AORN Releases Statement During Periop Nurses Week

AORN released an important statement during Perioperative Nurses Week, November 10-16, 2024, to recognize the importance of this group, encourage recognition for their contributions and call for their leadership role.

Nakeisha Tolliver, DNP, MBA, RN, NE-BC, CNOR, CSSM, AORN president, and Linda Groah, MSN, RN, CNOR, NEA-BC, FAAN, AORN CEO/executive director, jointly issued the statement that underscored the specific contributions perioperative nurses and nurse leaders make and to showcase their skills for industry partners and the healthcare community at large.

In part, they stated these thoughts about these healthcare professionals, “Their specialized clinical skills and knowledge protect your patients from adverse outcomes — and safeguard one of the most important revenue drivers for your health system. As you know too well, managing highly complex surgical services is far more than space, labor and supplies. At the most crucial time in a patient’s life, your periop nurses bring the clinical edge in understanding all the intersecting variables necessary for safe care while mitigating costly risks.”

A perioperative nurse is a central point of contact...

The specialized perioperative clinical experience needed for supervising the operating room were also outlined. These included Enhanced Patient Safety: Perioperative nurses are trained to be an advocate for the patient, to anticipate and respond to potential complications and address any issues promptly and effectively; Improved Coordination and Communication: A perioperative nurse is a central point of contact, facilitating communication between surgical teams, anesthesia providers and nursing staff; Expertise in Infection Control: Perioperative nurses focus on infection prevention protocols in and around the OR; Comprehensive Risk Management: Perioperative nurse leaders bring a holistic view of the entire perioperative process from sterile processing to preop, intraop and postop; Continuous Quality Improvement: Perioperative nurses know the “how” of quality improvement initiatives. Their education and experiences focus on evidence-based practices and continuous learning to remain at the forefront of advancements that support improved patient recovery times, higher patient throughput, fewer readmissions and improved financial performance.

The authors stated, “All these qualifications and contributions underscore why AORN believes perioperative nurses are uniquely suited for the surgical services director role. For surgical services leaders without the recommended direct perioperative experience, AORN is here to support your efforts in fostering a balanced approach to decision-making, enhancing both care and efficiencies.” For more information click here. OSM