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Improve surgical care with culturally competent practices for Asian patients. Learn four practical strategies to enhance communication, respect cultural preferences, and manage pain effectively in the OR.

For this year's National Time Out Day, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) and The Joint Commission are focusing on the full attention of all team members during the Time Out, as well as the importance of visible site markings.

National Time Out Day draws attention to the need for everyone on the surgical team to pause before the procedure begins in order to make sure all are on the same page about the right patient, right site and right procedure. As we mark this milestone, we shift our focus from recognizing the importance of the surgical time out to ensuring that surgical teams are making adequate time for the time out.

The effort to pass mandatory surgical smoke evacuation legislation in statehouses across the U.S. continues in 2025 with the ultimate goal of removing toxic plume from the air of every OR in every state.

A surgical safety checklist is a cornerstone of perioperative practice, fostering safety behaviors, improving team communication, and enhancing risk awareness.

Test your knowledge about sterile technique with this acrostic puzzle.

Foley catheter injuries are more common than you think, but simple interventions can reduce risks. Learn key strategies from a quality improvement team that improved patient safety with evidence-based best practices.

Take care of yourself when going through loss: participate in debriefs, talk with a friend or therapist, take a break, and learn what you can to keep growing.

Intraoperative hypothermia can increase bleeding, infection risk, and recovery time, yet it’s often overlooked. Proactive temperature management—starting with prewarming, using multimodal warming methods, and addressing OR cooling factors—ensures better patient outcomes.

This article will describe the VARK learning styles model, identify the characteristics of each learning style, and provide tips so you can support learners using their preferred style.

As a new nurse, how can I interact and develop relationships without gossiping?

As a perioperative nurse, you can mentally put yourself into a situation and think, “What would I have done?”

Get at a glance at the steps to perform a vaginal prep.

In the January issue of Periop Leader, a feature article provided Part One of the webinar, “Perioperative Staffing and Productivity.” In this issue, Part Two wraps up what you need to know to develop your budget in these areas.

In the recent Leader Exchange webinar that was presented by the AORN Center for Perioperative Leadership, a multi-disciplinary panel discussed their work to optimize their ORs. In the meantime, here are some quick tips that were provided by the panel experts from Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

A siloed perioperative team can lead to inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and staffing challenges—especially when vacancies stretch teams thin. Cross-training can break down barriers, strengthen teamwork, and create a more adaptable, resilient periop team.

This Periop Portrait highlights how humor can lighten the mood in high-pressure environments. That one moment of shared laughter diffused the stress and brought our team closer together. Even in the intensity of surgical cases, those small, funny moments can make all the difference.

In this week’s Periop Life, Dr. Michael Rempel, DNP, RN, CNOR, shares six actionable strategies to help you support their transition into practice.

AORN advocates for a systems approach to prevent RSIs, including standardized counting and reconciliation procedures, methodical wound exploration, radiologic confirmation, adjunct technology, and teamwork training.