Specialty assembly and group meetings provide networking opportunities

AORN Journal, Jan, 2004

Saturday, March 20, to Thursday, March 25, 2004

Networking was listed among the top six reasons for joining AORN, according to the AORN 2000 Member/Nonmember Needs Assessment Survey. (1) Surprisingly, many AORN members are not aware of the networking opportunities available through specialty assembly memberships and the benefits they can gain by joining an assembly. In 1992, AORN began creating specialty assemblies to facilitate communications between specific specialty areas and the AORN Board of Directors. Each year at Congress, specialty assemblies gather to share updates, and networking groups meet to discuss common interests and the potential for forming new assemblies. This year, a special event has been added to honor the specialty assemblies that have been serving their members for 10 years.

SPECIALTY ASSEMBLY CELEBRATION

Congress attendees are invited to join members of AORN's 13 specialty assemblies for a celebration on Sunday evening, March 21, from 6:45 to 7:45 PM, following time General Session. Specialty assembly members and anyone interested in learning about one of the 13 existing specialty assemblies or forming a new specialty assembly are welcome to attend. The goals of the celebration will include to

* celebrate the specialty assemblies,

* showcase the individual assemblies, and

* meet as many people as possible. The celebration is designed to convene perioperative nurses from a variety of specialties simultaneously to allow them to exchange contact information. AORN members who attend Congress alone are especially encouraged to attend to develop contacts and facilitate their networking throughout the rest of the week. Please contact Bonnie G. Denholm, RN, MS, CNOR, specialty assembly coordinator, via the web page link on AORN Online at http://www.aorn.org/Congress/Attendees/events.htm before Feb 6, 2004, if you plan to attend.

SPECIALTY ASSEMBLIES

Specialty assemblies were formed to promote communication among RNs with similar professional interests, provide a forum for networking, identify and explore patient care issues, promote specialized education, and support the mission of AORN. Currently, there are nine assemblies celebrating at least 10 years of activities and four assemblies that officially were formed between one and seven years ago. (Table 1). Examples of activities in each specialty assembly's program of work include

* publishing newsletters;

* collaborating to offer specialized educational events;

* producing a member directory;

* identifying trends and issues in their specialty and identifying safe practices in accordance with AORN's standards and recommended practices, and

* developing strategies to participate in or increase awareness of AORN's legislative activities.

Each assembly has a governing council that is accountable to the AORN Board of Directors for fire activities and budget of the group. An orientation meeting is planned for governing council members and anyone interested in participating as a governing council member in the future. Following is specific information about the assemblies and examples of possible discussions to be held during meetings at Congress. Refer to Table 2 for meeting times.

GOVERNING COUNCIL ORIENTATION. Approximately 75 specialty assembly leaders will be available to provide insight into their roles on the various governing councils. Please contact Bonnie G. Denholm via the web page link on AORN Online at http://www.aorn.org/Congress/Attendees/events.htm before Feb 6, 2004, if you plan to attend.

AMBULATORY SURGERY. More than 1,250 members belong to this assembly to promote safe patient care through the application of AORN's standards and recommended practices in the ambulatory setting. Potential discussions include updates on new projects (eg, ambulatory safety manual, identifying procedures for care of eye instruments) and updates on the AORN Ambulatory Surgery Administrator Certificate course.

CARDIOTHORACIC. Approximately 750 members belong to this assembly. One of the goals of assembly members is to promote safe patient care and identify trends in the cardiothoracic perioperative setting. Potential discussions include reviewing publications about cardiac surgery, web site planning, and education planning for future conferences.

INTEGRATED HEALTH PRACTICES. The newest assembly was approved by the AORN Board of Directors in July. This group will meet for the first time at Congress to discuss activities for 2004. Discussions will include topics such as file impact of increased consumer awareness about over-the-counter products (eg, herbs, vitamins, minerals, aromatherapy) to perioperative nursing; integrating relaxation, nutrition, and mind-body imaging techniques in both inpatient and outpatient settings; and comparing practitioner experiences when Western medicine philosophies are integrated with Eastern medicine philosophies.

LEADERSHIP. The more than 1,200 perioperative leaders who belong to this assembly act as a resource to promote the highest professional standards of practice among perioperative leaders. Potential discussions include identifying safety and workplace environment issues related to the nursing shortage, effective coaching and mentoring opportunities to support new leaders in AORN and in the work setting, and promotion of new publications and education programs.