Congress business updates reveal that specialty assemblies are growing stronger in numbers, diversity, and support

AORN Journal, June, 2004 by Deb Warren, Liz Cowperthwaite, Nancy K. Kuehl, Nikki Parker

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

Congress week provides an opportunity for AORN's 14 specialty assemblies to hold business updates, welcome new officers, and discuss future activities. This year, eight specialty assemblies celebrated their 10th anniversaries at Congress. Sunday night, March 21, 2004, representatives from all 14 specialty assemblies gathered to celebrate the anniversary of the formation of AORN's specialty assemblies with food, drinks, and networking.

To promote communication among the different specialty assemblies, attendees played a game in which they collected three business cards of people who were interested in a certain specialty area and tried to meet the person whose name was on the business card--if not at the event, then sometime during Congress. Everyone present was encouraged to purchase commemorative pins and specialty assembly lapel pins at AORN's Perioperative Bookstore.

AMBULATORY SURGERY ENCOURAGES MEMBERS TO GET MORE INVOLVED

More than 80 people attended the Ambulatory Surgery Specialty Assembly update on Thursday, March 25, and 75% of them were members of the specialty assembly. Chair Sharon L. Tolhurst, RN, MBA, CNOR, began the meeting by asking members to complete willingness-to-serve forms and get involved in the assembly. Legislative chair Anna M. Weaver, RN, MSN, CNOR, talked about the Public Policy Conference and Advocacy Day, which will take place Sept 20 to 21, 2004, in Washington, DC, and encouraged attendees to let her know if there are any hot, health care-related legislative issues happening in their states.

Tolhurst also acknowledged past chairs of the specialty assembly. She presented goals for 2004, which include planning ambulatory education sessions for the 52nd Congress in New Orleans, April 3 to 7, 2005. A poll was taken that revealed at least one-third of attendees were clinical nurses in ambulatory settings.

CARDIOTHORACIC SPECIALTY ASSEMBLY CELEBRATES 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Cardiothoracic Specialty Assembly chair Sally R. Sicherman, RN, CNOR, began the meeting on Tuesday, March 23, by acknowledging the special lunch given to commemorate the assembly's 10-year anniversary. She introduced the governing council members present and encouraged everyone to get involved and consider becoming a member of the governing council.

Those present had the opportunity to introduce themselves and discuss their specialty areas. The group was very diverse, ranging from nurses who participate in regular open heart procedures to minimally invasive surgeries to those involved in more progressive procedures. Attendees' hospital size also varied. Some work in facilities where 60 procedures are performed each year and some in facilities where 1,800 procedures are performed each year. Hot topics of discussion included retractor sterilization, intraluminal stents, endovascular stent grafting for abdominal aortic aneurysmectomy in the catheterization laboratory versus the OR, and having cardiac surgeons on standby.

UNLIMITED POTENTIAL FOR INFORMATICS SPECIALTY ASSEMBLY

Chair Lynn M. Geren, RN, MSN, began the Perioperative Nursing Informatics Specialty Assembly update on Wednesday, March 24, with a formal thank you to GE Medical, Salt Lake City, for sponsoring the refreshments at the meeting. She discussed the possibility of bringing back the NetCafe and encouraged everyone to write an article for the newsletter.

Pat Hickey, ILN, BSN, MS, CNOR, Board liaison, talked briefly about how this specialty assembly is such an incredible resource for all AORN members. "You guys have such great potential," he said.

Larry L. Asplin, RN, MS, CNOR, chair-elect and election coordinator, reviewed the assembly's work plan for next year. He also talked about the three vacancies on the governing council (ie, chair-elect and two other positions) and plans to promote member involvement in projects next year.

Bonnie G. Denholm, RN, MS, CNOR, AORN specialty assembly coordinator, informed attendees about the Nursing Informatics Certificate Program being offered by AORN and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center School of Nursing, Denver. For details, visit AORN's web site at http://www.aorn .org/education/informatics/default .htm, or call (800) 755-2676 x 244.

After the specialty assembly update was completed, attendees broke into networking groups. They addressed such topics as how to transition into a role in informatics, reporting, and expansion in computer spreadsheets.

INTEGRATED HEALTH PRACTICES: ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES GROWING

Integrated Health Practices Specialty Assembly chair Claire Everson, RN, CNOR, CCAP, began the meeting, which more than 30 people attended, on Tuesday, March 23 by introducing governing council members for the newly formed specialty assembly. Attendees then introduced themselves and discussed the different modalities they practice at their facilities.

Norrie MacIlraith, RN, MS, CNS, specialty assembly secretary/web reporter, discussed the new specialty assembly web page and encouraged everyone to sign up for the specialty assembly list serve on their web page at http://www.aorn.org/SA/SAGeneral info.htm, and click on "integrated Health Practices." Wendy Valentine, RN, MSN, CNOR, education chair, distributed a needs assessment survey to get feedback from members on important topics for education sessions.