Editor's Note Perioperative leaders are reshaping how surgical care is delivered, making pragmatic adjustments in the face of supply shortages, staffing constraints, and shifting surgical volume toward ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Together, the latest three OR Manager pulse polls reveal a profession managing high stakes with a mix of caution,…

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Takeaways • Most respondents reported an increase in the percentage of open positions for RNs and STs compared to 12 months ago. • Most respondents struggle to hire experienced RNs, yet time-to-fill positions has dropped, suggesting rapid but possibly unsustainable staffing shifts. • Leadership is getting younger (average age 38),…

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Editor’s Note: This page is a companion piece to the main article, "Health systems embrace partnerships, new training pathways to address surgical technologist shortage."   The Association of Surgical Technologists (AST), a 55,000-member organization, acknowledges the growing shortage of surgical technologists (STs) but is raising alarms over the rise of…

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Roughly 41,000 surgical procedures happen in the US every day. Each one depends on surgical technologists (STs), the professionals who prepare the OR, hand off instruments, and ensure a sterile environment to prevent infections that affect up to 3% of all patients. The profession’s importance is reflected in AORN’s recommended…

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Perioperative leaders often have to make critical decisions, not just in the middle of an operational crisis but also somewhere in the edges—the routine but still high-stakes moments where leaders need to adjust resources or absorb costs under tight constraints. The economic margin for error continues to narrow, and many…

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Editor's Note Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) continue to face a mounting anesthesia crisis: costs are rising, staffing is tightening, and reimbursement is failing to keep pace. Anesthesia payments have dropped 8.2% over the past decade, while provider salaries have risen by as much as 40%, creating a growing financial burden…

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Editor's Note Hospitals spent nearly $900 million in labor last year managing drug shortages, dedicating over 20 million hours to activities such as sourcing alternatives, updating systems, and communicating with care teams, according to a new Vizient survey published June 17. Conducted in late 2023 and detailed in Vizient’s June…

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Editor's Note Drawing on survey data and leadership insights, a June 16 article in Staffing Industry Analysts showcases how personalized attention from managers and thoughtfully deployed technologies can improve nurse engagement, mitigate stress, and strengthen retention amid widespread burnout. Advising leaders to treat nurses “as an ‘I,’ not an ‘it,’”…

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Editor's Note Only 39% of nurses expect to remain in their current jobs a year from now, citing burnout, compassion fatigue, and inflexible schedules as top reasons for leaving, according to AMN Healthcare’s 2025 Survey of Registered Nurses. Healthcare IT News reported on the findings May 14. As detailed in…

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Editor's Note Nurses continue to face high stress, burnout, and understaffing, according to the State of Nursing in 2025 report by Cross Country Healthcare and FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. As detailed in an April 29 summary from Florida Atlantic University, the report is based on responses from…

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