Tag: Team Building

Strategic thinking tools, techniques transform vision to reality

Takeaways • The 3A Strategic Thinking Framework and the GOST Framework are examples of tools that can help make the abstract process of strategic thinking more concrete for perioperative leaders. • Carving out dedicated time for planning and fostering strategic thinking in others are important to achieve optimal results. •…

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By: Cynthia Saver, MS, RN
November 20, 2024
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Blast from the past: Best practices for successful implementation of ERAS

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) represents a transformative approach in modern surgical care, emphasizing evidence-based, multidisciplinary protocols to optimize patient recovery. Spanning decades, ERAS has grown from a novel concept into a global standard for perioperative care, with benefits that include shorter hospital stays, fewer complications, and reduced healthcare costs.…

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By: Tarsilla Moura
November 15, 2024
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Traveler tightrope: OR leaders balance best practices, reduction strategies

Takeaways Providers are generally seeking to reduce use of travelers through strategies such as float pools, training programs, and cultural reforms. However, travelers remain useful as a bridge to permanent staff and for difficult-to-fill positions. Best practices for selection, onboarding, team integration, and performance evaluation are essential for maximizing return…

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By: Cynthia Saver, MS, RN
September 25, 2024
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Why nurse travelers are more friends than foes

Many are quick to blame travelers for the poor state of hospital finances. However, isn’t there a difference between a traveler in the OR—an interim staff member in the hospital’s profit center—and an interim RN in an area financially supported by OR profits? What about the argument that travelers can…

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By: Josiah Whitman
September 25, 2024
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Survey: Staffing woes ease slightly, but challenges remain

Data and surveys

Takeaways • Surgical volume continues to increase for most organizations. • Staffing remains a challenge, although some parameters, such as recruiting and turnover, have improved slightly. • Filling an open RN position takes an average of 77 days, and filling a surgical technologist position takes an average of 120 days.…

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By: Cynthia Saver, MS, RN
August 28, 2024
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Study: Video-based assessment shows promise for assessing non-technical surgical skills

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Editor's Note Automated surgical video analysis could enhance evaluation of an OR team’s nontechnical skills, according to a study published July 31 in JAMA Network Open. Conducted between January 2021 and May 2022, the cross-sectional study involved 30 cardiovascular surgical teams at a teaching hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Using OpenPose,…

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By: Matt Danford
August 1, 2024
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Survey: ASC volume rising amid limited staffing improvement

Data and surveys

Takeaways • Compared to 2023, the percentage of respondents reporting an increase in open positions for RNs and STs, as well as increased turnover for RNs, remained stable, but fewer reported a drop in ST turnover. • The percentage of respondents reporting hiring more managers set a 9-year record. •…

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By: Cynthia Saver, MS, RN
August 1, 2024
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Collaborative leaders share strategies for gaining influence, building relationships

Takeaways Successful collaboration requires prioritizing teamwork and aligning new projects and ideas with the overarching goals of the organization. Strategies for making the case for a new project or initiative include establishing subject matter expertise, tailoring the message, and having a win-win mindset. The most influential leaders understand others’ perspectives…

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By: Cynthia Saver, MS, RN
July 31, 2024
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State of the huddle: The barriers to and benefits of preop meetings

Complex problems do not always require complex solutions. Consider the surgical safety checklist. In 2020, more than a decade after the World Health Organization (WHO) started advocating that every hospital use the checklist, research from PSNET found that more than 90% of ORs in countries with a high human development…

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By: Maya Ber-Lerner
June 24, 2024
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Study: “Team nursing” at odds with patient safety; alternative staffing solutions recommended

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Editor's Note Substituting lower-wage staff for registered nurses leads to additional patient deaths, the Washington Post reported on June 15. The article focuses on a study published in the journal Medical Care, noting that the new research coincides with a nationwide shortage of RNs and “reports of widespread burnout.” Researchers…

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By: Matt Danford
June 20, 2024
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