From the Editor
It’s spring, but in Denver we’re having a last-gasp-of-winter (we hope) snowstorm. Good time to stay in, watch some videos and learn something new!
For this issue, we turn our attention to abdominal hernia repair — looking at a few of the different types of hernia and surgical approaches being used. Scroll down for videos and an all-new crossword puzzle on the topic.
This month’s spotlight focuses on NIFA’s new Marketing Director, Linda Batchelor.
And of course you will find job listings and NIFA’s facorite links. Enjoy!
News
CDC’s 3-step hand-washing technique vs. WHO’s 6-step technique: Which is most effective?
Batman versus Superman. The World Health Organization’s six-step hand hygiene technique versus the CDC’s three-step method. Which is superior? While the debate around the superheroes may never be truly settled, new research has declared a winner in the hand hygiene battle. Read more…
Using a robot comes with added benefits: surgeons get room to roam (inside the abdomen)
New robotic technology at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center in Vancouver, WA, gives surgeons more mobility, allowing them to move around the abdomen to perform more complex procedures, such as hernia repair and colon procedures. About 50 percent of the inguinal hernia repair surgeries done nationally are performed as open procedures and other hernia surgeries have rates as high as 70 percent. Read more…
Videos
Hiatal Hernia Repair
Hiatal hernias are common, especially in people over age 50. In this 17-minute video, Dr. Dana Portenier, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, performs a paraesophgeal hernia repair using a SILS™ (single incision / multiple access) port. Watch now…
Inguinal Hernia Repair (Lichtenstein)
The most commonly performed inguinal hernia repair today is the Lichtenstein repair, in which flat mesh is placed on top of the defect. In this video, R.A. Gamagami, M.D., F.A.C.S., Medical Director at Progressive Surgical Associates in New Lenox, IL, performs an Open Inguinal Hernia Repair. Watch now…
Umbilical Hernia Repair
In this video, Carl Lowe, Jr., M.D., of Carolina Surgical in Charlotte, NC, repairs an umbilical hernia. Watch now…
SAGES Resident Webinar: Optimizing Outcomes for Inguinal Hernia Repair
Four surgeons from the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) present a two-hour webinar of Optimizing Outcomes for Inguinal Hernia Repair. They discuss open and laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair, ingulinodynia, recurrent and giant hernias, followed by a panel discussion. Watch now…
For another discussion regarding the most controversial issues in hernia surgery, watch Colleen Hutchinson sit down with four experts at the 2016 Minimally Invasive Surgery Symposium. Watch now…
Perioperative Puzzle: Abdominal Hernia Surgery
Test your knowledge of abdominal hernia anatomy and surgeries with this month’s crossword puzzle.
When you’re ready to check your answers, follow this link to see how well you did. Good luck!
Employee Spotlight: Linda Batchelor
NIFA has just launched a Twitter feed (@NIFARNFA), is undertaking a website overhaul, and is developing a new educational program that is going into beta testing in May.
It’s a busy time for NIFA’s new Marketing Director, Linda Batchelor.
Linda’s background is in radio, where she started out at a Palm Springs, CA, station as a receptionist. But management soon discovered what a gifted employee they had on their hands. She went on to produce the local morning show and write some award-winning radio commercials. Later she worked for RCS (Radio Computing Services) and Clear Channel. She left the radio business to raise a family with her RNFA husband, Troy Batchelor.
Troy (profiled in our Nov. 2015 issue), had been an instructor in the SutureStar workshops for several years before the company moved him and his family to Denver last year to become NIFA’s Director of Perioperative and College Programs.
Linda came on board at NIFA, too, working in the Contracts Department, but, once again, it wasn’t long before her excellent marketing skills caught the attention of management. As of May 1, she takes on the Marketing Director position, where she is in charge of strategic marketing and advertising.
Linda and Troy have three children: Brandon, 24; Thomas, 15; and Shoshana, 12. The household also includes two Boston terriers, Dexter and Lola, and two American Shorthair cats, Storm and Salem.
“We moved to Denver on Halloween of last year,” Linda says. “It was the day before a crazy snow, and we are accustomed to Southern California weather, so it’s taken a little getting used to. But we’ll take this weather over the 120 degree temperatures we sometimes got back there.”
Jobs
Click here for the RNFA job postings we’ve collected for you this month.
NIFA – Office Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00am – 4:00pm
Practice Resources
Here are several of the most-in-demand sites for our students, prospective students and grads:
ACS Surgery News: Specialty News and Commentaries, Videos and More
AORN Legislative Map: What’s Happening in My State
RNFA Scope of Practice by State (PDF)
ACS List of Cases that Require an Assistant at Surgery (PDF)
AORN Perioperative Bookstore
Perioperative Nurse Links (state nursing boards & professional associations