presidential address 14th annual aorn congress

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PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS 14th ANNUAL AORN CONGRESS Kuthryn L. O’Donnell, R.N. The term presidential address reminds one of a house or street number. So. without introduction, let’s get on to what 1 would like to say to you. First, I’m so glad to see you all-and now to the ideas and develop- ments. What has been accomplished this year by AORN? First of all, despite a staggering number of changes in our field-right in our own OR’S-we are still here and vertical which is no small source of pride. 01 is it semi-Fowler’s by now? Now to be serious about the year. AORN has. as of August, 1966, a neb Executive Director. Mrs. Marion Parker. Mrs Parker is the first business woman to he appointed to this position. but judging from the speed of her activity to date and her dynamic nature. one wonders if she has hereditarily or environmentall) absorbed something of the OR nurse from some ancestor of the sort. The organization has settled into new and ldrger offices in New York which would please a decorator. More space, good cheer. and pleasant environment are conducive to prog- ress too. The offices are cheery, feminine. and yet utilitarian. We would welcomr d11 to see them. Along with the enlarged office facilit,, \+P have an enlarged membership. This year our goal was to exceed 7,000. Last year there were 6.540 members; as of the present month. there are 7,848. The Operating Room Nurses Foundation has recently completed its first formativr year, and is established with Mrs. Ethel I. West as its President. You will remember Mrs. West as a past President of AORN. As announced in the January AORN Jourrml, an annual contribution to the Foundation will make possible grants of $1500 for AORN-mrmbrr fellowships to be used in graduate education. Four Institutes were held in the past year, in Tulsa. Denvei. Cincinnati and Philadel- phia. Members have told us of interest in Institutes in other cities. Within the next two years it is our hope to increase the num- her of Institutes held each year. During the past year a Committee chosen from qualified AORN members has been hard at Mork writing and preparing a manual. This manual will contain a stand- ardized program for the instruction of oper- ating room technicians, and will be avail- able by June 1. We are all aware of the value and need of the operating room terh- nician. The increased shortage of nurse5 makes it mandatory that provision be made for training the technician. Last but not least among the year’s events is the first monthly issue of AORN Journal. This issue was. you might say, a New Year gift. It bears the mast date of January 1967. These are events immediately thought of. There are so many more contributions momentarily unmentioned that we are also grateful for-most of all, our help from each of you. So-there is the recent past. What of the Continued on page 11 March 1967 7

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Page 1: Presidential Address 14th Annual AORN Congress

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS 14th ANNUAL AORN CONGRESS Kuthryn L. O’Donnell, R.N.

The term presidential address reminds one of a house or street number. So. without introduction, let’s get on to what 1 would like to say to you. First, I’m so glad to see you all-and now to the ideas and develop- ments.

What has been accomplished this year by AORN? First of all, despite a staggering number of changes in our field-right in our own OR’S-we are still here and vertical which is no small source of pride. 01 is it semi-Fowler’s by now? Now to be serious about the year.

AORN has. as of August, 1966, a neb Executive Director. Mrs. Marion Parker. M r s Parker is the first business woman to he appointed to this position. but judging from the speed of her activity to date and her dynamic nature. one wonders if she has hereditarily or environmentall) absorbed something of the OR nurse from some ancestor of the sort.

The organization has settled into new and ldrger offices in New York which would please a decorator. More space, good cheer. and pleasant environment a re conducive to prog- ress too. The offices a re cheery, feminine. and yet utilitarian. We would welcomr d11

to see them. Along with the enlarged office facilit,,

\+P have a n enlarged membership. This year our goal was t o exceed 7,000. Last year there were 6.540 members; a s of the present month. there a r e 7,848.

The Operating Room Nurses Foundation has recently completed its first formativr

year, and is established with Mrs. Ethel I. West as its President. You will remember Mrs. West as a past President of AORN. A s announced in the January AORN Jourrml, an annual contribution to the Foundation will make possible grants of $1500 for AORN-mrmbrr fellowships to be used in graduate education.

Four Institutes were held in the past year, i n Tulsa. Denvei. Cincinnati and Philadel- phia. Members have told us of interest in Institutes in other cities. Within the next t w o years it is our hope to increase the num- her of Institutes held each year.

During the past year a Committee chosen from qualified AORN members has been hard at Mork writing and preparing a manual. This manual will contain a stand- ardized program for the instruction of oper- ating room technicians, and will be avail- able by June 1. We are all aware of the value and need of the operating room terh- nician. T h e increased shortage of nurse5 makes it mandatory that provision be made for training the technician.

Last but not least among the year’s events is the first monthly issue of AORN Journal. This issue was. you might say, a New Year gift. I t bears the mast date of January 1967.

These are events immediately thought of. There a re so many more contributions momentarily unmentioned that we are also grateful for-most of all, our help from each of you.

