SPECIALTY
ASSEMBLIES
Connecting small and rural hospitals
Members of the Rural and Small Hospitals SA connect to share common challenges and strategies
By Carina Stanton
Senior News Editor/Writer
Despite the fact that small and rural hospitals across the United States vary in patient demographics and locations, these facilities share a number of common challenges and practice issues.
These commonalities make AORN's Rural and Small Hospital Specialty Assembly (SA) a valuable resource for members as a forum to share innovations and best practices and help to serve as a base for nurses across the country to stand together, says Angela Blankinship, RN, director of surgery at San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center in Alamosa, Colo., and the SA's new chair.
Because Alamosa is a small town in south central Colorado that is located about 200 miles outside of Denver, Blankinship is always challenged with retaining surgeons and with balancing staff schedules.
"Our compensation seems to be equitable and we have the surgical volume, however, Alamosa caters more to outdoor activities like skiing, fishing and horseback riding. If surgeons and their families like these activities, then it's a win for us. But those looking for shopping and other big city amenities must make a trip out of town and that is not ideal for some families," Blankinship explained.
She also said staffing can be a challenge for surgical specialties with a limited local physician pool. Because she only has one orthopedic surgeon, when he schedules vacation time, her perioperative staff members have to flex their time, or she has to find other areas for her staff to work, which is not always possible.
After participating in the Rural and Small Hospital SA update meeting at AORN's Congress in Chicago last March, Blankinship discovered that she shares these challenges with her colleagues across the country also working in rural and small hospitals.
"Communication and having another person who understands exactly what your work day is like is priceless. This assembly provides a place for companionship, but more importantly, it provides an opportunity to share resources," she stressed.
Blankinship also thinks the SA could be an excellent group to discuss the need for changes that can impact all rural and small hospitals. For example, she would like to discuss with SA colleagues the challenges she faces when reporting things like Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) Core Measures. "Our outcomes are well above the national average, but our volume is so low compared to other hospitals that when we report our data, there are times we look below average."
Learn more about AORN's Rural and Small Hospital SA.
Communicate with SA members through the Rural and Small Hospital SA's Online Community of Practice.
Read more news in AORN Connections.
These commonalities make AORN's Rural and Small Hospital Specialty Assembly (SA) a valuable resource for members as a forum to share innovations and best practices and help to serve as a base for nurses across the country to stand together, says Angela Blankinship, RN, director of surgery at San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center in Alamosa, Colo., and the SA's new chair.
Because Alamosa is a small town in south central Colorado that is located about 200 miles outside of Denver, Blankinship is always challenged with retaining surgeons and with balancing staff schedules.
"Our compensation seems to be equitable and we have the surgical volume, however, Alamosa caters more to outdoor activities like skiing, fishing and horseback riding. If surgeons and their families like these activities, then it's a win for us. But those looking for shopping and other big city amenities must make a trip out of town and that is not ideal for some families," Blankinship explained.
She also said staffing can be a challenge for surgical specialties with a limited local physician pool. Because she only has one orthopedic surgeon, when he schedules vacation time, her perioperative staff members have to flex their time, or she has to find other areas for her staff to work, which is not always possible.
After participating in the Rural and Small Hospital SA update meeting at AORN's Congress in Chicago last March, Blankinship discovered that she shares these challenges with her colleagues across the country also working in rural and small hospitals.
"Communication and having another person who understands exactly what your work day is like is priceless. This assembly provides a place for companionship, but more importantly, it provides an opportunity to share resources," she stressed.
Blankinship also thinks the SA could be an excellent group to discuss the need for changes that can impact all rural and small hospitals. For example, she would like to discuss with SA colleagues the challenges she faces when reporting things like Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) Core Measures. "Our outcomes are well above the national average, but our volume is so low compared to other hospitals that when we report our data, there are times we look below average."
Learn more about AORN's Rural and Small Hospital SA.
Communicate with SA members through the Rural and Small Hospital SA's Online Community of Practice.
Read more news in AORN Connections.