Information and services for Congress 2004

Sunday, March 21, to Thursday, March 25, 2004

The 51st AORN Congress will be held March 21 to 25, 2004. Following is important information about Congress, which will be held at the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego.

AIRLINE INFORMATION

Polk Majestic Travel Group, in cooperation with AORN, is offering special airline rates that give a 5% discount on the lowest applicable fares, including first class, or a 10% discount on unrestricted coach fares. All rules and regulations of the airfare have to be met to receive these discounts. Purchase your tickets at least 60 days in advance of travel and receive an additional 5% discount.

Discounts are offered through United Airlines and Delta Airlines. To take advantage of the United discount, call or have your travel agent call United at (800) 521-4041, Monday through Sunday from 8 AM to 10 PM eastern time, and refer to file #510BH. To take advantage of the Delta discount, call or have your travel agent call Delta at (800) 241-6760, Monday through Sunday from 8 AM to 11 PM eastern time, and refer to file #197906A.

If these options do not meet your needs, call Polk Majestic Travel Group at (800) 875-7655 inside the United States or (303) 333-6161 outside the United States, Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM to 5 PM mountain time.

AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION

Airport shuttle coupons will be mailed with registration confirmations. Coupons are for the Cloud 9 Shuttle.

SAN DIEGO LINDBERGH FIELD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. Retrieve your luggage and follow the signs for ground transportation. For shuttles, cross the sky bridge, go to the shuttles-for-hire island, and wait for the shuttle. Drivers will accept cash, all major credits cards, and traveler's checks. Cloud 9 is offering a flat rate of $5.50 per person to any downtown hotel and a flat rate of $7.50 per person to any Mission Valley hotel.

Taxis are located across the sky bridge in the ground transportation plaza. The ride takes approximately 10 minutes, and fares vary depending on destination.

Some hotels offer a courtesy shuttle to and from the airport. After you receive your hotel confirmation from Quality Business Services (QBS), please feel free to call the hotel directly for specific information.

The Metropolitan Transit System offers bus service between the San Diego Airport and downtown San Diego for $2.25 one way. Buses leave from outside terminals one and two every 10 to 15 minutes. To check schedules, go to http://www.sdcommute.com.

PARKING

Please keep in mind that there may be parking fees at official AORN hotels. After you receive your confirmation from QBS, please call the hotel directly for exact charges.

Parking is available at the San Diego Convention Center. At press time, rates were $8 per day. For more information, call Ace Parking at (619) 237-0399.

SHUTTLE SERVICE

AORN will provide shuttle service between the official AORN hotels and the San Diego Convention Center, except for the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina because it is within walking distance of the convention center. Shuttle service for the Tuesday evening event at Sea World will be provided from all official AORN hotels, including file San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina. Service begins Saturday, March 20, and ends on Thursday, March 25.

SPECIAL NEEDS

Please contact the AORN meetings department at (800) 755-2676 x 434 for assistance with any special needs (eg, physical, dietary). To rent special mobility aids (eg, wheelchairs), please contact Pacific Mobility Center at (760) 471-8884.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS

Visit http://www.aorn.org/congress for driving directions from several locations to the San Diego Convention Center. Please remember, there is a fee to park at the convention center.

HOUSING INFORMATION

AORN has secured blocks of hotel rooms in the downtown and Mission Valley areas of San Diego. Shuttle service will be provided only from these hotels. A portion of the room block in each hotel has been designated for nurse use. Receipt of the housing form and deposit within 24 hours will increase your chance of obtaining the hotel(s) of your choice. If your hotel choices no longer are available, QBS will make an assignment that is the most comparable to your request. Read the confirmation promptly. If you are not satisfied with your assignment, send a fax to QBS requesting to be placed on the wait list. Changes will be based on availability.

Quality Business Systems cannot acknowledge receipt of forms; however, if you do not receive hotel confirmation within two weeks of posting, contact QBS. If you wish to contact QBS with further questions on hotels, please call (800) 755-2676 x 273 in the United States or (303) 755-6304 x 273 outside the United States.

IMPORTANT. If you are sharing a room, please send only one form with the names of all people occupying the room. One confirmation will be mailed to the room contact.

