How are you Periop Proud?
By: Aorn Staff
Published: 11/13/2022
Making a difference is at the core of everything a periop nurse does. Perioperative Nurses Week provides a good opportunity for every nurse working in perioperative care to reflect on the unforgettable moments that remind them of why they chose the profession.
We asked a few of our AORN committee leaders to share moments that made them Periop Proud this year.
J.D. Buchert, MSN, M.Ed., MS, RN, Chair of the Global Relations Committee explained how an international education session on greening the OR inspired change in his practice setting:
Gaining knowledge from the expertise of nurse colleagues in other counties inspires my practice. Last year, an education session I attended through the AORN Expo Global Track shared how OR professionals in the Netherlands have focused on a green operating room and explained that one simple surgery can produce as much trash as a family of four produces in one week. This inspired me to initiate the implementation of a green OR process by the unit base council at my facility. Today, we are seeing a tremendous reduction in waste, and our recycling is now measured in tons. Great job to our operating room on focusing on a better planet! We continue to grow from knowledge shared on an international basis.
Rodney Hicks, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, FAAN, Chair of the Nursing Research Committee acknowledged how research has inspired his work within the OR and his community:
One of my proudest moments as a nurse was earning my PhD. I studied pediatric medication errors during surgery for my dissertation. My knowledge of perioperative practices, nursing practices, and patient safety just fell together to allow me to advance the science. After I completed the dissertation, my academic member, a non-nurse, told me she was so moved by my work, that she shared it with her friends and family. To have an academic member recognize the value of nursing was heart-warming and it showed me how my work was making a difference.
Beyond the OR setting, my experiences leading safe injection practices for COVID-19 vaccinations at my university reminded me of the valuable knowledge perioperative nurses can share. It takes a nurse to know the breadth of safe injection techniques. From supplies through waste management, it’s more than just putting a needle in a person’s arm. I drew heavily on information from AORN’s safe medication practices work to launch the training for medical, dental, and optometry students authorized to give the vaccines.
Mary Fearon MSN, RW. N, CNOR, Co-Chair of the Guidelines Advisory Board noted how her work to advance AORN’s guidelines into practice makes her proud:
Serving as co-chair of AORN’s Guidelines Advisory Board [GAB] has made me proud to be a nurse in perioperative services. The GAB allows me to participate in discussions around best practice with professionals from all disciplines, including Infection preventionists, anesthesia professionals, surgeons, surgical processing professionals, and perioperative nurses. It makes me proud to see the final product of an evidence-based guideline that has been through a robust process to assure we are providing evidence-based national and even worldwide guidance to perioperative nurses, which I experienced firsthand when I attended the European Operating Room Nurses Association Congress in Rhodes, Greece. I was captivated by the discussions with nurses from all over the world. Not only do we share similar experiences in the operating room environment, we also use the AORN guidelines to create standards of practice in our respective countries—I was so proud to be a nurse within this international group of nurses.
Laila Bailey, DNP, RN, CNS, CNOR, ACNS-BC, Chair of Clinical Nursing Practice Committee shared a mentoring moment that continues to influence her practice:
There are many instances where I have been proud to be a nurse. Some come from direct care, some from precepting newer nurses, and many from contributing to nursing knowledge and evidence-based practice. One important moment that stands out was seeing my son become an RN, the fourth generation in our family. His schooling and graduation reminded me of the daily importance of always mentoring the next generation of nurses. Those of us who have experience and knowledge, no matter what our education and background, have valuable experience to give every day.
What makes you #periopproud? Share your story on social channels with hashtag #periopproud to be entered to win an All-Inclusive Getaway Package to Global Surgical Conference & Expo 2023 in San Antonio, April 1-4.
You May Also Like:
