Candidate for Board of Directors (Four to be Elected)

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Amanda Heitman, BSN, RN, CNOR, is a Perioperative Educational Consultant for Periop Anew, Cary, North Carolina, and Surgical Services Supervisor for WakeMed Cary Hospital, North Carolina. She earned an Associate of Science from Cloud County Community College, Concordia, Kansas, and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas.

Heitman has been a perioperative nurse for 21 years and a member of AORN for 19 years. She is a member of

• Capital North Carolina (2015-present)
• the North Carolina Council of Operating Room Nurses (NCCORN; 2015-present)
• the Clinical Nurse Educator Specialty Assembly (2015-present)

Heitman has attended Congress seven times in the past 10 years, seven times as a delegate.

Heitman has received

• a Professional Nursing Excellence Award, WakeMed Health & Hospitals (2016)

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

• a member of the AORN National Legislative Committee advocating for a smoke evacuation bill in North Carolina (2024-present)
• chair of NCCORN (2024-present)
• a member of the Capital North Carolina Board of Directors (2022-present)
• an administrator for AORN Periop 101 at WakeMed Cary Hospital (2015-present)

She has been

• educational presenter at AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo, “An Educator... What Is it Good For?” (2022)
• facilitator at AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo, Code Blue Simulation (2019)
• educational presenter at the Clinical Nurse Educator Specialty Assembly Fall Town Hall (2024)
• chair-elect of NCCORN (2023-2024)
• president of Capital North Carolina (2018-2019)
• president-elect of Capital North Carolina (2017-2018)

In other leadership roles, Heitman is

• a member of North Carolina Nurses Association (2023-present)
• a perioperative nursing guest lecturer, Johnston Community College (2018-present)

She has been

• an educational presenter on sharps safety, North Carolina Ambulatory Surgical Center Association Fall Education Day (2023)
• an educational presenter, First Case Podcast, “Flipping the Switch: Shedding Light on the Value of OR Educators” (2022)
• an educational presenter, OR Today webinar, “In Depth Look at Educator Role” (2021)

In her community, Heitman is

• a participant with the American Heart Association Triangle Heart Walk (2024-present)
• a volunteer for the St. Michael Archangel Parish Thanksgiving Food Drive (2022-present)

She has been

• a volunteer for the St. Michael Archangel Parish Holiday Craft Fair (2022)
• a volunteer Miracle League Buddy (2022)
• a participant with the Athens Drive Magnet High School Career Fair (2022)

Election Statement

As a perioperative nurse, I believe that patient safety remains the number one priority in our profession. As a Board Member, I want to represent our many valuable members who deal with this challenge every single day. As we seek to promote new initiatives to move our association forward, we cannot lose sight of our primary professional responsibilities, and I want to faithfully represent you—the everyday heroes caring for patients. I bring to this position over 20 years of perioperative experience. I started in a small rural hospital where I was fortunate to scrub, circulate, and learn various specialty areas including PAT, Preop, PACU, SPD, Endoscopy, and Materials Management. I now work in a larger health care organization where I provide leadership, focusing on education and training, while still practicing my perioperative skills by providing direct patient care. As a Board Member, I want us to re-emphasize our organizational focus on safety. I want to ensure that AORN provides a voice to our many expert members and is also a place where we truly support each other as practitioners. We are responsible for the strategic vision of this organization, and I want to help bring your voices—the practicing perioperative nurses—to the table so we can really address the issues you face as we continue to grow for the future. Remember it is one member one vote, and please encourage others to vote too. I would be honored to advocate for you on the Board of Directors.