The 2025 Southeast Councils of periOperative Nurses Conference welcomed many high-level attendees including AORN President-Elect David Reinhart (left) and seven past presidents in Holly Ervine (2021-2022), Brenda Ulmer (2000-2001), Sheila L. Allen (2001-2002), Nathalie Walker (2017-2018), Vangie Dennis (2022-2023), Ruth Shumaker (1998-1999) and Bill Duffy (2004-2005).
Attendees hailed the event as engaging, collaborative, and transformative—with top-tier speakers and unprecedented vendor participation.
Excellent, Applicable, Professional, Fun, Informative and Collaborative” are words attendees used to describe the 2025 Southeast Councils of periOperative Nurses Conference in Florida.
Attendees also described the conference as: “Awesome, Educational, Amazing, Engaging, Thought Provoking, Inspirational, Empowering and Fabulous.”
“It was awesome!” exclaimed Cleide Vanhorne, a procedural surgical RN at Broward Health Imperial Point in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Building on the success of the inaugural conference in 2024, this year’s event celebrated “The Power of You: Circles of Care.” The theme “Circles of Care” highlighted how perioperative nurses create safe, supportive environments for patients and each other, ensuring high-quality care through every procedure.
Conference facilitator and former AORN President Brenda C. Ulmer was asked if the conference and events like it improve collaboration between industry and perioperative professionals?
“Yes, because it puts the attendees in close contact with industry representatives in their own geographic area,” Ulmer said. “I received many emails from exhibitors who were extremely happy with the conference. We had many return vendors this year, which is a testament to their satisfaction with the experience they had last year.”
“This is important because the collaboration between industry and perioperative nurses is at the core of how the blend of the two groups translates into outstanding care of perioperative patients. When AORN was founded by Edith Dee Hall in 1949, it was an industry partner, Charles Riall of Davis and Geck, who helped the founding nurses organize and spread the word about the new organization of nurses caring for surgical patients.”
The goal to bring perioperative professionals together was achieved in Florida.
More than 300 perioperative professionals from healthcare facilities and leading companies made for a packed exhibit hall. Everyone was able to connect with approximately 50 different companies and learn about the leading products and solutions designed specifically for the surgical environment.
“Our country’s healthcare system is in a state of disruption, and our vendors can be critical partners to help us meet patient needs when everyone is working to reduce inventories and do more on-demand supplies. But it is hard to have a trust in a vendor if they are strangers to us,” said Bill Duffy, RN, MJ CNOR, FAAN, a past president of AORN and an independent nurse educator/consultant. “As much as products are fairly similar, I can see folks making usage purchases based on costs, but the reality is there is more to products than just cost. Are folks familiar with how it is used, how to store it, how to get more in an urgent situation? Do the reps teach, are they responsive? To me, that is almost as important as the product itself.”
Additional conference highlights included:
- 10 CE Contact Hours from the California Board of Registered Nurses
- 6 CE Contact Hours from the Association of Surgical Technologists
- $768 raised in scholarship funds to attend the 2026 conference
- Hundreds of silent auction items donated
- Dozens of door prizes given away
The amount of positive interaction among colleagues and the quality of attendees were two standout aspects of the conference.
“The engagement at the Southeast Perioperative Conference met and exceeded our expectations. We had strong attendance throughout the sessions, and participants were highly interactive with questions and follow-ups. Several attendees reached out afterward for additional resources and collaboration opportunities, which was a great indicator of sustained interest,” said Vangie Dennis, MSN, RN, CMLSO, CNOR, FAORN, FAAN.
“I’d add that the Southeast Perioperative Conference continues to demonstrate how valuable it is for perioperative professionals to come together around shared purpose and innovation,” she added. “The conversations, education, and collaboration that happen here don’t end when the conference does, they carry back into operating rooms across the region and influence practice in meaningful ways. It’s an event that truly strengthens the perioperative community. I’d like readers to know just how much energy and connection this conference brings to the perioperative community. Beyond the sessions and exhibits, it’s the sense of support, mentorship, and shared experience that makes it special. Whether you’re a new nurse or a seasoned leader, you walk away feeling inspired and connected. The Southeast Perioperative Conference is a powerful blend of education, innovation and community. It brings together people who share a passion for improving perioperative care and creates space for meaningful collaboration.”
Attendees also compared the event to the much larger AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo.
“Other than at Expo, this conference had the most vendors of any meetings/conference that I’ve been to,” said Iris Sanchez RN-Retired.
“It’s a mini-Expo and you are allotted ample time to engage with participants and vendors. This is the second one I have attended, and it has been excellent, from the speakers to the location,” said Karen Lemmons, RN, BSN, CNOR, who works at Randolph Health.
When asked if the event’s theme “The Power of You: Circles of Care” resonated with him, Duffy exclaimed, “Yes!”
“I think the reason I was asked to present my presentation is my passion for helping nurses see the value in what they do. We have too many nurses who lose sight of the great things we do to improve people’s lives,” he said. “That is why burnout and folks leaving the profession is so rampant. Helping nurses reconnect (or strengthen their connection) to their professional identity can help them stave off frustrations and disillusionment. Nurses achieve great outcomes for their patients but sometimes we are so busy dealing with challenge after challenge that we lose sight of our value. Themes like this are important as we have to nurse our nurses so they can better nurse their patients.”
