Board members go to work planning agenda for year

Charlotte L. Guglielmi

The enthusiasm and passion Exhibited during Congress Week continued during the post-Congress meeting of the AORN Board of Directors, March 26, 2004, in San Diego. Highlights of the meeting included discussion of the 2004-2005 presidential goals, committee and task force issues, strategic planning, appointment of AORN representatives to the Council on Perioperative Patient Safety, formation of the Member Access Task Force, continuation of the Board Chapter Visit Program, disbanding task forces that have completed their work, and a post-Congress wrap-up.

THE YEAR AHEAD

President William J. Duffy, RN, BSN, MJ, CNOR, shared his goals and vision for the coming year with the Board. These goals include celebrating the value of the perioperative nursing profession and reaching out to AORN's grassroots members. The Board's agenda this year will focus on these two goals and will include membership and practice issues as standing items.

Board members addressed a number of items. The Board

* met with Nancy Stauder, chair of the Exhibitors' Advisory Committee (EAC) to discuss the EAC's role;

* met with the 2004-2005 AORN Nominating Committee to discuss their vision for the upcoming year and how the Board can partner with the Nominating Committee to help achieve their goals;

* developed a new method to ensure knowledge-based decision making by holding pre-Board meeting conference calls so committees and task forces sending recommendations to the Board for consideration can talk with Board members before any decisions are made;

* decided to invite committee and task force members who are in Denver Friday, July 16, 2004, for the Focus on Leadership: Celebrating Our Value conference to the July Board meeting;

* established a new method of communicating with grassroots members by adding a Board message to each monthly issue of AORN Connections each Board member will submit an article that focuses on how he or she celebrates the value of perioperative nursing and his or her vision for the future of AORN;

* approved continuation of the Board Visit Program, which will be modified to include issues such as membership and practice;

* established a date for conducting strategic planning that focuses on member recruitment and retention (President-elect Sharon McNamara, RN, MS, CNOR, will be involved in this process so her goals for her upcoming Presidency can be incorporated into the budget planning process for 2005, demonstrating the Board's commitment to fiscal stewardship for the Association through promoting continuity from Board year to Board year);

* approved President Duffy's appointment of AORN Secretary Charlotte L. Guglielmi, RN, BSN, CNOR, and past President Betty J. Shultz, RN, CNOR, as AORN's representatives to the Council on Surgical Patient Safety, a group that is being formed as a result of the Perioperative Summit held in Chicago in February and which includes two representatives each from AORN, the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, and the Association of Surgical Technologists;

* approved formation of the Member Access Task Force in response to the charge from the House of Delegates to explore alternate membership structures and chapter affiliations to facilitate ease of association with AORN; and

* approved disbanding task forces that have completed their work, including the * Bariatric Task Force,

* Coalition of Students and Young Nurses Task Force,

* Members-at-Large/ e-Chapter Task Force, and

* Nominating Committee Structure Task Force.

The Board also expressed its appreciation to the members of the groups being disbanded for their dedication and hard work.

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In addition to the items above, President Duffy shared with the Board that the 2005 President's Award theme will be on the value chapters bring to grassroots members, and that the criteria for the 2005 Staff Award will focus on how nominated staff members reach out to members. President Duffy also assigned Board members to committees and as Board liaisons. This information is available on AORN Online at http://www.aorn.org/about/nat comgen.htm. Board members will be increasing their role in the active work of committees and task forces.

Board members also discussed the events of the 2004 Congress and completed a Congress wrap-up. Board members reiterated the positive feedback they received about the week; San Diego as a site for Congress; and the enthusiasm, excitement, and passion demonstrated during the Forum when it was announced that AORN would focus on practice issues during the upcoming year.

NEXT MEETING

The next official Board meeting will be held July 14-16, 2004, in Denver before the Focus on Leadership: Celebrating Our Value conference. Suggested agenda items should be sent to President Duffy at Headquarters, 2170 S Parker Rd, Suite 300, Denver, CO 80231-5711.

CHARLOTTE L. GUGLIELMI

RN, BSN, CNOR

SECRETARY

COPYRIGHT 2004 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
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