Unity is a necessity - President's Message

AORN Journal,  April, 2003  by Betty J. Shultz

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Last June, I had the opportunity to attend the American Medical Association (AMA) meeting in Chicago. During the meeting, AMA president Richard F. Corlin, MD, said, "It's time we stopped giving lip service to the concept of unity and started living it." (1) I found that to be a very powerful statement that truly expresses my belief of what we as perioperative nurses tend to do.

We ask others to stand united with us on perioperative nursing issues, but do we stand united within our own Association? We must not see malice in honest differences of opinion; instead, we should relish them, as long as they are in the best interests of AORN. For us to move forward on issues such as patient safety, workplace safety, decreasing the nursing shortage, advancing our legislative priorities, and revitalizing our chapters, as well as other important issues, we must stand united and work together.

WHAT IS UNITY?

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, unity is

   the quality or state of not
   being multiple: oneness ... the
   quality or state of being
   made one: unification ... a
   totality of related parts: an
   entity that is a complex or
   systematic whole. (2)

A united front has more power than an individual. Although individuals can and do accomplish goals, in my opinion, greatness is accomplished by working together. No individual has complete knowledge of all issues.

With whom should we unite? First, we must unite as an Association. AORN is a diverse organization, which is one of our strongest assets. This diversity gives us the opportunity to hear various opinions and suggestions from staff nurses, educators, researchers, administrators, and industry partners. AORN can take advantage of the knowledge of approximately 40,000 members, as well as accepted experts in many arenas of perioperative nursing. If all members were the same, we would not need to have discussions. Media mogul Samuel Goldwyn said that if you have a board of 12 people in a room and they all agree all of the time, you really do not need 11 of them. (3) That statement applies to our Association too.

APPRECIATE THE INDIVIDUAL

We must start appreciating all of our members. Regardless of what job position a member holds or the type of degree he or she has acquired, every member has something to contribute to AORN. We all are intricate components of the perioperative team. AORN is a diverse Association with a membership that spans five decades. If we want to continue to be successful, each member must be made to feel wanted, as well as needed, for what he or she can contribute. The voting members of AORN all are RNs, and they are dedicated to improving patient care.

One person can and does make a difference to AORN and perioperative nursing. When you wonder what you might have been able to accomplish during your career, do not ask yourself what if--start accomplishing your goals today. Everyone can make a difference in his or her own life and the lives of others. Start making a difference for AORN and yourself today, because you are AORN. Working together for what is in the best interest of this Association will move us as perioperative nurses into the future.

MY GOALS

As President, I have a number of goals I would like us to accomplish for unity in perioperative nursing, as well as for the good of the Association and perioperative nursing in general. The goals I have set for this year include

* providing members with opportunities to grow as chapter members and individuals,

* increasing the number of states that require an RN to circulate on all surgical procedures,

* expanding recruitment and retention of AORN members,

* expanding relationships with our perioperative colleagues,

* continuing to improve communications within AORN and with our members,

* using the International Resource Committee and the AORN Foundation to their fullest capacity,

* establishing a coalition of students and young nurses to discuss their needs in AORN, and

* continuing to expand the Patient Safety First program.

In addition, the House of Delegates voted last year to eliminate the committee structure as we have known it in the past, so there are some changes in the way committees will operate. Many of the committees for 2003-2004 are familiar, but additional committees or task forces will be initiated. Following is the list of committees and task forces for 2003-2004:

* Awards Committee,

* Bariatric Task Force,

* Chapter Visit Task Force,

* Coalition of Students and Young Nurses Task Force,

* Congress Educational Planning Committee,

* Continuing Education Approval Committee,

* Disaster Preparedness Task Force,

* Exhibitors' Advisory Committee.

* International Resource Committee,

* Legislative Committee,

* Membership Committee,

* National Committee on Education,

* Nursing Practices Committee,

* Nursing Research Committee,

* Perioperative Nursing: Introduction at High School Level,

* President's Commission on Patient Safety,

* Recommended Practices Committee,