Editor's Note MD Anderson is hardwiring career mobility so staff can see, test, and pursue growth without leaving the division. According to this session’s panel—including Abigail Caudle, MD, MHCM, FACS, vice president of procedural and therapeutic medical operations; Robert Ghafar, MBA, RTT, vice president of procedural and therapeutic operations; and…

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Editor's Note Hold everyone to the same standard, model the behavior you expect, and build trust through transparency—that is how OR leaders retain nurses and improve performance, according to this session’s panel that included Taneka Curtis, MHA, BSN, RN, CNOR, nurse manager-cardiac, transplant and vascular service lines, Hospital of the…

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Editor's Note Burnout does not begin with exhaustion, but with misalignment, said burn and critical care surgeon Neha Amin, DO, FACS, NBC-HWC, founder of Balance and Breakthrough and Renewal Wound Care Centers based outside Atlanta, during her personal and pragmatic keynote. According to Dr Amin, burnout follows a clear trajectory—from…

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Editor's Note Transparent communication, humility, and swift action are essential for effective service recovery in perioperative services, said Leiran Cornish, MBA-HM, BSN, RN, director of nursing, Dartmouth Health Outpatient Surgery Center, and Patrel Nobles, MSN, RN, NE-BC, CNOR,  system senior director, surgical services, Valley Health. Their session explored how nurse…

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Editor’s Note New nurse leaders thrive when organizations invest in practical training and relationships, according to Aubrey Pepper, MSN, RN, DHA, CNOR, NE-BC, senior director of surgical services at St Jude Children's Research Hospital. In this session, Pepper said the most predictive skill for a smooth clinician-to-leader transition is “relationship…

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Editor's Note Even the most experienced nurses sometimes wonder, “Am I good enough?” That is how Laurie Burns MSN, RN, CNOR, RNFA, CIRT, clinical nurse educator, operating room; Aliaunda Macon, BSN, RN, staff nurse; and Simone Nicholson, DNP, MSN, RN, CNOR, nurse manager main operating room at Main Line Health…

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Editor’s Note Healthcare cannot afford to “rewind,” said Dan Weberg, PhD, MHI, RN, FAAN, executive director of nursing workforce development and innovation at Kaiser Permanente, during his opening keynote on leading and embracing innovation in healthcare. According to Dr Weberg, healthcare’s “blockbuster moment” has arrived, and leaders must choose to…

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Editor's Note Lead your OR like a samurai—anchor the team in purpose, practice servant leadership, and model the behavior you expect. That was the through line of this session, led by Brian Dawson, MSN, RN-BC, CNOR, CAPT, NC, USN (Ret), president and CEO of BD Perioperative Healthcare Consulting. He argued…

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Takeaways • OR leaders’ satisfaction with many work factors, including their jobs, decreased substantially. • Annual salary and compensation decreased. • The average age of survey respondents was significantly lower. Last year’s improvement in OR leader job satisfaction fizzled this year, according to the 2025 OR Manager Career/Salary Survey. The…

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Satisfaction of ambulatory surgery (ASC) leaders with their current jobs/positions has fallen in the past year, according to the 2025 OR Manager Career/Salary Survey. After reaching a 5-year high of 81% in 2024’s survey, the favorable satisfaction rating fell to 72%. However, that percentage aligns with surveys from several years…

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