The increasing dependence on loaner instrument sets for surgical procedures can create significant challenges for the sterile processing department (SPD), and can also lead to surgical delays or possible patient harm. This article examines common challenges associated with loaner sets, including inconsistent arrival timing; incomplete manufacturer's instructions for use; complex and unfamiliar instruments; inventory and scheduling conflicts; communication gaps between sterile processing, OR personnel, and vendors; and difficulties with loaner set return after procedures. These issues strain SPD workflows and increase the risk of errors in instrument assembly and sterilization. Key recommendations for addressing these challenges include implementing clear policies for set arrival and processing timelines, adopting digital inventory management systems, enhancing personnel education, and establishing standardized communication protocols. Multidisciplinary collaboration among SPD personnel, perioperative teams, and vendors is essential to ensure safe and efficient handling of loaner sets.

Perioperative nursing faces staffing shortages, high turnover, and resource-intensive orientation that threaten safety and operational efficiency. Charting Progress is an internally developed program at a multicampus academic medical center that complements existing curricula by addressing readiness, resilience, and professional identity formation. The program integrates peer-led strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats reflection; intraoperative mock code simulation; leadership dialogue to clarify expectations; and career pathway mapping grounded in emotional intelligence principles. In October 2025, nine novice perioperative nurses participated. Self-reported confidence in core OR skills increased from 62.5% to 75.0%, and perceived readiness to advance increased from 62.5% to 87.5% by program completion. Costs were minimized by using existing simulation resources, protected staff time, and a half-day cohort format. Limitations included the small sample size, limited campus participation, and reliance on self-reported data with possible response bias. Overall, findings suggest this concise emotional intelligence program may accelerate transition to practice.

In Italy, no nationally standardized curriculum currently exists for scrub nurses (SNs), leading to variability in training, role expectations, and competency assessment across institutions. We aimed to identify the core competencies required for Italian SNs and to define indicative timeframes for their achievement in clinical practice. We conducted a multiphase eDelphi study from April to September 2023 with 35 expert perioperative nurses. Using the European Operating Room Nurses Association Core Curriculum as the starting framework, panelists reviewed 113 competencies and proposed two additional items relevant to Italian OR nursing practice. Overall, 79 competencies were retained. Consensus on timeframes for competency achievement was reached through two rounds of surveys and a final expert discussion. Internal reliability was high, with Cronbach alphas of 0.979 (round 2) and 0.956 (round 3). The resulting framework may support competency-based education, role transition, and greater consistency in SN training across Italian health care institutions.