Ulmer said a selecting a theme “sets the tone to allow for putting together an outstanding conference.”
“When trying to come up with a relevant theme, I start with looking back at what the themes have been for AORN’s national conference since its inception – I have a list going back decades. This year, I kept going back to the 2002 them Sheila Allen used, ‘Circles of Care’ as demonstrating the power of what perioperative nurses do every day. I didn’t mention to anyone about the origin part of the theme. After we published the theme, Sheila Allen called me and said, ‘That was my theme!’ I just said, ‘I know – it was a good one!’”
“Sheila Allen ended up joining us for the second conference,” Ulmer added. “We had about 7 past presidents in attendance, which is a testament to the fellowship the conference is engendering.”
Allen is now a retired perioperative nurse consultant. She appreciated the conference’s theme and message.
“I genuinely believe in the power of the individual perioperative nurse to make a difference every single day. I was honored to serve as national AORN President 2001-2002 and ‘Circles of Care’ was the theme I selected because of my personal journey with AORN. We are all on a journey throughout our lives; and life has a way of circling us back to basics, events, values, or locations that have meaning to our personal or professional growth,” Allen said.
“Events like this are the keystone of continuing education and collaboration between industry and perioperative nursing,” she said. “The information gained during these exchanges of information are truly a gift exchange. The medical industry grows and develops at astounding speed and innovative nurses continue to work with our partners in industry to develop tools to make patients safer and our jobs more efficient.”
Several attendees described the conference as “educational.” The conference was approved for 6 CE credits by the Association of Surgical Technologists Inc. for continuing education for the Certified Surgical Technologist, Certified Surgical First Assistant, and Associate members of AST. This recognition does not imply that AST approves or endorses any product or products that are included in presentations.
Attendees were not shy when asked about their favorite presentations. Allen said she enjoyed former AORN President Bill Duffy’s session.
“Bill Duffy because he reminded us why what we do is important. Actually, every one of the speakers was engaging and obviously passionate about their subject. The whole conference was really great. Thank you all,” she said.
Duffy presented “It’s A Wonderful Life: How Your Nursing Care Has Impacted the World Around You.”
Duffy compared nurses to the George Bailey character in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” His talk highlighted the true impact of a nurse’s care. He explored how being present means more than technical expertise in that the true meaning of being a nurse changes the lives of those they serve. The session was a celebration of nursing.
Attendees also listed the following sessions among their favorites:
- “Peer Messengers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Safety, Support, and Respect in the Work Environment”
- “It Shouldn’t Hurt to Go to Work: Creating Safe Circles of Care”
- “Won’t You Be My Neighbor? The Power of You – Circles of Care, Catalysts for Change”
Presentations are available for download at southeastperiop.com/education/.
“I think it had more engaging sessions than congress, more intimate. Officers from AORN were more approachable, you could speak with them, there were right there with us,” said Zdzislawa Czechowski.
Allen encourages perioperative nurses to plan to attend future conferences.
“Any time you can attend such a conference to enrich your education, connections, and professional experiences, ‘seize the day!’ As Dr. Seuss (wrote), “Oh the places you’ll go…” There is so much to learn from each other because our experiences are different and offer opportunities for growth,” Allen said. “Our colleagues, leaders, industry partners all contribute to the body of knowledge that joins with our compassionate hearts to provide the safest, most efficient care to the patients to whom we serve.”
Perioperative Leaders Presented DAISY Awards
The Southeast Councils of periOperative Nurses (GA/FL/NC/SC/TN) presented a DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award and a DAISY PeriOperative Nurse Leader Award at the 2025 conference.
Dr. David A. Reinhart, DNP, MBA, RN, CNOR, FAAN, was presented a DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a distinguished leader in perioperative nursing education and practice. He currently serves as the director of nursing education for the perioperative services enterprise at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, Georgia. Leadership at Emory Healthcare, with over 37 years of experience in perioperative nursing, Dr. Reinhart has held various roles, including nurse’s aide, surgical technologist, staff nurse, supervisor, manager and director. In his current position, he oversees education and training across multiple procedural areas, such as operating rooms, pre- and post-anesthesia care units, endoscopy, catheterization labs and interventional radiology.
Amanda Heitman, BSN, RN, CNOR, was honored to receive is a a DAISY PeriOperative Nurse Leader Award. She is seasoned perioperative nurse with over 20 years of experience. “She serves as a Perioperative Educational Consultant for Periop Anew and as Surgical Services Supervisor at WakeMed Cary Hospital in North Carolina. Her career is marked by a strong commitment to patient safety, nursing education and professional advocacy,” her nomination read in part.
The DAISY Award is an international recognition program started in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Pat’s family experienced first-hand the difference his nurses made in his care through clinical excellence and outstanding compassionate care. The family created The DAISY Award to express gratitude to nurses and to enable other patients, families and staff to thank and honor their special nurses.
To see educational highlights and photos from the event, visit southeastperiop.com.
