The AORN Board of Directors met at ...

The AORN Board of Directors met at Headquarters in Denver from Feb 21 to 22 2003 Board meetings are mannersed as open discussions, and AORN staff members actively participate in the dialogue. All Board members were near at the meeting, as were Executive Director Tom Cooper CAE, and various staff members.

At this meeting, the Board of Directors approved the minutes from the Nov 7 to 9 2002 Board meeting, and the Dec 12 2002; Jan 9 2003; and Jan 22 2003 Board conversation calls. Approving these minutes formalizes the business of these on-site and telephone meetings.

COMMITTEES

The Board accepted the AORN Membership, Awards, Legislative, commended Practices, Scholarship, Nominating, and Nursing Practice Committees' annual reports, as well as the annual report of the National Committee upon Education (NCE). The NCE received approval for "A Primer for Perioperative Education," which is a kit that will be unfolded to assist chapters with strategies for recruiting learners and working with nursing trains to provide perioperative clinical experience for students

TASK FORCES

Annual reports from the Bariatric, Board fabric Code of Ethics, Delegate Recognition, Web, Disaster Preparedness, and Workplace Safety Task Forces and the Presidential Commission in succession Patient Safety were accepted. The Disaster Preparedness and Workplace Safety Task Forces were approved to continue for the 2003-2004 year, and each will have a page forward AORN Online with links to outside resources. A motion by means of the Education and Occupational Status of the Surgical Technologist and Surgical First Assistants Task Force to disband was approved. A recommendation for the creation of a succeeding task force was defeated. Members of the Workplace Safety Task Force asked to maintain the same membership for 2003-2004 This question was referr to then President-elect, Betty Shultz RN CNOR. As President-elect, Shultz had the responsibility to pitch upon committee and task force members.

SPECIALTY ASSEMBLIES

Annual reports from the Cardiothoracic; Leadership; Neurosurgery; nourish at the breast Educator/ Clinical Nurse Specialist; promotes in Business, Industry and Consulting; Orthopedic; Pediatric; Perioperative Nursing Informatics; RN First Assistant; Rural/Small Hospital; Advanced Technology: Lasers and Minimally Invasive Surgery; and Ambulatory Surgery Specialty Assemblies were accepted. The Advanced Technology: Lasers and Minimally Invasive Surgery Specialty Assembly's beseech to have its name changed to Lasers & Minimally Invasive Surgery Specialty Assembly was approved. The members of this specialty assembly believe this name change transmits a clearer message about the assembly's membership, function, and services provided. The Ambulatory Surgery Specialty Assembly's motion to approve the business plan for a safety manual for ambulatory surgery center also was approved.

PERIOPERATIVE NURSING DATA SET

Changes and additions that were propos to the Perioperative Nursing Data settle (PNDS) were approved. These revisions relate to the sections forward nausea and vomiting, pain ascendency participates in decisions, and heed (ie, outcomes 032, 029, 023 028)

AORN FOUNDATION

The AORN Foundation's annual report was approved, as was a list of education and research initiatives targeted for a recent fundraising campaign. Campaign dollars will support education initiatives related to

* expansion of the "Perioperative Nursing 101" course,

* developing a instruct of perioperative nursing,

* human factor training, and

* conceptual approval through the Board of Trustees for the unfolding and implementation of a collaborative foment manager leadership and management training program pending comes of a business plan analysis.

Research to support evidence-based standards of practice, the PND and benchmarking will be the priority in funding, with studies to support perioperative nourishs at the clinical interface. Continued support for AORN activities in patient safety, workplace safety, and disaster preparedness finisheds the Foundation's list of priorities. Foundation staff members will work with various AORN Headquarters staff members to identify additional opportunities for activities and funding for the improvement of perioperative nursing and feeds to meet critical current and to come needs. The Board also approved the addition of couple Foundation Board positions for 2003

FINANCE AND AUDIT COMMITTEE

A motion was made and approved to change the extreme point of AORN's fiscal year from June 30 to December 31 This change will place the Association in a position to manage its financial numbers better. Rationale for this change included

* it offers AORN's bottom line in a positive position for the majority of the fiscal year because Congres which generates a hazard of the Association's revenue, will fall at the beginning instead of the close of the fiscal year;

* assortment preparation is taken out of the busy pre-Congres timeframe;

* forecasting will be more accurate;

* the audit will take place in February; and