ROOM DEPOSIT, All housing requests require a deposit. The deposit must be mailed or sent by fax with the housing request form. If the deposit does not accompany the form, your reservation will not be processed until the deposit is received. This delay could mean the loss of your hotel choice. Room deposits are as follows:

* $175 per guest room,

* $350 per one-bedroom suite, and

* $525 per two-bedroom suite.

Payments may be made by check, payable to QBS in US dollars drawn on a US Bank, or with one of the following credit cards: MasterCard, Visa, Discover, or American Express. Your credit card will be charged at the time the reservation is made.

HOTEL CHANGES/CANCELLATIONS. All changes or cancellations must be received by QBS in writing, either by fax or mail, on or before Feb 20. Deposits will be forfeited if cancellation notice is not received on or before Feb 20. After Feb 29, you must contact the hotel directly for changes. Contact QBS directly to cancel your reservation; however, cancellations received after Feb 29 will result in forfeiture of your deposit. Hotels may apply an early departure fee equal to one night's stay for changes made on-site. Your room rate includes a service fee to help defray the cost of the housing service.

WAYS TO RESERVE YOUR HOTEL ROOM. There are four easy ways to reserve your hotel room.

* Internet (credit cards only)--forms are available on AORN Online at http://www.aorn.org/congress.

* Mail--send to QBS, 3110 S Wadsworth Blvd, Suite 307, Denver, CO 80227.

* Fax (credit cards only)--send to (303) 9149651.

* Telephone (credit cards only)--call (800) 7552676 x 273 within the United States or (303) 755-6304 x 273 outside the United States.

AUDIOTAPE AND VIDEOTAPE SALES

Most education sessions will be audiotaped, and select sessions will be videotaped. Audiocassette tape, audio compact disc (CD), and videotape orders will be taken at the booth in the Sails Pavilion at the San Diego Convention Center. Order early in the week so that your requested items are ready before you leave San Diego.

The price for audiocassette tapes is $12 per tape on-site at Congress and $14 per tape for post-Congress sales. The price for CDs is $15 per CD on-site at Congress and $16 for post-Congress sales. The price for videocasettes is $29.95 on-site at Congress and $34.95 for post-Congress sales.

For more information about purchasing multimedia products, contact Sound Images, Inc, by mail at 7388 Revere Pkwy, Suite 806, Englewood, CO 80112; by telephone at (303) 649-1811; or by fax at (303) 790-4230. You also may contact them via e-mail at orders@soundimages.net or on the Internet at http://www.soundimages.net.

MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS

AORN Management Solutions is a subsidiary of AORN. It provides the following services for acute care hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and surgical hospitals:

* interim management,

* permanent placement, and

* consultation.

INTERIM MANAGEMENT. AORN Management Solutions offers qualified, experienced perioperative directors and managers to facilities for assignments ranging from three months to one year. These interim managers bring a wealth of knowledge and AORN standards of practice to facilities and can provide leadership, stability, and vision for the perioperative services area.

PERMANENT PLACEMENT. AORN Management Solutions offers employment search services for perioperative managers and directors on a permanent placement basis. This service is proactive, results driven, and highly successful in finding qualified candidates to fill vacant management positions. AORN Management Solutions contracts on a retainer basis only.

CONSULTATION. AORN Management Solutions' perioperative consultation service offers experts who are available for in-depth consultation on a variety of issues. Such issues include productivity/efficiency studies, infection control, remodeling and new construction, staff mix and mentoring, and almost any issue related to perioperative services.

AORN Management Solutions has contracted with national group purchasing organizations and corporate health systems such as AmeriNet and Community Health Systems. These corporate agreements allow AORN Management Solutions to be a preferred vendor of perioperative management and consultative services.

Please visit the AORN Management Solutions' web site at http://www.aornmanagementsolutions.com for more information on services offered. Service has grown and because of national contracts, Management Solutions is looking for qualified, experienced managers and directors to fill the demands of our client facilities. If you are interested in learning more about permanent or interim job opportunities, please contact Management Solutions at (800) 755-2676 x 266 or x 313 or stop by booth 312 on the exhibit floor.

