New grads have been on my mind lately. Maybe because it’s spring semester and I know classes across the country will be graduating soon. Maybe it’s the staffing shortage, or because I recently gave a lecture to a group of nursing students. Or maybe it’s a weird mixture of all of these things, but regardless,… Read More New Grads in the OR
Welcome to 2022! It always feels like we come skidding into January, worn out by the workload and busyness of November and December. This year is definitely no different, although I think we’re just worn out. Period. The past couple of years have been the most challenging of our careers, and I’m somewhat skeptical of… Read More Looking to the Future in the Shadow of a Difficult Year
I’ve struggled to write this post – mostly because I know just how hard it is to work in the operating room, and I know how burdensome it can be to have to implement a new policy or checklist every other week. Oftentimes our policies and procedures read like the person who wrote them has… Read More What Happens When No One Is Watching?
Can you believe that 2021 is almost over? The continued stress and strain of the pandemic, increased workloads and case volumes, staffing shortages, vaccine mandates, and political frenzy all seem to have come together to make the year just fly quickly by. Although I know we’ve all felt every grueling hour during the extra longs… Read More CNOR Recertification + 5 Free Resources for Continuing Education and Points
In the operating room, we use the phrase “patient safety” an awful lot – for good reason, too. Everything we do hinges on providing our patients with a safe surgical experience. We confirm their identity, surgical site, and laterality multiple times before rolling back, we position them for their procedures in ways least likely to… Read More Effective Communication: The Foundation of Patient Safety
When I first started in the operating room, I had heard of surgical techs, but I didn’t know what their job actually involved. But, it only took me about 2 seconds to realize that scrub techs were a wealth of knowledge and experience, and if I was going to succeed in the OR, I was… Read More Happy Scrub Tech Week! +Giveaway!
This post contains affiliate links How do you feel about taking call? Do you love it or hate it? I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who doesn’t have a strong opinion about it. But for most surgical facilities, taking call is just part of the job. We don’t always love it, but we also… Read More Managing Call Schedules – There’s a Better Way
My very first post when I started this blog was called “10 Things I Learned in the Operating Room.“ It probably wasn’t my most well-written post – I’ve learned so much since I started this blog 3 years ago. But, with the anniversary of The Circulating Life approaching, I thought it would be fun to… Read More 11 More Things I Learned in the OR
A few months ago, I posted this graphic to my Facebook page: In general, I was expecting comments like, “Keep your belly button clean!” or “Never come back to the room with one of anything – always bring two!” And, yes, there were plenty of comments like that, but… I also got an overwhelming number… Read More The Truth About Bad Behavior in the OR
Happy New Year! I hope that you had a fun (and safe) time celebrating the end of 2020. I enjoyed a great evening with my family and I’m definitely looking forward to a better and brighter 2021. As we start off the new year, I am so excited to finally be able to tell you… Read More Introducing First Case – A New Podcast for the OR