Podcast: First Case

This week’s episode of the First Case “Articles On-The-Go” series is written by, Paul Wafer, BS, MBA, RN where he discusses three factors that must be considered when determining how many anesthesia technicians are needed for a department. “By considering the needs of the many different patients that will be in your department each day,…

Between Season 4 and 5, we’re going to be throwing back to some of our exciting episodes of Season 1! What is a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)? What value can they add to surgical services? On today’s episode of First Case, we explore everything that a CNS does in the OR with Brenda G. Larkin,…

This week’s episode of the First Case “Articles On-The-Go” series is written by Melanie Perry, RN, BSN, CNOR co-host of the First Case podcast and founder of The Circulating Life where she outlines the keys to changing the culture within the OR: ” Bad behavior in the OR isn’t going to change overnight. We need…

How many times has it been said, “New grads need to work in Med-Surg prior to working in the OR.”? While most nursing schools focus on Med-Surg during clinicals, there are many students who really feel called to the operating room. Sending them to Med-Surge first for “experience” doesn’t give them specific OR experience, and…

This week’s episode of the First Case “Articles On-The-Go” series is written by Paul Wafer, BS, MBA, RN co-host of the First Case podcast and founder of Alpha Consulting Group, Inc. where he talks about best practices for case carts by looking at who, how, and when a case cart should be picked for a…

Every day, we push, pull, lift, and strain to position our patients for their procedures. We routinely tuck arms with draw sheets to allow practitioners closer access to the surgical field, but the products and the methods we use to pad and protect our patients don’t always provide the protection we would like them to….

Tape, gel rolls, foam, and a whole lot of pushing and pulling usually go into positioning our patients for surgery. Silk tape is our best friend! But, are we positioning patients the safest way for their procedure, and do our current positioning practices help prevent injury? On today’s episode of First Case, we’re going to…

We’ve all had rough days in the operating room. Days where it seems nothing is going right, everyone’s angry, and there’s not enough staff to cover every shift. But it isn’t always that way. In this article written by First Case co-host, Melanie Perry, tune in to the ways we can use the good experiences…

How often do you hear about productivity in your department? How is that productivity determined? Or maybe, you’re just wondering, “What IS productivity?” If it seems confusing or mysterious, you’re not alone! We’re going to break it all down for you today as we interview our very own First Case co-host, Paul Wafer. With 40+…

This week’s episode of the First Case “Articles On-The-Go” series is written by, Paul Wafer, BS, MBA, RN co-host of the First Case podcast and founder of Alpha Consulting Group, Inc. where he talks about common leadership errors he has seen over decades of perioperative consulting: “I am still learning new things, and I carry…