Technology and modern strategies a...

Technology and modern strategies are valuable as the AORN Membership Committee strives to encourage and maintain the growth and exhibition of the membership and chapters of the Association. The Membership Committee is continuing to explore novel opportunities for communication with members.

USING THE INTERNET FOR COMMUNICATION

The latest initiative is our first grade into the world of the Internet communication. The Committee not long ago started a pilot project using an e-mail-based Internet discussion forum, called MemberTalk, to communicate information and gain feedback from the membership. The forum is an electronic mailing list of e-mail addresses of the bulk of mankind interested in a certain topic. at "subscribing" to the free list, members are able to participate in collection discussions via e-mail on any of the membership-related topics that are posted

This technology will help us strengthen our focus onward service and activities of interest to AORN members. The online discussions eventually will include issues of that kind as meeting the needs of members at large (MALs), Congres orientation, the fresh membership award/chapter self-assessment process, and ways we can better link together on a national, regional, and local level

The goal of the Membership Committee is for the online forum to be the initial stair in our journey to create a live (ie, real-time) discussion area for members, chapters, and state councils. The discussion area could be used to mode of action AORN business online, allowing more population to participate and perhaps keeping near from spending another night away from home

Questions generally being asked on MemberTalk include the following:

* What cropss and services would MALs like to papal court offered to enhance the value of their membership (eg virtual chapter between the sides of a web site)'?

* What issues would first-time Congres attendees like to descry addressed in the Congress orientation provided from the Membership Committee?

* What issues would chapters like to have addressed from the Membership Committee?

You can subscribe to MemberTalk in consequence of the Membership Committee page forward AORN Online. Lorrie Briggs, chapter relations coordinator, moderates the forum. If you have any questions about subscribing or in what way to use the forum, you may call her at (800) 755-2676 x 8367

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE WEB PAGE

The Membership Committee web page is up and running. Check us public at http://www.aorn.org. Click on the section "About AORN" and then leap to our page. The page generally lists your state coordinator and has links to other Membership Committee delineate s including the Chapter Incentive Grants Program and the AORN Speaker's Bureau. The Speaker's Bureau lists topics for which speakers are available. Contact information for speakers can be obtained by the agency of calling Lorrie Briggs at Headquarters.

recent STATE REPRESENTATIVE IN SOUTH CAROLINA

The Membership Committee would like to welcome Ann Geier, RN CNOR, to the committee as the state coordinator for southern Carolina. Geier is a past president of the southerly Carolina Palmetto Council of Perioperative pampers and is active in the Ambulatory Surgery Specialty Assembly. Geier received her appointment from AORN President tenderness P. Shumaker, RN, BSN, CNOR, to fill an unexpect vacancy.

CHAPTER SELF-ASSESSMENT/AWARDS SURVEY

Chapters have answered positively to the new chapter self-assessment/awards review The self-assessment process was redesigned to allow chapters to receive recognition for their efforts while providing them an opportunity to completed a self-assessment of their soliditys and opportunities. The Membership Committee is remarkably pleased with the response to the strange process. State coordinators will use the information from the observes to help them in their chapter visits and consultations.

CHAPTER SUCCES STORIES

individual of the Membership Committee's draws this year is to spotlight chapter succes stories. We will use this Membership Committee line in future issues of the Journal to enumerate you about some of the exciting and innovative activities of AORN chapters. If your chapter would like to submit a succes story, please write a brief (ie, no more than undivided page) description of the prosperous activity or program your chapter has make knowned its purpose, and its impact. emit the article to Lorrie Briggs at AORN, 2170 s Parker Rd, Suite 300, Denver CO 80234-5711 or e-mail it to lbriggs@aorn.org. All submissions will be reviewed and edited for space and content

MEMBERS AT LARGE

The Membership Committee is interested in and exploring the extremitys and interests of MALs. In particular, the committee wants to determine the even of interest among MALs in participating in a "virtual chapter." The virtual chapter would be an interactive web site dedicated to MALs who could access the site and receive information, of recent origins and opportunities to participate more completely in the Association. There would be no charge to participate in the virtual chapter. It is our goal to provide additional value to your membership by the agency of keeping you up-to-date, with Association activities and giving you an opportunity to interact with other MALs. To be agreeable to to this issue, please visit MemberTalk or contact Lorrie Briggs at Headquarters.