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Along with surgeons, anesthesia professionals, and RN circulators, surgical technologists are essential members of the perioperative team. Despite a partnership with a local community college that offered a surgical technologist degree program, Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Kentucky, continued to experience a shortage of surgical technologists. To meet demands, the clinical educators at the facility developed an in-house Surgical Technologist Apprentice Program (STAP). The STAP consists of six weeks of didactic learning and hands-on training in an OR simulation laboratory, followed by a six-month preceptorship in the OR. This program has proven invaluable, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for personnel who are not only skilled in the OR but also can provide essential frontline patient care when needed. Together, the STAP and the college partnership offer a career-building opportunity for those in entry-level positions who may not otherwise be able to afford to train for this specialized role., (© AORN, Inc, 2023.)

Background: Testicular torsion is a pediatric surgical emergency, and prompt diagnosis and treatment is imperative. During the COVID-19 pandemic, pediatric patients with symptoms of testicular torsion may be reluctant to seek medical care which increases the likelihood of delayed presentation and the need for an orchiectomy. This observational study sought to determine whether there was a higher number of testicular torsion cases during COVID-19., Methods: As the first patient with COVID-19 was admitted to our facility on March 6, 2020, we identified male children ages 1-18 years with testicular torsion between March 1-December 31, 2020 (during COVID-19) compared to the same time period between 2015 and 2019 (prior to COVID-19). All patients were evaluated at our Institution's Emergency Department by a pediatric urologist., Results: There were 38 cases of testicular torsion between March 1-December 31, 2020 compared to 15.8 cases on average during the same 10-month period between 2015 and 2019 (a total of 79 cases). There was a statistically significant increase in testicular torsion cases during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to equivalent time periods in 2015-2019 (38 vs. 15.8, p = 0.05). Patients with testicular torsion during the COVID-19 pandemic were younger, had a longer duration of symptoms, and had a higher number of orchiectomies (although not statistically significant)., Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, an escalation in testicular torsion cases was observed. Timely assessment, diagnosis, and surgery are crucial to prevent testicular loss and potential infertility in the future. Further evaluation is needed to elucidate the surge in testicular torsion and possible mechanisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Abstract: Patient safety attendants (PSAs) provide constant direct observation to patients who have cognitive impairments or thoughts. Some estimates report that an acute care hospital in the United States may spend more than $1 million annually on PSAs, an expenditure often not reimbursed. With no national defined standards to regulate or monitor PSA use, this study sought to determine the impact of COVID-19 on a PSA reduction program in a large Midwestern healthcare system., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)