Beyond the Backlog: Solving Staffing Challenges at ASC 2025

When Staffing Works, Surgery Works

The conversation we’re bringing to ACS Clinical Congress 2025 #ACSCC25

When surgeons talk about daily frustrations in the OR, the list is familiar: delayed start times, missing instruments, inconsistent processing, dissatisfied teams. These issues feel like never-ending events, and they aren’t random mishaps. They are symptoms of a deeper, systemic challenge: staffing.

We’ve heard it described in this conversation:

You: “The procedure I’m doing tomorrow is scheduled at 3 PM, which means it actually won’t start until 7.”

Your spouse: “What time will you be home?”

You: “My surgical block ends at 5 PM, which means I won’t get out of the hospital until around 8 or 9, if I’m lucky. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

For many, this isn’t an exaggeration; it’s the new normal. But it doesn’t have to be.

As the surgical community prepares to gather at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in the first week of October, conversations will focus on innovation, technology, and outcomes. But no matter how advanced the tools become, the OR can’t function without the people behind it. And right now, keeping those people in place is one of the greatest challenges hospitals can face.

Top 4 Signs of Hospital Staffing Squeeze

The traditional model of recruit, hire, train, replace doesn’t work anymore. Burnout and attrition are compounding problems, leaving surgical teams short-handed and stretched thin. Does this sound familiar? 

1. Turnover rates are the silent threat to ORs. They continue to have among the highest attrition rates in healthcare. With turnover stats in hospitals nationwide ranging between 25-35% for OR support, sterile processing, and endoscopy teams.
2. Doing more with less. Declining per capita hospital spend pushes surgeons, nurses, and staff to carry more workloads that sometimes compromise care.
3. Surgical complexity is rising. Robotics and advanced surgical technologies raise the stakes, yet many hospitals can’t recruit or retain the skilled support needed to keep pace.
4. The growth of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). As outpatient growth outpaces hospital capacity, straining staffing models built for hospitals simply don’t fit.

When staffing falters, the OR breaks down. Consistency, reliability, and confidence suffer, which has a direct impact to patient outcomes.

Why Change Is Urgent

Surgeons influence purchasing, but administrators make decisions. Both feel the downstream effects of staffing shortages: inefficiency, lost revenue, and compromised care. If hospitals want to deliver predictable, high-quality surgical outcomes, they need to address staffing at its core.

The message is simple: solving the staffing issues unlocks surgical confidence.

A Different Model: The Surgical Solutions Way

At Surgical Solutions, we believe the answer is scale, expertise, and consistency.

• Hire locally. Support nationally. We tap into the local talent pools and ensure they have the right training and certifications to make real impact. They get the support and depth of national expertise not available to staffing going it on their own.
• Stability over churn. Instead of endless cycles of turnover, we deliver reliable teams that stay.
• Patient outcomes first. Every solution is designed to improve consistency, safety and surgical confidence for improved patient care. This bigger than just filling a shift.

Looking Ahead to ACS 2025

At the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in Chicago, the spotlight will shine on robotics, innovation, and AI. Technology, training, and innovation will dominate the discussions, but staffing is the quiet thread that connects them all. No matter how advanced tools become, the OR depends on people. Without strong, consistent teams, even the best technology falters.

At Surgical Solutions, we go beyond staffing. From the OR, sterile processing and endoscopy support, we deliver scalable solutions that bring stability, expertise, and consistency to every corner of the OR. The result: fewer delays, stronger surgical confidence, and better patient outcomes.

We’ll be in Chicago listening, learning, and sharing what we know: when people, process, and performance align, surgery works.

Ready to connect with us at ACS? Visit us at Booth #14038

ACS Clinical Congress 2025: Meet Surgical Solutions in Chicago

Location / Details:

McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, IL
October 4–7, 2025
Booth #14038

When staffing works, surgery works.

Stop by Booth #14038 to talk with our team.
Or schedule a 1:1 meeting with us during the conference. 

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