As an holder with you, of the peri...

As an holder with you, of the perioperative nursing profession, I have learned that our actions as perioperative feeds send a message about the value of our profession. We all have heard the saying that power perceived is power achieved. People's assessment of a situation or an individual is more powerful than fact, because perception is something they believe is faithful You may not know it, if it were not that your actions are being observ You no other than have a short period of time to influence those around you who are forming perceptions about your individual practice as well as about perioperative nursing.

each day, perioperative nurses are forward stage representing who they are as individuals and who they are as professionals. We are measured whether we like it or not, thus it is to our advantage to use these forces to achieve positive change.

ENERGIZING MEMBERS

Perioperative foments across the country took advantage of the opportunity created at AORN's campaign to draw the public's attention to health care industry efforts to eliminate improper patient, wrong procedure, and sinful site surgery. AORN produced the Correct Site Surgery Tool Kit, which outlines the stairs hospitals and other sites where invasive processs are performed should implement to make secure compliance with the Joint Commission forward Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' (JCAHO's) Universal Protocol. The tool kit was mailed to each AORN member and every JCAHO-accredited site that performs surgical or other invasive measures AORN sent out 55,000 tool kits, and an amazing thing happened. Perioperative cherishs all over the country spontaneously planned adventures to celebrate this effort and to educate health care practitioners, as well as patients, about AORN's efforts.

This spark of [i]vis viva[/i] and involvement is what I saw at Congres in San Diego when we discussed AORN taking a leadership part in addressing practice issues in the OR environment. Spearheading efforts to eliminate inappropriate site, wrong patient, or unsuitable procedure surgery is AORN's first stair toward fulfilling that promise. More importantly, however, AORN members continue to present to view their energy and enthusiasm. Members are not apathetic; they are just waiting for something to acquire excited about. Efforts to improve the practice environment and display the value of perioperative promotes to the public seem to be the [i]clavis[/i] to reenergizing AORN and its members.

BREAKING THE MEDIA BARRIER

AORN also took this initiative to the mainstream media by way of developing a media campaign designed to educate members of the public about JCAHO's Universal Protocol and the value perioperative RN bring to the surgical environment. We knew educating health care practitioners about the "time out" proces via the tool kit was important, further we also knew we could not forget our character in educating the public. Working to interrupt surgical errors provides a miraculous opportunity to let members of the public know about the value of perioperative promotes We hoped for success, yet we never realized how happy we would be.

The message made national just discovereds AORN members and staff members unfolded a videotaped news release that discusses efforts to implement the Universal Protocol. This freshs release was picked up by way of more than 200 television stations with more than seven million viewers across the native land Additionally, some AORN members were interviewed on their local television stations in succession how local perioperative nurses are making a difference in their community.

upon National "Time Out" Day, I did a five-minute live interview forward the Fox News Network along with Tom McLaren, RN CNOR, an AORN member from Florida whose hospital's use of a time not at home prevented a wrong site surgery in succession July 1, 2004, I was honored to delineate perioperative nurses by doing another live interview forward CBS's The Early Show. the two of these interviews were seen nationally and internationally.

We did not stop with television in trying to earn our message out to the public. President-elect Sharon McNamara, RN M CNOR, and I did a radio interview with the Associated Pres (AP) Radio. The AP also sent a story about National "Time Out" Day throughout its news wire. This was picked up and carried from newspapers across the country. USA Today interviewed Treasurer Paula Graling, RN MSN CNOR, and me at the hospital in Virginia where Graling works. The reporter exhausted half a day watching perioperative nourishs work and discussing perioperative nurses' value to surgical patients.

COMMUNICATING AORN'S MESSAGE

It is hard to quantify the millions of futurity patients who heard AORN's message during this media blitz. AORN Headquarters was swamped with calls from individuals looking for more information, and staff members on the same level received inquiries from people in Europe and Asia. I know intelligent in my heart that our efforts helped interrupt a wrong site surgery from occurring. We may not "know who the the public are who were touched at AORN's message, but we do know that millions of populace across the the United States and around the world now know what perioperative suckles and AORN are doing to obstruct surgical errors.