Board members consider task forces and future conference dates during November Board meeting - Board Report - Brief Article

AORN Journal, Jan, 2003 by Sharon A. McNamara

The AORN Board of Directors met in Melville, NY, Nov 7 to 9, 2002. During the past several months, the Board of Directors has been exploring various ways to enhance relationships with industry members. As part of that effort, the Board held its November meeting at the headquarters of Olympus. The Board will continue to evaluate all efforts to improve relations with members of industry.

At this meeting, various agenda items were discussed, including scholarship policies, the Ethics Task Force, the Workplace Safety Task Force, AORN conference dates, the 2001-2002 financial audits, and future Congress sites. In addition, enhancements to the 2003-2004 committee structure and AORN Online were approved.

SCHOLARSHIP BOARD

The Board approved AORN Scholarship Board policies that formalize already existing criteria used by the Scholarship Board with the addition of the following:

   Nursing students must be enrolled in an accredited nursing program
   at the time of application. High school students are not eligible
   to apply.

In addition, generic nursing students must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 for each course taken to receive payment.

ETHICS TASK FORCE

The Board approved the AORN explications to the American Nurses Association's (ANA's) Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. These explications for perioperative practice will be published in the 2003 Standards, Recommended Practices, and Guidelines through a collaborative project with the ANA.

WORKPLACE SAFETY TASK FORCE

The Board approved the "AORN position statement on workplace safety" to be presented to the 2003 AORN House of Delegates for approval, which addresses multiple occupational hazards that have the potential to create risk for the perioperative practitioner. Some exposure issues identified are in the biological, ergonomic, chemical, physical, psychosocial, and cultural areas. The statement can be accessed on AORN Online at http://www .aorn.org.

AORN CONFERENCE DATES

The Board approved motions to standardize the months in which AORN conferences are held each year. This will facilitate long-term planning for Headquarters staff members and AORN members. Conference sites and months that were approved include the

* AORN Leadership Conference in July in Denver;

* RN First Assistant/Lobby Day Conference in May in Washington, DC;

* Nonclinical Multispecialty Conference in September; and

* Clinical Multispecialty Conference in October.

Three to four weeks will separate the multispecialty conferences.

FINANCE AND AUDIT COMMITTEE

Representatives from the firm of Ehrhardt, Keefe, Steiner & Hottman, PC, certified public accountants and consultants, presented an independent auditor's report on AORN, Inc, its subsidiaries, and the AORN Foundation to the Board. Board members discussed the report, which addresses the nature of the organization and includes summaries of significant accounting policies, with consideration of the financial future of AORN. The Board approved adoption of the 2001-2002 auditors' reports. In addition, James Cousin, chief financial officer, presented the revised treasury management policy, which was approved by the Board.

FUTURE CONGRESS DATES AND LOCATIONS

The Board finalized plans for future Congress dates and locations as follows:

* March 23-27, 2003, Chicago;

* March 21-25, 2004, San Diego;

* April 3-7, 2005, New Orleans;

* March 19-23,2006, Washington, DC;

* March 18-22, 2007, Orlando, Fla;

* March 30-April 3, 2008, Anaheim, Calif;

* March 15-19 2009, Chicago;

* March 14-18, 2010, Orlando, Fla; and

* March 13-17, 2011, San Antonio.

Following review of the legal, financial, and operational aspects of incorporating in another state, the Board of Directors approved maintaining articles of incorporation for AORN, Inc, in that state of New York.

EXHIBITORS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE

In compliance with the committee structure changes in the AORN Bylaws that were approved by the House of Delegates at the 2002 Congress, the Board approved changes in the current structure of the Exhibitors' Advisory Committee. This group now is considered a regular committee of AORN and is subject to the provisions of the AORN Bylaws concerning committees.

POLICY COMMITTEE

The Board of Directors approved the Corporate Compliance policy that clarifies that Board members are excluded from receiving AORN awards and prizes. The policy on Committee/Task Force/Representation Selection was approved to comply with action taken .by the 2002 House of Delegates regarding Bylaws revisions.

NATIONAL COMMITTEES/TASK FORCES 2003-2004

President-elect Betty Shultz submitted her committee and task force structure with changes as were deemed necessary. The Board approved the following committees:

* Awards,

* Congress Educational Planning,

* Continuing Education Approval,

* Exhibitors' Advisory,

* International Resource,

* Legislative,

* Membership,

* National Committee on Education,

* Nursing Practice,

* Nursing Research,

* Perioperative Nursing in Undergraduate Curricula,

* President's Commission on Patient Safety