Board of Directors reviews progress of projects, approves annual reports

AORN Journal, April, 2000 by Betty J. Shultz

The AORN Board of Directors held their pre-Congress Board meeting Feb 19 and 20, 2000, at Headquarters in Denver. The Board reviewed progress on AORN government affairs activities, the Surgical Knowledgebase, and the Perioperative Nursing Data Set; approved committee and specialty assembly annual reports; and prepared for the 2000 Congress. Other actions the Board approved include

* a three-year plan for the continued development and implementation of the Perioperative Nursing Data Set,

* a set of short- and long-term strategies for membership recruitment and retention, and

* a conflict of interest statement for Board members.

CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE

A motion was approved that charges Membership Committee members with contacting chapters that did not seat delegates to the 1999 Congress. This contact will help Committee members determine the reasons why delegates were not seated and allow them to provide assistance to chapters as needed. Thirty-one chapters (ie, 9%) did not have delegates registered at Congress 1999 in San Francisco. Overall, there was a total of 156 unfilled chapter delegate positions (ie, 10% of 1,497 chapter delegates available).

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE

A recommendation from the Corporate Accountability Committee that the AORN Vice President serve as chair of the Committee was approved. This will allow a two-year appointment for the chair and provide consistency for the Committee. It also will increase the effectiveness of the Committee and increase communication between the Board and each entity.

MEMBERSHIP MARKETING STRATEGIES

The Board approved a set of short- and long-term strategies for membership recruitment and retention. Short-term recruitment strategies for people who meet membership criteria will include marketing to executives, nurses younger than 35 years of age, novice nurses, and students. The specialty assemblies and the Member Ambassador Program will be promoted in the marketing plan. Long-term strategies include the use of direct mail, face-to-face communication; Internet communication, telemarketing, and a multiyear membership campaign.

VIRTUAL CHAPTER ON THE INTERNET

The Board approved a motion to create a virtual chapter pilot project for one year that would be open to all AORN members and marketed to lapsed and eligible nonmembers. This idea originated with the Membership Committee and could make it easier for some people to become members. It would allow AORN members to network through a web-based chapter. This is an item for discussion at the first Forum at the 2000 Congress. A prototype will be available at Congress in the AORN Booth for demonstration during exhibit hours.

STATE COUNCIL AFFILIATES APPROVED

The Board approved affiliate status for the following state councils: Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oregon, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Virginia. Fourteen of the 26 state councils now have affiliate status.

PERIOPERATIVE NURSING DATA SET

The Board approved a three-year plan for the continued development and implementation of the Perioperative Nursing Data Set (PNDS). This item will be discussed at the second Forum at this year's Congress. The PNDS is a standardized nursing vocabulary that will allow data to be generated that can capture nursing diagnoses, interventions, and patient outcomes. The PNDS is intended to help quantify two concepts that are difficult to measure but extremely important: what the nurse does, and how the nurse's actions contribute to positive patient outcomes. With an understanding of the interaction of actions and outcomes, AORN anticipates the ability to begin understanding, documenting, and describing the value of the RN as a member of the perioperative health care team.(1)

ANNUAL REPORTS

The Board approved annual reports from the following groups:

* AORN Foundation,

* Awards Committee,

* Legislative Committee,

* Membership Committee,

* National Committee on Education,

* Nominating Committee,

* Nursing Practices Committee,

* Nursing Research Committee,

* Scholarship Board,

* 50th Anniversary Task Force,

* AORN History Project, and

* the Continuing Education Approval Committee.

Annual reports from the following specialty assemblies also were approved:

* Advanced Technology,

* Ambulatory Surgery,

* Cardiothoracic,

* Leadership,

* Neurosurgery,

* Nurse Educator/Clinical Nurse Specialist,

* Nurses in Business, Industry & Consulting,

* Orthopedic,

* Pediatric,

* Perioperative Nursing Informatics,

* RN First Assistant, and

* Rural/Small Hospital.

RECOMMENDED PRACTICES COMMITTEE

The Board approved the report from the Recommended Practices Committee. In addition, a motion from the Committee to approve modification of Committee composition was approved. The Committee will consist of a chair, who previously has served a minimum of two years on the Recommended Practices Committee, and at least eight members. Serving as a Committee member need not have occurred immediately preceding appointment as chair of the Committee.

REUSE OF SINGLE-USE DEVICES

The Board reviewed work to date on AORN's draft guideline on the reuse of single-use devices. The document will provide information for people who are trying to make informed decisions on this subject. This issue will be discussed at the second Forum at Congress and information will be published in Congress News and the Post-Congress issue of the Journal.