Takeaways • US surgeons have no mandated retirement age. According to the Aging Surgeon Program, “a patient death or serious negative event are currently the only things that prompt action to prevent a surgeon from practicing.” • Research on aging-related decline is clear, but nuanced, showing rates and scope vary…

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Editor's Note A thoughtful, operations-driven approach to ambulatory surgery center (ASC) facility design can prevent major delays, costly change orders, and inefficient workflows down the line, according to a May 2 presentation from Akshay Tavkar, MBA, CMPE, CASC, principal and managing director of Skyline Healthcare Solutions, LLC, at the Ambulatory…

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Editor's Note Healthcare employment in the US rose by 177,000 from April to May, the May 2 announcement from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports. The unemployment rate, meanwhile, is unchanged at 4.2%—a narrow range that has been maintained since May 2024, according to the BLS news release. In…

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Editor's Note The 2025 OR Manager Career & Salary Survey is now open, and your insights are essential. This annual survey offers a comprehensive look into compensation trends, job satisfaction, staffing challenges, and more within the perioperative community. By participating, you contribute to a valuable resource that informs and supports…

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Editor's Note Virtual models and technology-driven roles are gaining ground, but alignment across nursing leadership tiers remains a critical challenge. According to the American Hospital Association (AHA) Center for Health Innovation’s summary of the March 2025 “Nursing Leadership Insight Study” done by the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, virtual care—including…

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Editor's Note A session at the 2025 Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) Annual Conference used a striking analogy, comparing the Kentucky Derby to the daily operations of a sterile processing department (SPD) to energize professionals and reframe persistent challenges in the field, Infection Control Today April 27 reports. The article…

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Editor's Note Long COVID strikes healthcare and dental workers at far higher rates than the general population, according to an April 23 article from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota. As detailed in the article, two recent international studies reveal that 40%…

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Editor's Note Female surgeons achieve better long-term outcomes for surgical patients—especially for female patients—according to a large national study published April 23 in JAMA Surgery. Using US Medicare data from over 2.2 million older adults, researchers found that patients of female surgeons had lower mortality rates and, for women, fewer…

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Editor's Note Hospital units with more RNs and fewer long shifts experience significantly lower rates of staff sickness absence, while understaffing and long shifts drive nurse illness, according research published April 22 in JAMA Network. The retrospective longitudinal case-control study involved 18,674 RNs and nursing support (NS) staff across 116…

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Becoming a perioperative nurse generally does not require certification. However, expectations can change quickly for those hoping to climb the career ladder. For some, expectations are also changing for how knowledge and skills should be assessed. Rather than taking an exam, this subset of specialty nurses earn certification by submitting…

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