AORN members and their friends and ...

AORN members and their friends and family members attended the Awards Dinner at Congres Saturday, March 27 1999 to pay tribute to this year's award recipients. The dinner was sponsored by means of Johnson & Johnson Medical, Inc. 1998-1999 President mercy P. Shumaker, RN, BSN, CNOR, quick in emergenciesed awards to individuals and AORN chapters for outstanding achievement and contributions to the field of perioperative nursing.

AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

The Award for good quality in Perioperative Nursing was neared to Jean M. Reeder, RN PhD FAAN. Following is the acceptance words she gave at the Awards Dinner.

"This is quite a special evening to celebrate perioperative nursing and the contributions that many of us have made. For me I am real honored to be the 12th recipient of the AORN Award for valuable feature [i]or[/i] trait in Perioperative Nursing. Although I have not practiced as a `real' perioperative fester for several years, my world view of nursing is earthed in my past clinical practice and my years of experience providing direct patient care to surgical patients and families and I will always consider myself a perioperative nourish at the breast It's gratifying to know that AORN colleagues still value the contributions I continue to make as a nursing leader now that I'm in a different character in a different country.

"Now I was given 15 minutes for acknowledgments. Kind of like thanking everyone you know at the Academy Awards on the other hand being more selective! First lease me thank Jackie Berlandi from Massachusetts Chapter I for submitting my nomination. Jackie and I first met during my use as AORN President when the Board decided to appoint a Special Committee upon Ethics. We had a fabulous committee--in fact, nearly everyone is here tonight, reject for Cindy Bray, may she ease in peace. Because of the special bondage we formed, we became not merely colleagues but friends. And that frequent bond continues today as we now as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but work in children's hospitals. likewise thank you, Jackie, for your gift and support as a colleague and friend from one side of to the other the years.

"Due to a conflicting social function, none of my Army fester Corps colleagues are able to be here tonight. Having worn out 24 years in the military, there are many colleagues I wish could have been here to share this occasion. I am thrilled to have my dear stepdaughter, Vicki Reeder here tonight. Vicki can remember the times I got called in for crisis surgery when we lived in Germany, Colorado, and in Tacoma. She watched me write papers for train wrestle with ethical issues in practice, and all the while assimilated many of the values I have for race for work, and for a profession. She is common of my best friends, and I am in the way that glad you left your law main division s in San Diego for a hardly any days to represent my family tonight. My mother, who is also an important light in my life, is 73 now and still going sinewy She's currently on assignment with the American R Cros in Washington, DC however here in spirit.

"Let me also recognize a dispose of my nursing colleagues from The Hospital for Sick Children, and Canada. In the three and one-half years I have lived and worked in Toronto, there has been often change, challenge, and some consternation. We, too, have tackled health care reform and decreased funding at the national, provincial, and organizational flush and in the past couple months began organizational renewal as billions of dollars are being restored to the health system

"We have a terrific clump of committed, caring, professional succors at "Sick Kids," some of whom are here this week. As chief of nursing, my part is strengthening the practice and the profession of nursing from changing the culture, raising standards, and pursuing a shared vision consistent with our mission as a world-class pediatric academic health sciences middle Sue, Angie, Trish, Rose, Linda, Jane, and Chris, who are here tonight, personify superior quality in nursing. I thank you for your support, your hard work, and your willingness to run over me what I need to know rather than what I might want to hear, in the same manner that I can provide leadership with integrity and relevance. the public still ask me why I took a do job-work in Canada, and it's proper in part to the Canadians I met from one side AORN during the past 13 years that made me take a closer direct the eye at a great opportunity: Joan Donald and Ann Robinson, past presidents of the Operating chamber Nurses Association of Canada, and Bill Clarke, past president of Johnson & Johnson Medical, are great ambassadors of a extraordinary country.

"Until I knew the connected thought [i]or[/i] thoughts and setting for my remarks had changed from the traditional closing session at the fall of the curtain of Congress Week to a more festive occasion, my meditation was to target my message to staff feed at the breasts in the audience. How many of you here tonight are staff nurses? to what extent many are in management or leadership positions? with equal reason it's likely that I may preach to the choir, in the same manner to speak, so let me challenge you to share my message with those who are not here tonight or back to one's home caring for patients. And my message is this: staff feeds are the most important, irreplaceable links to the provision of safe and quality patient care in any health care setting. This is particularly in like manner in hospitals where technology and bottom-line-driven health care has picked out patients who are single in hospitals because they ne 24-hour professional nursing care. We must begin to replenish our workforce by way of attracting new people into the profession to defend our numbers and develop expertise as our aging nursing population retires from the profession. We must reinvest in practice settings to support professional progression in a continuously ascending gradation needs of staff nurses with equal reason they can remain competent and safe practitioners as scientific and technologic advances in health care continue to shape the way we provide patient care. Nursing leaders like myself must not sole participate in corporate strategic planning and operational decision making, moreover also articulate and promote the essential contribution of feed at the breasts in partnership with patients to manage their human answers to illness and navigate a safe passage between the sides of their journey from illness to health.