Board develops ideas from deans’ conference Prior to the Board of Directors meeting June 17 to 19 at Headquarters, AORN representatives met June 15 with a select group of six deans from schools of nursing and the immediate past-president of the National Student Nurses’ Association. The purposes of the. conference were to acquaint selected educators with AORN’s philosophy, publications, goals, and educational concerns and to hear from the deans regarding the climate of nursing educa- tion, criteria for selection of nursing experi- ences in the curriculum, and feasibility of courses in perioperative nursing.

The objectives were met in an interesting session. The Board believes the meeting was a good beginning in establishing a relationship with our colleagues in nursing education. Rep- resenting the Association were the Project 26 Task Force, the Executive Committee, Execu- tive Director Jerry G Peers, and members of Headquarters staff. Ideas from the conference were reviewed at the Board meeting and tle- veloped into future plans. (A complete report on the deans’ conference appears in this is- sue.)

The proposed 1979-1980 budget was re- viewed by the Budget and Finance Committee. The Planning Committee, composed of the Executive Committee and Headquarters man- agers, reviewed goals, discussed short- and long-range planning and direction of the Asso- ciation, and assessed the need to set priorilies among the increased AORN activities.

The Board of Directors approved a $10 in- crease in membership dues to be effective July 1980. The proposal, accompanied by a fact

sheet with rationale, will go to the 1980 House of Delegates for ratification. The proposal is based on the need of the Association since AORN has been incurring increased costs in all areas.

The Board reviewed progress reports from Board committees and Board representatives to other organizations. Plans were made for the Statement Committee to provide consulta- tion to members at Congress for preparing resolutions or statements. An article explain- ing this service will be published in a future issue of the Journal.

There was an indepth discussion of the pro- posed regulations of the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, which would permit personnel other than registered nurses to circulate. The proposed regulations had not been published in the Federal Register as of June 30. Members will continue to be informed through the Journal, AORN Newsletter, and individual letters, as appropriate.

The Certification Council is in the process of being incorporated. Plans for the first certifica- tion examination are on schedule. The exam will first be offered Nov 10 at 60 sites around the country. Certification exams have also been scheduled for Sept 13, 1980, and Sept 20, 1981. Due to the Council’s heavy work- load, a sixth AORN member will be appointed.

An ad hoc committee will be appointed to identify basic operating room nursing com- petencies. They will be charged with develop- ing an exhaustive list of competencies for the staff nurse level that would be expected after a six- to twelve-month orientation. The Board believes that determining basic competencies will aid in implementing the perioperative role for OR nurses. These could also provide a base for designing orientation and staff de-

AORN Journal, August 1979, Vol30, No 2 197

velopment programs, assessing learning needs of AORN members, assisting in ascer- taining the validity of the certification examina- tion, identifying credentialing trends, and in- forming various groups about OR nursing and nurses.

The Education Department reported that the AORN/University of Colorado (CU) Demon- stration Project in Operating Room Nursing provided students with valuable experience. The project consisted of a course in intraopera- tive nursing open both to generic students as an elective and to RN students as continuing education. The project will be repeated at CU. A research project will be planned to test the model described in the AORN publication, Surgical Experience. The refined hypothesis will be that knowledge and skill in intraopera- tive nursing positively affect patient recovery from surgery through a professional nurse’s facilitating relationship. AORN will also seek commitments from several baccalaureate programs to undertake similar demonstration projects.

AORN’s participation in medical device standard setting was reviewed and refined. Appointments were made to the American Surgical Trade Association Foundation. The Board also nominated several AORN mem- bers for voting positions on advisory commit- tees on medical devices in the US Food and Drug Administration.

Plans for the 1980 Congress in Atlanta were reviewed. Dates and sites for future Con- gresses were approved: 1983 in Houston and 1986 in Anaheim, Calif.

The Second World Conference of Operating Room Nurses is being planned for Lausanne, Switzerland Aug 12 to 15,1980, with the theme “Commitment to Caring.” A post-Conference hip is scheduled for Italy and Greece. Details will be published in the Journal.

The Board heard that the first course to be offered in the Jerry G Peers Education Center was received positively by the participants. The course, “The Nurse Manager in the OR: Developing Leadership Skills,” was held June 4 to 15. Another course is planned for fall.

The National Committee on Education is implementing the 1979 House of Delegates resolution for a consumer education day. The date will be Nov 14. Chapters will be informed of plans and will receive an information packet.

The Education Department reported that the Modular Independent Learning Systems (MILSF@ series on the nursing process would be available by mid-July. The MILS series on certification will be available in September. These are being announced in the Journal.

The report of the Study of Credentialing in Nursing, sponsored by the American Nurses’ Association, and the entry-into-practice issue were reviewed, and ramifications for AORN were discussed.

The Board reviewed the progress of the Project 26 master plan for implementation of the perioperative role and determined that the Association is well on the way to accomplish- ing the objectives.

Retired or disabled AORN members of long-standing active status who are unable to renew their licenses because their state re- quires continuing education for relicensure will be considered for associate member status. Criteria have been delineated in the creden- tials policy.

The Board of Directors will meet next Nov 1 to 4 at Headquarters. Members may send pro- posed agenda items to Jerry G Peers, execu- tive director, or Barbara J Gruendemann, president, at Headquarters.

Nancy L Mehaffy, RN Vice-president

198 A O R N Journal, August 1979, Vo l30 , N o 2