€ditorial

A g o d year. A really-good year.

It's not that it hasn't been a good year for the Association of Operating Room Nurses.

It's not that it hasn't been fruitful and productive-with a super-successful Con- gress, seven Regional Institutes, the first International Symposium for Operating Room Nurses, and a successful trans-conti- nental Association move.

It's not that it hasn't been a good year, and all that.

But there are, after all, only a few weeks left of it. That's not long to do all the things you said you should have, redo the things you did wrong, and undo the things you shouldn't have done in the first place. Not long at all.

You talked a lot this year about operat- ing room nursing. You talked about i ts place in the curriculum, you talked about being replaced by paramedical personnel, you talked about becoming-or not becoming- physician's assistants.

And of course, since you talked about these things, you probably worked on acti-

vating your thoughts. You probably spoke with curriculum planners at the nursing schools near you. You probably did exten- sive recruitment for nursing-with extra in- formation and enthusiasm thrown in toward the OR.

Surely you made certain there was no chance you might be replaced-by no mat- ter whom-by making your work in the op- erating room more efficient; sparking it with that special insight you couldn't offer without the "RN" you have earned for your title.

And you undoubtedly made patient care the focal point for all your OR activities. You made certain you were displaying that "something" you have, which is the reason no surgeon, patient, or hospital adminis- trator would trade you.

As for physicians' assistants, perhaps you really weren't sure how the question would be answered. But surely you have answered your own basic queries about the subiect- who, when, what, and most important, "what do I think?" Surely you have decided what you think.

December 1970 7

That's one of the good things about this year and this age. That you are free to say, "this is what I think," even if it isn't what the majority thinks. Your freedom has been accepted in 1970, and surely you, as an operating room nurse, have used it where it needed to be used-aloud. To the people whose voices are louder than yours -the legislators, the administrators, those in supervisory capacities, and those serving on your Association's National Board of Di- rectors.

And since you are free, you are inter- ested, you are alive and you are part of this Association, you have undoubtedly at- tempted all of these things.

You have undoubtedly studied your pro- fession.

You have undoubtedly stated your opin- ions.

You have undoubtedly noticed your Jour-

nal-it has a new face, new type, new fea-

tures, new authors. (Or maybe that was the

one issue you didn't read?)

And you have undoubtedly communicated

with the National Headquarters and the di- rectors you chose to speak for you. (Or was

the list of officers in that one issue of the

Journal you must have missed?)

It's good to know when the year is almost

up that you have made it a good one. That you have tried, at least. That you have

known what was going on nationally, at

least. That you are aware, a t least.

What a good feeling. What a good year.

What a good thing to think about.

Cheers. 0

The Purdue Frederick Fellowship For

Graduate Training in Operating Room Nursing Requirements:

-The applicant must be in need of f inancial assistance to continue her education. -The applicant must be pursuing a degree/diploma/certificate which w i l l benefi t the

-The applicant must be endowed wi th the attributes for success in the practice of

-The applicant must have been a member of the Association of Operating Room

-The applicant must submit a paper (500 words or less) on how this educational

-Three letters of recommendation shall be submitted as t o why the applicant should

applicants in the f i e ld of OR nursing.

operating room nursing.

Nurses far a minimum of one year.

experience w i l l be of benefit, personally and professionally.

be considered (one letter from current employer.) Method of Selection and Payment:

The Committee i s composed of four members of the Association, one each representing the East, M idd le West, West, and South. The Director of Education of the Association of Operating Room Nurses chairs the committee and recipients are selected b y majori ty vote.

1. Applications together wi th letters of recommendation and paper must be submitted to the committee by Jan I of the year in which the award w i l l be made.

2. The committee w i l l choose the recipients by Feb 1. 3. The Awards w i l l be paid in one lump sum of $500, and announcements made at the

annual meeting of the Association. The role of the Purdue Frederick Company in regard t o these fellowships i s l imi ted t o

providing Award funds and consultation to the Association of Operating Room Nurses. The selection of recipients i s made by the Association of Operating Room Nurses.

8 AORN Journal