AORN RESOURCE CENTER

Learn what AORN is doing for you. AORN introduced the Resource Center at the 2003 Congress and got rave reviews from attendees. The AORN Resource Center is staffed by AORN Headquarters professionals ready to answer your questions, provide you with valuable information, and share updates on the latest products and services AORN offers. The Resource Center offers a relaxed, comfortable place for attendees to network with colleagues, get information, and share ideas with AORN staff members. Information available includes government affairs and legislative updates and information on membership, education programs, the Center for Nursing Practice, upcoming conferences, specialty assemblies, AORN publications, and the Perioperative Nursing Data Set. The AORN Foundation, Certification Board Perioperative Nursing, and AORN Museum also will be located in the Resource Center. The Resource Center will be located in the Sails Pavilion along with registration. Specific hours of operation will be listed in the Congress Program given to each attendee at registration.

CERTIFICATION BOARD PERIOPERATIVE NURSING

Twenty-five years ago, a group of 686 OR nurses made a commitment to excellence in their field and paved the way for nearly 50,000 others to follow in their footsteps. This group of visionaries participated in the first certification examination for OR nurses.

Certification was not a new idea in 1979, but no examination or credential was available for perioperative nurses at that time. From 1974 to 1977, AORN and the American Nurses Association (ANA) held a dialogue on the possibility of offering a joint certification examination. At the 1978 Congress, when partnership with ANA was determined not to be feasible, the AORN House of Delegates voted to provide a voluntary certification program for OR nurses. The Council on Certification was appointed by the AORN Board of Directors to develop, direct, implement, and evaluate the program. Between 1980 and 1997, this independent credentialing body underwent several name changes and now is known as the Certification Board Perioperative Nursing (CBPN). The organization currently is governed by a 10-member board of directors, and day-to-day management is the responsibility of a six-member staff.

Operating room nurses immediately embraced the idea of a certification to let the public know they considered their careers not just a job but a profession. Today, more than 28,000 perioperative nurses hold CNOR certification.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION. The Certification Board Perioperative Nursing will be celebrating 25 years of the CNOR in a number of ways during AORN's 51st Congress. The week will kick off with a pencil and paper examination on Saturday, March 20, from 1 to 5 PM at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. Participants must preregister to take the examination.

During Opening Session, CBPN will honor 166 of the original CNORs who still maintain their CNOR status. They will receive a pin, sponsored by AORN, commemorating the celebration at a special event during me week. Throughout the week, CNORs can stop by the CBPN booth to receive special anniversary ribbons and gifts and to be entered in prize drawings to win free recertification. Limited anniversary CBPN logo items will be sold in AORN's Perioperative Bookstore at Congress.

The Certification Board Perioperative Nursing's current president, Mary Weis, RN, MSN, CNS, CNOR, CRNFA, says

   We are very excited and proud to be honoring
   the 166 nurses who have held the CNOR
   credential for 25 years. These nurses demonstrate
   excellence in providing patient care
   and safety by maintaining the CNOR credential
   through continuing education or by
   demonstrating knowledge through retesting.
   These 166 CNOR nurses are our role models--please
   join me in congratulating each of
   them. And, to all other CNOR nurses,
   whether your credential is one year old or 24
   years old, congratulations! Each of you
   makes a difference in providing excellent and
   safe patient care.

To learn more about the pencil and paper examination at Congress or CBPN events occurring throughout the week, visit http: //www.certboard.org or call (888) 257-2667.

FIRST-TIME ATTENDEE BREAKFAST/MENTORING

To make sure first-time attendees have a quality experience at Congress, AORN provides two comprehensive programs. These are the First-Time Attendee Breakfast and the Congress mentoring program.

At the First-Time Attendee Breakfast, Membership Committee members will answer questions about Congress, such as how to use the Message Center, navigate the exhibit hall, or obtain credit for contact hours. The breakfast will be held on Sunday, March 21, from 7 to 8 AM. First-time attendees then will proceed to Opening Session. Seating is limited, so register by Feb 28. Be sure to check "first-time attending Congress" on the registration form and indicate whether you would like to attend the breakfast. You will receive a confirmation and room information.

AORN also offers the Congress mentoring program. This program matches first-time attendees with veteran Congress attendees. Mentors meet with first-tinge attendees to educate them about Congress activities. If you are interested in having a mentor or being a mentor, go to http://www.aorn.org/congress.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group