. You have worked hard to master your skills in the sterile processing department (SPD). You have prepared, been interviewed, and finally been promoted to a leadership position. Now, what? Yesterday you were working as a peer in your department, and now you are the leader. Are you prepared for…

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Demand for interim executive leadership services in 2018 increased by 113%, according to a 2019 Nurse Leader article. “We are experiencing a gap for qualified and trained nursing leaders at all levels, but especially the chief nursing officer level,” says Ila Minnick, MS, BSN, RN, president, Interim Leadership Associates. “Because…

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Conscientious leaders strive for excellence and have high expectations of everyone around them. If you are like me, you may have been told at times to lower your expectations. But I believe if you raise the bar, people worth retaining will meet the bar if they have the support to…

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Success for any new leader hinges on the ability to be both “student” and “teacher” because the role requires learning and mentoring. Striking a balance between these roles can be especially daunting for new perioperative services leaders, which is why Bruce Tulgan was invited to speak at the 2019 OR…

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Contaminated surgical instruments pose a danger to patients and to an organization’s bottom line. In Part 1 of this two-part series, we discussed prevention strategies (OR Manager, April 2019, 14-15, 19). In Part 2, the focus is on investigating potential contamination, along with design considerations.   Detective work Despite best…

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Managing the OR is similar to playing a game of poker. To win, a player must be able to read the others around the table, and to succeed, managers must be able to read their staff members and colleagues. Most importantly, they all must know the rules and when it’s…

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Contaminated surgical instruments made ECRI Institute’s 2019 annual top 10 list of health technology hazards, coming in at number five: “Mishandling flexible endoscopes after disinfection can lead to patient infections.” Number two on the list in 2018 was “Endoscope reprocessing failures continue to expose patients to infection risk.” It’s not…

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Perioperative leaders, including those in the sterile processing department (SPD), need to know when to make sweeping—not just incremental—changes to improve workflow and optimize the talents of their staff. Sometimes gains in productivity and staff satisfaction depend not only on identifying process improvements but also on placing staff in areas…

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Developing effective leaders for the perioperative setting is typically one of the most challenging parts of a current leader’s role. It’s tempting to quickly plug leadership holes with whoever is at hand—even if the person’s leadership aptitude or abilities are lacking. But that approach usually leads to high turnover and…

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