The 2022 Year in Review: Travel Nurse Boom, Recession Stirs, and OR Business Manager Advantages
As 2022 ends, we want to take the time to highlight some of our most popular stories. And to thank you for reading. As healthcare executives, we know that time is often at a premium for you. We work hard to ensure that the content we publish is of the highest professional use to you. So, if by chance you missed a few issues, here is your opportunity to play catch-up.
March 2022: VPs Discuss Travel Nursing Boom
The pandemic not only accelerated retirements but caused a significant number of full-time nurses to opt for travel assignments. Demand was high, so they could earn much more money doing the same job elsewhere. Some of our 2022 Perioperative Power Listers shared their insights and solutions for keeping staff morale and satisfaction high.
May 2022: Business Manager is a Power-up for the OR
Despite the glaring fact that surgical services is the financial engine of the hospital, only 36% of ORs employ a business manager. It is often up to the Director of Surgical Services to educate themselves on the financial aspects of leading their department. Why isn’t a business manager more common in the OR? Ruth Shuttleworth-Diaz and Chris Hunt gave their takes.
July 2022: “Your Stupid Woke Agenda”
In recognition of Pride Month, we sent out a survey to perioperative leaders on how the ORs they have worked in approach LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion. Most of the answers gave helpful insight; a few used the survey as an opportunity to vent (let’s just say that the term “woke” has officially jumped the shark and is now devoid of any meaning).
We are feeling broader impacts from the Fed’s repeated rate hikes now, but back in August, it was unclear how far they would have to go to cool off the economy. In his Q2 in Review, CEO Josiah Whitman discussed how inflation and economic instability translate to a candidate’s willingness to relocate.
Nurse executive Chris Hunt lays out how to create an OR governance committee, keep it focused, and how a new Director of Surgical Services can start one when they come to a new facility. A solid governance structure removes conflicts around things like case start times, what happens when a patient is ill and needs their case done immediately, and setting targets for specific goals.
October 2022: Whitman Partners Website Redesign
Whitman Partners relaunched itself as the world’s first talent agency within the healthcare industry with a complete website redesign. We go beyond being merely a search firm but represent and support directors in ways beyond helping them find jobs.
2022 10 to 1 Webinar Highlights
Earn CE credits and practical knowledge with our 10-to-1 Webinar series, hosted by Whitman Partners’ principal consultant, Kathy W. Beydler, RN, MBA, CNOR, CASC. Two episodes that stand out include:
“10 Reasons Perioperative Leaders Leave Their Jobs”
The average lifespan of a perioperative leader is three years. Kathy talks with Jason Goodwin, MS, MPH, RN, CNOR, about what senior directors and the C-Suite may be doing to increase attrition. Upon completion, you be able to do the following:
- Identify the reasons hospitals lose great perioperative leaders
- Have strategies to prevent future loss of great managers
- Implement strategies to decrease attrition and make long-term improvements
“Becoming a New Perioperative Leader”
Cindy J. Noonan, RN, BSN, MSN, FACHE, speaks with Kathy about the challenges of stepping into a perioperative leadership role for the first time. Learn how to:
- Improve upon the most challenging job functions for a new leader
- Identify the behaviors and attributes of a successful leader
- Articulate simple tips for embracing and boosting success
Writer and Media Relations
The stories that impacted me most were the travel nursing boom and the somewhat rare occurrence of the OR business manager role. On top of the surge of retirements, nurses leaving full-time jobs to travel had a lasting impact on perioperative. Directors of Surgical Services had to pull rabbits out of many hats to figure out ways to keep people on board.
While two-thirds of ORs do not have business managers, that trend will probably change. With the financial outlook of many hospitals looking bleak, these organizations will need to evaluate every path to profitability, including making a business manager an established role in the OR.
Carisa Brewster
- Adapting and Thriving: Talent Retention in the Post-Pandemic Workplace
- Perioperative Power List 2024: Lou Bottoms - Patient Care Director for Perioperative and Procedural Areas, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA
- Bridging Language Barriers: Mi Vida Spanish Enhances Nurse-Patient Connection in Periop Care
