Making an Impact on Society: DEI Progress Report

“Our overarching goal is ‘to make an impact on society,’ — this phrase was articulated by one of AORN’s DEI team leaders and we all believe in it,” notes AORN Chief Diversity Officer and Chief Financial Officer James Cousin. “We believe that if we embrace diversity, strive to include diversity in our mission, and then do all we can do to ensure it, our organization can perform better financially, strategically, and operationally and attract others who share these values.”

Driving Goals

When AORN’s DEI work began in July 2020, seven working groups were formed to address unique areas for advancing DEI, including: staff and leadership, membership, patients, community, board of directors, AORN Foundation, and LGTBQ+ Advisory Group. While each team has a specific set of goals, the following five overarching goals are driving AORN’s DEI plan this year:

1. Create 10 activities that will educate nurses on how to improve patient care to Blacks, Latinos and Transgenders, given their disparate care needs.
2. Increase people of color in our membership above 26%.
3. Impact the lives of at least 2,000 people of color in our community through food drives and backpacks to students.
4. Increase the people of color candidates running for national office through our Board of Directors and Nominating Committee.
5. Increase the diversity of employees working for AORN. 

Key Achievements

Here’s a look at ten important DEI achievements AORN successfully completed in 2022:

• Published AORN Position Statement on Health Care Equity and Racial Justice to provide all perioperative nurses with an evidence-based resource to advance Health Care Equity and Racial Justice in their own practice settings.

• Launched new DEI website to showcase AORN’s support of DEI core values and curate a large collection of resources with information to advance DEI.
• Met with AORN members through multiple ways to raise awareness of how DEI values can be reinforced in perioperative practice, including focus groups and education sessions at Global Surgical Conference & Expo in New Orleans.
• Advanced LGBTQ+ awareness among AORN staff through a listening session.
• Supported the LGBTQ+ Denver community by donating to and participating in the Denver (CO) 5k Pride Run.
• Advanced LGBTQ+ awareness among 700+ members with a webinar on Getting to Know Your LGBTQ+ Patient.
• Continued fundraising to support diverse nursing students through the Barba Edwards Endowed Scholarship, which has raised more than 50% of the $10k fundraising goal for 2022, and shared about Barba Edwards’ legacy of service with all members.
• Continued to raise awareness of various cultures and groups with articles in AORN Journal, Outpatient Surgery Magazine, and various webinars and podcasts.
• Reinforced continuous discussion around DEI values for staff, Board of Directors, and Nominating Committee Members through strategic goal setting, employee onboarding, and board orientation.
• Published a white paper on “Health Disparities Experienced by Surgical Patients of Color: What is Known and Key Actions to Take,” which highlights insights into racial disparities in the surgical setting, defines actions to mitigate disparities, and identifies information gaps to inform future research.

What’s Ahead

Through this year and into 2023, AORN’s DEI Strategic Program will further increase diversity among membership, the Board of Directors, and staff, and will continue a dedicated focus to impact disparity of care of diverse patients, Cousin shares. “We want to increase our education and awareness for our nurses so that they can ensure better patient outcomes.”