Editor's Note Encouraging words are more appreciated when they are informal and specific in their praise, reports the May 15 Fast Company online. A few ways for managers to put this into practice include: Showing appreciation for an idea not just in meetings but during impromptu interactions, like corridor conversations.…

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Editor's Note National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. National Nurses Week is celebrated annually to raise awareness of the important role nurses play in society. This year’s theme is “Nurses Inspire, Innovate, Influence.” The American Nurses Association has a…

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All of the keynote presentations at the 2017 OR Manager Conference offered much food for thought, but probably the most memorable one was Cy Wakeman’s riveting talk on the impact of “drama” in the workplace. That resonated with OR leaders who struggle against the tide of negative attitudes among their…

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This article is the third in a three-part series by Joe Tye, chief executive officer and head coach, Values Coach Inc, and Bob Dent, senior vice president, chief operating and chief nursing officer at Midland Memorial Hospital in Midland, Texas. Part 1 was published in March (pp 19-21, 27) and…

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One of the most misunderstood and misused management buzzwords is “empowerment.” It is a noble thought that a manager can empower an employee, but only you can empower yourself, and once you have done that, no one can take that power away from you. Trying to empower someone who looks…

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When Carol Schneider, MSN, RN, CCRN, CPAN, became manager of a postanesthesia care unit (PACU) at Boston Medical Center in Massachusetts, she found a plethora of problems, including poor communication skills, low employee engagement scores, and bullying from surgeons and staff. “It was a very bad climate that was putting…

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Creating a more harmonious work environment is a struggle for some OR leaders. Tips on how to achieve this were offered during the 2017 OR Manager Conference and the 2018 OR Business Management Conference (ORBMC), and we share some of these in the March issue. A dysfunctional atmosphere in the…

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Disengagement costs organizations money through lost productivity, not to mention the risk of errors that a disengaged workforce brings. Yet in August 2017, Gallup reported that only 32% of people are engaged at work. Much of disengagement can be traced to what Cy Wakeman, president and founder of Reality-Based Leadership,…

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An organization’s culture is shaped by the collective attitudes and behaviors of the people who work there, and if no one is willing to make personal changes, no program of the month is likely to have a lasting impact. To change their attitudes and behaviors, people must be made aware…

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Healthcare mergers and acquisitions are becoming as common as add-on cases in the OR, with hospitals struggling to stay profitable in a financially challenging environment. Between 2008 and 2014, the United States had nearly 400 hospital mergers and acquisitions (M&A), with more than 750 hospitals being acquired or merged. “It’s…

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