3 Ways to Build Your ASC Network

3 Ways to Build Your ASC Network

August 28, 2022

ASC nurses love the work/life balance that outpatient surgical care affords, but that doesn’t mean the work is easy. The current uptick in ambulatory elective surgeries amid the ongoing staffing shortage and need to contain costs can create challenges for any nurse to tackle.

We caught up with AORN’s Ambulatory Surgery Specialty Assembly Education Co-Chair, Deena Edwards, RN, BSN, CCRN, who is also director of nursing for Dayton Eye Surgery Center in Beavercreek, Ohio. We asked her what practice challenges she is seeing, and what advice she suggests for helping ASC nurses thrive together.

It’s no surprise that staffing tops her list of challenges ASCs face today. “The hard part of recruiting to the ASC is that small employers usually do not have the resources to pay as much as the hospitals. However, the work schedule and lack of being on call is the kind of selling point we can promote to recruit.”

Edwards says daily practice challenges such as managing case costs and navigating supply chain and drug shortages are other realities keeping all ASC nurses on their toes.

To find camaraderie and creative solutions, she suggests these three networking strategies to achieve optimal patient care and surgery center success:

1. Get Actively Involved with Your Professional Association

“After recently attending several professional conferences, I realized just what a difference organizations like AORN are making for us in our day-to-day practice,” Edwards shares. “They actively lobby for standards or rules that directly impact all of us nurses in the ASC setting.”

She also says attending professional meetings can provide new opportunities to network with other nurses or leaders to share ideas about recruitment, retention and employee appreciation. 

2. Build a Support Group

This year Edwards connected with AORN’s Ambulatory Surgery Specialty Assembly to build her support group virtually.

“We’re working to strengthen the Specialty Assembly to serve as a sounding board and mentor resource for ASC nurses. We share resources so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”

3. Make Mentoring Part of Self-Care

We know self-care is essential for staying healthy. Edwards suggests seeking out a mentor (or someone to mentor) can be a part of self-care, because it provides a way to focus on advancing your practice, while finding a sounding board to share ideas and ask questions.

“Whether you are seeking mentorship or taking time to mentor a fellow nurse, having a person or group of people you know you can reach out to with practice challenges (or just to vent) makes any nurse feel connected—something we could all use a little more of these days.”