Vice President (One to be Elected)

Read Candidate Q&A

Jamie Ridout, MSN, MBA, RN, CNOR, NEA-BC, CASC, is the executive director at Triangle Surgery Center, Raleigh, North Carolina. She earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from West Virginia University, Morgantown; a Master of Science in nursing from Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; and a Master of Business Administration from Elon University, North Carolina.

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

• Capital North Carolina (2018-present),
• the North Carolina Council of Operating Room Nurses (2016-present),
• the Ambulatory Surgery Specialty Assembly (2016-present),
• the Leadership Specialty Assembly (2016-present),
• the Perioperative Nursing Informatics Specialty Assembly (2016-present), and
• the Sterile Processing/Supply Chain Management Specialty Assembly (2016-present).

She has been a member of

• AORN of Tar Heels East North Carolina (2014-2016).

Ridout has attended Congress 10 times in the past 10 years, nine times as a delegate.

Ridout has received

• North Carolina Council of Operating Room Nurses Perioperative Nurse of the Year (2017).

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

• Secretary of AORN (2022-present),
• a member of the Fellowship Selection Committee (2023-present),
• a member of the AORN Compliance Committee (2022-present),
• a member of the Credentials Committee (2022-present),
• a member of the AORN Values Committee (2022-present), and
• a member of the Jerry G. Peers Committee (2023-present).

She has been

• a member of the Nominating Committee (2018-2020),
• a member of the Global Surgical Conference Education Committee (2020-2021),
• a member of the Board Chapter Visits Committee (2022-2023), and
• chair of the AORN Ambulatory Specialty Assembly Coordinating Council (2016-2021).

In other leadership roles, Ridout is

• president of the North Carolina Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (NCASCA) (2022-present).

She has been

• a member of the NCASCA Board of Directors (2017-2022),
• education chair of the NCASCA (2017-2022),
• responsible for assisting her former ASC to become the #1 Ambulatory Surgery Center in North Carolina as recognized by Newsweek (2021-2023), and
• responsible for assisting her former ASC to receive the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health’s Advanced Orthopaedic Certification for Total Joint and Complex Spine (2021-2022).

In her community, Ridout has been

• a volunteer for the Texas Health Action Kind Clinic (2023),
• a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity (2023),
• a volunteer for Good Hope Farm (2023),
• a volunteer for the Raleigh Rescue Mission Christmas Turkey Meal Take Out (2022), and
• a volunteer for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) One Walk (2022).

Election Statement

Our work as members, along with that of the staff, is making a difference! AORN is in the best financial position in the history of the Association. Membership has climbed to nearly 47,000. As your Secretary, I’ve worked alongside the Association and Board members to examine the macroeconomic forces that affect not only our association and members but our health care systems as well. Labor wages, the nursing shortage and supply chain will continue to impact our work environment. This creates an opportunity for the members and the Association to work together to strategically plan decisions that position us for continued future success.

As an association, we gain nothing if we do not continually focus on the membership. Our membership programs have added members, but now we need to find new ways to engage with them. Our members are the backbone of AORN, and we must define what we need from the Association and what excites us to be part of this organization. Our profession is too important to not be involved. We need leaders who will lean into the challenge to strengthen our profession and work environment.

As your Secretary, I’ve pushed for more accountability regarding growing and engaging our membership. I participated on the Board Chapter Visits Committee and worked to examine and define AORN’s values. As an ASC leader, I also advocated strongly for more resources, tools and education surrounding the ambulatory surgery industry. There is much to be done here.

As your Vice President, not only am I prepared to stand ready to assume the duties of the President, should that be needed, but I’ll continue the work that’s begun to advocate for our members and profession. I’m passionate about nurses rising as professionals, finding their voices, and realizing their power.

I’m a perioperative nurse, lifetime AORN member and a recognized business leader. I understand the challenges that lie ahead for my organization, AORN and our members. I have the business acumen, education, and 30 years of perioperative experience to help guide AORN. I’m a proactive, engaged, authentic leader with proven ability to work collaboratively among a diverse team. We need strong advocates in the boardroom who appreciate the future state of nursing and our association. I am that advocate.

It’s a great privilege to be considered for AORN Vice President. I’d be honored to receive your vote and look forward to continuing to serve you.