So-there is the recent past. What of the Continued on page 11

March 1967 7

Page 2: Presidential Address 14th Annual AORN Congress

Contirrueti from pngc’ T present? It is hoped, firs1 of all. that tht. events just described will increase during the year. One need is a continued growth in membership. The more members, the greater the strength: but with quantity. we must never forget emphasis on quality as well. Strength is in quantity and quality. Each of us can work on this by being recruiters in our own hospitals and cities. This is n o negation of other memberships. A physician may belong to American Medi- cal Association and to the American College of Surgeons without any impropriety. The analogy applies to nursing.

Education is the second ever-present thought. Do we need or want more educa- tional programs? Do we need t o talk more about technicians? What are our educational needs? You are at the grass roots where you can tell us first hand about your prob- lems and needs. Knowing and solving your problems and needs is essential-an emer- gency to your future. You never told a n ? - one you didn’t have time for an emergency so I can’t let you say you don’t have time to provide the comment3 and suggestions which will influence your future. They can’t he found out by surgery o r mind-reading hut only hy your words to us-anonymously or identified as you wish. We are like the foreign service in a way. We want to ask you what you need, for we feel that is better than telling you what we think you need. What is right and what is wrong where you are? Help us to know so that we can best

A look at the future shows that education and distinct quality of education are be- coming more and more important. We have to keep up with the surgeon physically and mentally, and there hasn’t been a time in the history of surgical nursing when we’ve had to r u n faster to d o it. Organ transplan- tation, complex cardiovascular surgery-, are

Continued on page 13

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Page 3: Presidential Address 14th Annual AORN Congress

C o ~ i ~ i n c ~ e d f r o m page 1 I jus t two of many examples of this. It is important to remember. to relieve natural apprehension, that these nursing procedures are only complex adaptations of nursing skills we’ve known for years. For example, we knew aseptic technique; the isolation of the patient who has renal transplantatiori is only a more refined asepsis on a niore complex principle.

I ( I burrow f r o m Eric E’ronim’s recent Ircturr in N e w Yurk-discipline. stimula- t ion . and concentration are necessary to rffective functioning. ‘There is plenty of op- portunity to find all three in surgical nurs- ing today for the person who enjoys it and belongs to it.

Another exciting point, little thought of. is how much we have to give to other nurses. The after-care techniques for new proce- dures may be taught by ourselves to the nurse on the ward who takes over after the recovery room nurses finish. Maybe the speedy change in the operating room can ch’allenge other nurses to creative thoughts to improve services in their areas. We must work together, especially in such fields as the use of new complex devices which will be moved from surgery to the recovery room to the ward. A great teaching respon- sibility $ a h by nature. rather than by re- quest, on us.

Since we will be teaching more, we haw ~

to disrupt the stereotype that the OK nurse i is mute. We are probably one of the few groups of women accused of talking too little ’ rather thman too much, because we are so I

accustomed to action rather than words. Con- ~

trary to lay opinion, it may interest the press I

to know a surgeon never asks for certain kind of hemostat in a terse voice-or in ~

any voice at all. He puts out his hand and the hemostat is there because we usuall! know what he wants without a word, in spite of wh,at they say in the movies. So, we don’t

Continued on DaEe 15

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Page 4: Presidential Address 14th Annual AORN Congress

Continued from page 13 talk. We act. Now we have to learn to adapt to much talking to further educate ourselves, and to even more action.

This is a worry. Sometimes we think so hard about it we feel a bit isolated. The patient is awake and w e are still too busy thinking to talk much except to say, “Tuin.” ”Don’t turn on your side.” “Don’t move that arm.” We have to think about all this. One proininent New York surgeon said a very interesting and rather painful thing when asked about what he wanted from operating room nurses. Some scholarly and academic statement was expected because he is that kind of fellow-but he is also a warm human 1)eing. He said, “I want them to be kind.”

Altruism and over-concentration can weat us out until we seem unkind to the observer. We feel valueless. Sometimes, too, it is over- whelming. like being part of a big machine where you have no identity. Take Dr. Laura

I-luxley-’s advice at these times-love your- self as you love your neighbor. That’s not a misquote, by the way. And you’ll find it amazingly helpful in your attitude toward patients as well as in your ability to influ- ence young students to follow in your steps.

You are remembered more than you know, as the voice that says, “It’s OK” “You’re alright,” “Dr. Jones is coming in a minute,” or “It’s all finished, your operation is over.” These are gifts you may forget but that othrrs remember for a long time. You should talk ahout things like this in your o w n groups. Make the time. It is well spent. Set. what you get from it and tell us.

This will be my last talk with you as President. 1 thank you for adding this extra reward to a work that has been one of the great joys of my life. May I extend to each and every one of you my very hest wishes, along with a most special welcome to your new President. ++

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