Editor's Note In this session, Beverly Kirchner, BSN, RN, CNOR(E), CASC, vice president of compliance at TriasMD and ambulatory surgery center (ASC) track leader for the OR Manager Conference, spoke on behalf of Parkland Health’s JD Boucher and Karen Garvey on how violence against healthcare workers is rising and requires…

Read More

Pinpoint accuracy in surgical technique has advanced beyond what many ever thought possible. Unfortunately, such refinements have been slower to reach the perioperative business front. OR leaders often rely on vague metrics and educated guesses to guide their teams. Ambient artificial intelligence (AI) is changing that. When integrated with data…

Read More

Effective communication is the foundation of patient safety in the modern surgical environment. Most surgical procedures depend on seamless collaboration among surgeons, nurses, surgical technologists, and anesthesiologists, and when communication breaks down, patient risk rises sharply. In 2024, the American College of Surgeons reported standardized surgical handoffs improved adherence to…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

Current literature shows artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant concept in surgical care. Innovative medtech has entered clinical practice with measurable impact, although the field remains in early stages of implementation—promising in scope, but still facing challenges with data quality, reproducibility, and integration. For instance, a 2024 systematic…

Read More

Editor's Note Perioperative leaders move the needle when they trade task management for system-level thinking and influence, posited Ivelisse Vicente, MS, RN, NEA-BC, CNOR, RNFA, assistant director of nursing for ambulatory services and DNP student at Old Dominion University, and Nick Rizzo, MS-HSA, RN, CNOR, assistant director of nursing for…

Read More

Editor's Note Hands-on, simulation-based education can dramatically raise confidence and communication among perioperative teams learning robotic-assisted surgery, AORN Journal October 22 reports. The article profiles how one nurse leader at Duke University Hospital built a comprehensive robotics training program that helped staff achieve near-total confidence in managing robotic systems safely…

Read More