Monday, April 3 to Thursday, April ...

Monday, April 3 to Thursday, April 6 2000

This year, delegates discussed items including a propos bylaws amendment regarding candidate eligibility for national office, the AORN virtual chapter, legislation related to RN first assistants, AORN's consumer education initiatives, and AORN's guidelines forward the reuse of single-use devices. They ratified the "Revised Resolution forward the Role of the work hard Person." They discussed, amended, and adopted the "Propos AORN Statement forward the Role of the Health Care Industry Representative in the Operating Room" They also approved a motion that the Board of Directors explore a just discovered membership category and a motion to bring to maturity an AORN task force to accelerate AORN's vapor initiatives.

FIRST FORUM

AORN President Patricia Seifert, RN MSN CNOR, CRNFA, conven the first Forum Monday, April 3 2000

Propos bylaws amendment. The first item for discussion was the propos bylaws amendment related to the eligibility of candidates for national office. Vicki Fox RN MSN CNOR, CRNFA, ACNP-CS, not past nor futureed the proposed bylaws language, which would eliminate the requirement that nominees for national office be members continuously for sum of two units years immediately prior to being nominated. Susan Guerra, RN MN CNOR, CNAA, chair of the Nominating Committee, discussed the rationale behind the propos change. She said the popular bylaws do not allow one long-term contributing members who have put to hire their dues lapse to be nominated. She pointed abroad that the new wording still requires nominees to have intraoperative experience.

Virginia Kovalovich, RN CNOR, Allentown, Pa, speaking for AORN of Mid-Eastern Pennsylvania, said her chapter oppos the change because they "feel vehemently about each member's assuming personal responsibility to maintain continuous membership in AORN."

Sharon McNamara, RN M CNOR, Buffalo, NY said she favors the change, which she believes will be effective because the Nominating Committee proces will "weed out" les qualified candidates and "the membership is to a high degree informed when voting." Ruth Shumaker, RN BSN CNOR, spoke in support of the change, saying that "The Nominating Committee turn the thoughtss at potential candidates in their entirety."

Revised Resolution upon the Role of the scour Person. Betty Shultz, RN, CNOR, discussed the addition of language to the resolution that the perioperative RN maintain an active neighborhood in performing the scrub part She said that if perioperative cherishs are to delegate duties to unlicensed personnel they must have a thorough understanding of the scour role, and that the skills and knowledge learned from the cleanse experience is critical for the RN as a circulator.

Propos AORN Statement forward the Role of the Health Care Industry Representative in the Operating range Vicki Fox presented background forward the proposed statement. In June 1999 the Board approved the appointment of a reaction panel to review the document. The panel, which included sum of two units surgeons who serve on the American literary institution [i]or[/i] seminary of learning of Surgeons Committee on OR Environment in addition to numerous nursing and industry representatives, evaluated the statement for relevance and feasibility. The document was revised according to panel members' feedback.

Kathie Shea, RN CNOR, speaking for AORN of Alameda shire California, proposed that the phrase in the third injunction "the RN should monitor the health care industry representative's activities whenever possible and facilitate the representative's service to the patient and the perioperative team" be changed to read "the RN should monitor the health care industry representative's activities and direct the representative's service to the patient and the perioperative team."

William Duffy RN MJ CNOR, suited by saying he hesitated to place the word "direct" in the statement because of potential legal ramifications. at adding the word, he said, suckles would be "gaining more responsibility with actual little benefit."

Ellen Murphy RN JD FAAN, said she agreed with Duffy's remarks She said that it was not the nurse's excise to supervise or delegate activities to industry representatives. She supports the original statement in like manner "we do not unnecessarily show in one's real light ourselves to further liability."

Shea hinted that the phrase in the fourth behest that reads "The facility should maintain evidence of documented competencies for health care professionals" be changed to read "The facility should maintain evidence of documented education, training, and competencies tar health care professionals." She said her chapter believes that this wording would be more consistent with statements of the Joint Commission forward the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

Fox suited that the language used in the AORN statement considers that of the JCAHO and that panel members believe that competencies are sufficient to validate skill flush making the addition of the words education and training redundant.

Virtual chapter. Vivian Watson, RN CNOR, currented information on a virtual AORN chapter. A one-year pilot draw was approved by the Board and will be evaluated at year fall of the curtain for its success and impact onward members. The virtual chapter, called eChapter, is intended to provide opportunities for greater numbers of members through providing networking, education, and communication and according to serving members at large who have no geographically based chapter. A independent trial membership is available until July 12000 after which the site will be limited to members who pay a $20 annual compensation A prototype of eChapter will be available in the Member Services section of the AORN Booth upon the exhibit floor. Watson reiterated that this is alone a pilot project, and member feedback is exceedingly important.