A couple of weeks ago, I spent an incredible 5 days in San Antonio, Texas, attending the AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo. It was five days of learning, networking, making new friends, and seeing friends that I only get to connect with at the conference. There was a very marked difference between the attendance… Read More AORN Expo 2023 + 3 Ways You Can Afford to Attend
I haven’t written much here lately, have I? I’m spending more of my time writing on the First Case blog, but sometimes it’s nice to come back here and write what I’m thinking! And today, we’re chasing chickens… so join me! My thoughts today are rather disjointed, somewhat like the 19 energetic chicks that are… Read More Chasing Chickens & New OR Nurses
Happy Sterile Processing Week! This week is dedicated to all of the hardworking sterile processing professionals tirelessly working to ensure that every surgical instrument is safe and ready for use. Every procedure. Every Time. Each year, we take a week to recognize their hard work, but these clinical professionals are sending out thousands of instruments… Read More Celebrate Your Sterile Processing Superstars
I’m frustrated with the sterile processing department (SPD). I know what you’re thinking, and no, I’m not going to start bashing the department. Sure, errors are irritating. I’ve dealt with my fair share of holes in wraps, missing indicators, and even found a computer mouse in a tray once. So I understand how frustrating errors… Read More Change What You See in SPD
To tell you how The Circulating Life began, I have to go back to my first day in the operating room. It was November 7th, 2011, and I can remember it vividly. Although I considered myself an “experienced” nurse, I was not prepared for how different the operating room environment was from the bedside and… Read More Back to the Beginning: How The Circulating Life Got Started
Last fall we interviewed Dr. Jim Stobinski on the First Case podcast. Our topic was credentialing, and since I was right in the thick of gathering all of my required CEs for CNOR recertification, I really peppered him with all of my questions about recertification. He was very patient with all of my questions, and… Read More CSSM: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
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
We’re all pretty familiar with the phrase, “the power of perfection,” or maybe, “the beauty of perfection,” but have you ever thought about the burden of perfection? It’s a strange, and somewhat depressing, thought. But in our world, it exists, and it’s something that’s so engrained in us as healthcare professionals, that I wonder if… Read More The Burden of Perfection – And How to Carry It
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?
