Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers

Work-Life Balance - January 2017 - Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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'Prove [the harmful effects of surgical smoke] to me.' My response was, 'This is not an option; it's an administrative directive.' Everyone needs to understand that smoke evacuators are another form of pro- tection, just like wearing a surgical mask, scrubbing your hands before surgery or properly disposing of sharps." As Ms. Dennis can attest, making the decision to consistently evacu- ate surgical smoke will not only produce a healthier environment, but also act as a demonstrable commitment to the staff. Let me share this anecdote to explain: After a surgeon started evacuating smoke on his cases, the perioperative team began to ask to work with him over other surgeons. Why? Team members noticed they felt better at the end of the day, compared to when they worked in smoke-filled rooms. Given the choice, an educated surgical team member will prefer to work in a smoke-free OR — whether it's choosing one surgeon over another or one facility over another. A smoke-free mindset is not only the right thing to do, but it could also serve as a valuable recruitment and retention tool. OSM J a n u a r y 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 8 3 Ms. Ogg (mogg@aorn.org) is a senior perioperative practice specialist with the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses.

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