Laura A. Gayton, MHCA, BSN, RN, CNOR, CSSM

OR manager at St Louis University - South Campus, Missouri

Candidate for Board of Directors (Four to be Elected)

Laura A. Gayton, MHCA, BSN, RN, CNOR, CSSM, is the OR manager at St Louis University - South Campus, Missouri. She earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois, and a Master of Health Care Administration from St Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa.

Gayton has been a perioperative nurse for 33 years and a member of AORN for 30 years. She is a member of

  • AORN of St Louis (2022-present) and
  • the Leadership Specialty Assembly (2013-present).

She has been a member of

  • AORN of Northwest Suburban Chicago (2018-2022) and
  • the Illinois Council of PeriOperative Registered Nurses (ICORN) (2018-2022).

Gayton has attended Congress 10 times in the past 10 years, each time as a delegate.

Gayton has received

  • a Quality Improvement Award from Barnes Jewish Hospital for Surgical Site Infection and Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocol development (2016),
  • an AORN Award for Volunteer Leadership (2020), and
  • The Alliance (Organ Donation and Transplantation) Board of Directors Award of Appreciation (2020).

Highlights of Gayton’s service to AORN include that she is

  • chair of the Individual and Chapter Awards Committee (2022-present).

She has been

  • a member of the Nominating Committee (2019-2020),
  • chair of the Nominating Committee (2020-2021),
  • chair of the Award for Excellence Committee (2021-2022),
  • a member of the Awards Committee (2018-2019),
  • chair of the Leadership Specialty Assembly (2016-2019),
  • a member of the Patient Engagement Task Force (2014-2015),
  • a member of the AORN Foundation Student Scholar Mentor Program (2017-2019),
  • president of eChapter (2015-2016), and
  • president-elect of eChapter (2014-2015).

In other leadership roles, Gayton has been

  • a member of The Alliance (Advancing Organ and Transplantation) Board of Directors (2019-2022),
  • an item reviewer and cut scorer for the Competency & Credentialing Institute (CCI) Certified Surgical Services Manager (CSSM) exam (2015), and
  • an item writer for the CCI CSSM exam (2015-2016).

In her community, Gayton has been

  • a member of the registration committee for Pancreatic Cancer PurpleStride St Louis (2013-2017),
  • a volunteer for Head for the Cure (2016-2017),
  • a volunteer for the Greater Chicago Food Depository (2018-2020), and
  • a member of the Community Service Committee at The Joint Commission (2019-2022).

Election Statement

Finding what you love to do leads to finding your passion. This is true of my service to AORN. I have found passion for our practice, our specialty and the common ground in which we all stand.

I want to continue that legacy, by representing you, the members and being your voice in the Boardroom. As your advocate, I will ensure your voice is heard and will not be limited in what I will bring while representing you and supporting AORN’s mission, vision and values.

Now more than ever it is important for AORN to sustain and grow its membership. Finding ways to engage differently with all of our members and supporting local chapters in a way that creates new platforms and adds value is crucial. AORN as a leading professional nursing association, must empower its members to create the energy to fuel the future.

My service to AORN as a leader, mentor and guide, has positioned me well to serve you in the Boardroom. My varied experiences at the local and national levels have given me insights to the great work of our members and the vision for the future of our organization.

The diversity of my experiences, has helped me partner with our members, gaining their trust and as a Board member, I will work tirelessly to strengthen our profession with you as we create the future together. I would be honored to serve you. I humbly ask for your vote.