At the end of this month, the conference "OR Manager: Managing Today's OR Suite" will be held in Orlando, Fla. I enjoy attending this conference and find the sessions educational and beneficial. OR managers need to have a lot of tools and knowledge on hand to meet the demands of the OR suite. Nurse managers may end up learning these skills on the job and find it difficult to juggle the immediate demands of the OR with learning the skills to be an effective manager.
I've had the privilege to work with many excellent managers. Many articles have been written identifying the qualities needed to be an effective manager. Good communication skills, a dedication or passion to the patients and the staff, organizational skills, and the ability to effectively manage conflict and costs are the attributes most often mentioned.
Closer examination reveals that these are skills that are valuable to and demonstrated by the perioperative nurse as well. Each one of us is a leader and manager of our environment, and every surgical suite and each individual OR needs a good manager.
Evidence-based practice has shown that good communication improves patient safety. Using a standardized communication form and instituting tools to reduce inconsistencies and incongruity are part of the perioperative nurse's tool kit. By functioning as a pivotal communicator, the perioperative nurse provides the OR with a single, central person to disseminate information to all disciplines. Effective managers are able to successfully collaborate with surgeons, organizational leaders, and staff.
Maintaining open communication between team members when conflict arises keeps the focus on the patient. Conflict may arise when there are poor lines of communication. Clarifying the situation and keeping lines of communication open often falls to the perioperative nurse. Nursing management can provide tools for staff to manage conflict, and if that's unsuccessful, the manager can intervene to resolve the issue fairly while promoting good working relationships.
Dedication and passion evidenced by the perioperative nurse and the nurse manager serves as a role model to others, promotes a professional environment, an effective learning and teaching environment, and demonstrates a desire to serve the patient and colleagues.
Perioperative nurses who have good organizational skills in the OR keep the OR schedule on time, anticipate needs of the perioperative team, and guide the team to processes that enhance efficiency. Nurse managers use organizational skills to provide resources and procedural guidelines to support the perioperative nurse in the OR.
The perioperative nurse who manages the supply costs for a surgical case is aware of and suggests products within the system that may be more cost-efficient and effective, and provides good stewardship for the patient and the organization.
The role of the perioperative nurse as manager in the OR and the role of the nurse manager are complex. Whether your personal goal is to provide management skills in the OR within the context of the OR team or to manage an OR, the reward is to provide an environment that promotes optimal patient care.
Elizabeth M. Thompson, MSN, RN, CNOR
Editor-in-Chief Nursing Education Specialist Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. [email protected]
RESOURCE