This week on the First Case Podcast, we dove into a topic that always seems to spark debate in the OR: Is it okay to cover your back table? Listen to the podcast here! Now, picture this: You’ve got your instruments set up, you’re ready to go, and then… Bam! You’re delayed. Maybe anesthesia decided… Read More To Cover or Not to Cover … That is the Question
The operating room can be more than a little overwhelming at times. There’s a constant flurry of activity as the team prepares for and then performs surgical procedures. Every case seems to have equipment and supplies for days, there’s a million people, and every instruments has at least two different names, if not three. The… Read More The Hierarchy of Priority: Patient, People, & Paperwork
The operating room is a fast-paced, high-stakes environment where precision, teamwork, and vigilance are non-negotiable. Lives are on the line, every role matters, and every decision can positively or negatively impact patient care. Safe surgical care demands seamless collaboration between surgeons, nurses, techs, and anesthesia providers, so that we can achieve excellent outcomes. And while… Read More Battling Burnout in Nursing
This post is cross-posted on First Case and may contain affiliate links. Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for, not just today, but every day of the year. Family, friends, and maybe friends we like more than family, food, clothing, housing – we all have plenty to be grateful for and today… Read More Operating Room Top 10: Thanksgiving Edition
In December, I served on a medical mission trip to Honduras. I had the privilege of working alongside world-class surgeons and surgical teams from across the country. It was my first time traveling overseas on my own, it was my first time serving on a medical mission trip, and it was an incredible, humbling experience.… Read More Day 1 in the OR: Finding Perspective in a Chaotic Case
Happy Perioperative Nurses Week! I hope that you are having a great week, and that your facility actually remembered to celebrate you this week! 😉 I’ve been an OR nurse for 12 years, and I absolutely love working in the OR. Since we’re celebrating this week, here are 12 reasons why I love working in… Read More 12 Reasons Why I Love the Operating Room
I have some exciting news to share with you!🤩 I have been approved to serve on a surgical mission trip to Honduras through One World Surgery! I firmly believe in giving back, and the longer that I have worked in the operating room, the more I have felt called to give back by participating in… Read More Surgery with a Purpose: Bringing Healing and Hope to Honduras
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
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