Novice OR nurses fill pipeline through effective education programs
Leaders seeking competent staff for the OR are increasingly training their own. These internal programs, typically targeted toward both new graduates and nurses without previous OR experience, require planning, organization, and follow-through. “You need to integrate the didactic with the clinical setting,” says Ellen Lord, MS, RN, CNOR, a perioperative…
New study sheds light on how night-shift work damages health
Editor's Note A new Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study finds that the body repairs DNA damage more efficiently if workers sleep during the night than if they sleep during the day. Unrepaired DNA damage can lead to cancer and other health problems. Using urine specimens collected during night work…
BLS: Hospital employment up 0.15% in May
Editor's Note Hospital employment rose 0.15% in May to a seasonally adjusted 5,104,400 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on June 2. This is 7,400 more employees than in April and 95,500 more than a year ago. The nation’s unemployment rate fell by 0.1% in May to 4.3%.…
New staffing schedule unclogs PACU bottleneck
Perioperative services is a key driver for financial performance, and efficient use of space and staffing is vital in the current era of declining reimbursement. A bottleneck in any of the three phases of surgery—pre-, intra-, and postoperative—can result in long delays as well as surgeon, anesthesiologist, and staff anxiety…
Editorial
Projections of growth in nursing over the next several years seem to belie the shortage forecast just a few years ago. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 16% between 2014 and 2024. And by 2025, says a report from the…
START makes a good case for greater scheduling accuracy
Accurate OR case scheduling is a key performance indicator that is challenging to manage. The published literature often focuses on scheduling algorithms using historical data, the surgeon’s own estimate, or a mix of similar procedures. This mathematical approach neglects the cultural, economic, behavioral, and process challenges that impact attempts to…
Discontinuity of nursing care negatively impacts patient outcomes
Editor's Note In this study, discontinuity in nursing care was high and negatively impacted patient outcomes. The analysis of 3,892 medical-surgical inpatients found that discontinuity of nursing care declined from nearly 100% in the first 24 hours, to 70% at 36 hours, and to 50% by the 10th postadmission day.…
Hospital-academia partnerships steer new nurses to the OR
Traditionally, nursing students have had little exposure to the perioperative setting, creating a challenge for OR leaders seeking to build the future workforce. How can they spark interest in the OR, if students haven’t experienced it? One way is for hospitals to partner with schools of nursing. Two innovative programs…
Impact of role stressors on nurse managers’ health
Editor's Note This Canadian study finds that nurse managers’ coping strategies may be inadequate and could negatively impact their long-term health. Interviews with 23 nurse managers and 1 focus group found that nurse managers have severely high levels of role stressors that include: Working with limited resources (budget and staff).…
12-week program prepares new nurses for the OR
If you told OR leaders they could onboard a nurse without previous surgical experience in just 12 weeks, most would scoff, “Impossible!” But at Sutter Health University, the impossible has become not only possible, but highly successful, thanks to an innovative program created by Renee Dodge, MSN, RN, RNFA, CNOR,…
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