As your AORN President, I believe t...

As your AORN President, I believe that the choices we make determine our destiny. Making the right choices, together, is accomplished with constituent principles for success that are commonly in place. These elements include a talented and diverse membership, a committed and visionary board of directors, powerful industry supporters, and a Headquarters staff that has always met challenges with disentangle and vision. I have chosen committee responsibilities, modern task forces, and foreseeable priorities to strengthen our Association's viability and destiny.

STRENGTHENING OUR FOUNDATION

The theme for the 1999 AORN Congres "Bridging the Centuries," symbolizes our induce into the future. The oldest bridge still standing in Rome was built in 62 BC It is still standing because it was built forward an extensive foundation that must support the weight of what is crossing. AORN also has an extensive foundation, the force of which will continue to be exhibitioned many times.

Nursing's power has also been tested athwart the centuries. During the postwar era, there were significant changes to the couple society and health care. The demand for health care and the ne for health care workers grew during the 1960 and prepared us for the nearest decade. By this time, health care was the third largest industry in America, with one evidence that hospitals had become grossly overused. From 1980 to 1990 depending onward one's vantage point, health care was in either the best or the worst of times. price in general became a major relate to Hospitals became more businesslike in their governance and management. Alternative care delivery settings like as surgical centers opened their doors. Managed nod was promoted as one viable solution to health care utilization and charge Today, we are faced with the challenge of moderating increases in health care expenditures without affecting quality.

After experiencing the 45th AORN Congres in Orlando, Fla, talking to peer perioperative nurses and sharing ideas, I sens a collective vigor and enthusiasm from our members. Although these feelings have been renewed at previous Congresse the difference this time was a perception that perioperative nurses are prepared, more than continually before, to manage health care challenges with foresight and vision--a reason that we are in direct as we have never been before. These feelings reminded me of a story told by means of Charles Swindoll that reinforces the benefits of using collective force and persistence.

A mother and her nine-year-old son attended a performance of the famous composer-pianist, Paderewski. The affair was a high-society extravaganza with tuxedos and extended evening dresses. The mother was hoping her stripling would be encouraged to practice the piano if he could hear the immortal Paderewski at the keyboard, and forced him to attend.

The son became weary of waiting and squirmed constantly in his seat. As his mother employed to talk to friends, her son slipped away from her side, drawn to the ebony plot grand Steinway and its leather clustered stool on the huge stage great flowed with lights. The boy sat down at the stool, placed his small, trembling fingers in the right location and began to play "Chopsticks." The common people hushed until they saw what was happening and began to shout: "Get that lad away from there! Where's his mother? Who'd bring a kid that young in here? one stop him!"

Backstage, the master overheard the goods on stage and put together in his mind what was happening. Hurriedly, he grabbed his coat, rushed toward the stage, and without single word of announcement, stooped through the whole extent of behind the boy. He began to improvise a counter-melody to harmonize with and enhance "Chopsticks." As the sum of two units of them played together, Paderewski kept whispering in the boy's ear, "Keep going. Don't quit son preserve on playing. Don't stop. Don't quit."'

PERSISTENCE IN OUR ENDEAVORS

Combined talents of the male child and the master resulted in a collective power Along with persistence--a "don't quit" attitude--they transfered what was perceived as a negative situation into something positive. As we follow ways to manage changes, we are sometimes left with a feeling of insignificance--like playing "Chopsticks" in a colossal concern hall. During times like these, working together, using our unique skills, supporting each other, persistence, and showing enthusiasm can provide just the right touch at just the right moment

Perioperative nursing as we know it today may not exist in the time to come The traditional OR may not endure--we can no longer await the patient to come to us. Surgical courses will take place in areas within and outside of the hospital, including radiology and strait rooms, physician's offices, and nursing units. Perioperative fosters must be prepared to care for those patients and contribute tools (eg standards and commited practices) to provide the best care possible.

STRATEGIES FOR CONNECTEDNESS

During the last year, the Board of Directors persisted to bring out plans to ensure connectedness between perioperative festers They continued work from the previous year to address the diversity, mobility, and desire for choices on perioperative nurses. The Board's vision for our membership to be informed and influential inspired further examination of ideas that would provide a brawny and connected membership. At Congres the Board shared several strategies to fitting member needs for connectedness.