AORN Board of Directors discusses Congress agenda items, strategic plan, bylaws - Board Report - Brief Article

AORN Journal, Jan, 2002 by Mary Jo Steiert

The AORN Board of Directors met Oct 28 to 29, 2001, in Denver. All members of the Board attended, as did Executive Director Tom Cooper and several Headquarters staff department directors.

Before the meeting, a session on strategic planning was conducted and included participation by the AORN Board of Directors, eight AORN members, three Headquarters staff members, and two consultants. A new vision statement, mission statement, and points of direction were developed during this strategic planning session. These items continue to be developed and will be shared with members after the final stage is completed. The AORN Board of Directors also met with the Foundation Board of Trustees, and strategic directions were shared and discussed.

AORN position statement. The "AORN Revised Statement on Patients and Health Care Workers with Bloodborne Diseases" was reviewed and approved by the Board. This statement is included in this issue of the AORN Journal (see page 66) and is on AORN Online (http://www.aorn.org) for members to review. This position statement also will be an item for discussion at the Forum and House of Delegates at Congress 2002 in Anaheim, Calif.

PNDS. Board members also approved revisions to the Perioperative Nursing Data Set (PNDS). Revisions included

* ensuring nursing interventions and activities (ie, actions required to implement an intervention) are at the same level of abstraction;

* identifying outcome criteria that describe a patient's condition at the time of discharge from the OR;

* combining all aspects of the PNDS under each outcome (eg, nursing diagnosis, assessment, intervention, evaluation); and

* specifying measures related to outcome achievement.

Suggested revisions are being incorporated into the second edition of the Perioperative Nursing Data Set. The book will be available in AORN's Perioperative Bookstore at Congress 2002. Changes will be disseminated during a Congress education session, in an AORN Journal article, at a PNDS user-group meeting, at the PNDS preview exhibit, and via a presentation to the greater nursing community.

Bylaws amendment recommendations. The Board approved two bylaws amendments, which will be presented at the Forum and acted upon by the House of Delegates at Congress 2002. The following bylaws amendment recommendations are on page 65 of this issue of the Journal and on AORN Online.

* Each specialty assembly shall have two delegates and alternates.

* To facilitate the Association's mission and strategic plan, as well as the needs of the profession, committees and ad hoc task forces will be identified and ratified by the Board of Directors annually. The Association President-elect will appoint members of these committees and ad hoc task forces. Each committee or task force will consist of a chair and at least two members.

One Member/One Vote Task Force. A presentation was given to the Board on the One Member/ One Vote Task Force research. This information will be presented at the Forum and House of Delegates meetings at Congress 2002. As it has met its charge, this Task Force was dissolved. The Board expresses its deep appreciation to the Task Force members for their work.

Committee appointments. A motion was made that the Board of Directors approve committee appointments made by the President-elect for a one-year term. To maintain a 50/50 rotation, however, a committee member may be appointed to a second one-year term.

Business items for Congress 2002. The following items will be presented to the membership during the Forum at the 2002 Congress (see page 64 for the full agenda).

* Postponement of the dues increase

* Governance Task Force recommendations, including a proposed bylaws amendment related to the House of Delegates: Article VI, A2, new f and a proposed bylaws amendment related to standing and special committees: Article VIII, Sections 1 and 2, new Section 1

* "AORN Revised Statement on Patients and Health Care Workers with Bloodborne Diseases"

* "One Member/One Vote" initiative

* Portable perioperative workshop for RNs

* Formal reentering process

* AORN's vision, mission, and strategic plan

* Government affairs report

* Smoke regulations update

* Chapter visits

* Education for making motions

The House of Delegates agenda will include:

* Proposed bylaws amendment related to the House of Delegates: Article VI, A2, new f,

* Proposed bylaws amendment related to standing and special committees: Article VIII, Sections 1 and 2, new Section 1, and

* "AORN Revised Statement on Patients and Health Care Worker with Bloodborne Diseases"

2003 World Conference. The Board of Directors approved the selection of Hang Kong as the site of the 2003 AORN World Conference on Surgical Patient Care. Hang Kong offers attendees the most value for their money, with hotels in all price ranges. It also provides a safe environment, efficient and timely transportation, and adequate facilities to host education sessions and exhibits. The dates for the 2003 World Conference are Aug 17 to 22, 2003. Check AORN Online (http://aorn.org/World) beginning in March 2002 for additional details.