After more than two years of absence, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses will be gathering in Orlando, August 7-10, for their annual conference – which includes four days of education sessions and three days with medical device manufacturers on the exhibit floor at the Orange County Convention Center. OR Today magazine will be in the exhibit hall at Booth #29062 giving away copies of the magazine, Nurse Pill stress balls and other items.
The association’s last Global Surgical Conference & Expo, planned for Anaheim in April 2020, was canceled due to alarm bells stemming from early news of the Coronavirus. For AORN, the decision to cancel was difficult; there were only a few reported cases at the time, and limited evidence was available to support their decision. In just weeks, though, the association pivoted to present a virtual conference that attracted more than 8,000 attendees.
Meetings Director Emily O’Connell and AORN President Holly Ervine, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CNOR, are confident the time is right to attract a large number of attendees and association members say they are eager to finally reconnect with each other. As healthcare workers, most are fully vaccinated and feel reassured that AORN will follow CDC recommendations on site including mask requirements, sanitizing and social distancing.
“We understand not everyone is able to travel, either because of work demands or a general hesitation,” says O’Connell. “That’s why we will also present AORN Expo in a hybrid format for those who want to attend virtually. Select education sessions and conference activities will be live-streamed, and virtual attendees will also have access to networking lounges, a new product showcase, scheduled talks and exhibitor presentations, and a library of on-demand education sessions.” The Virtual Registration Pass will be available for purchase in July.
COVID-19 has influenced some of the educational content. Rose Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN will present “Perioperative Nursing Leadership 2021: Rebooting After a Life-Quake” to help nursing leaders rebuild their team members’ resiliency, many of whom are burned out and need non-traditional management support. Sherman’s session is presented as part of the conference’s Leadership Summit, a program designed for emerging leaders and nurse executives who want to focus on the business and management sides of nursing.
“Perioperative nurses value our conference because the education sessions are developed by perioperative nurses for perioperative nurses,” says Ervine. “And they count on AORN Expo to obtain their continuing education credits. It helps that we offer 12 tracks of learning for different practice specialties and surgical settings such as ambulatory and outpatient.”
AORN Expo includes keynote speakers of national renown, educational content that delivers recommendations and solutions to clinical, administrative, and team challenges, as well as access to perioperative leaders on the national and international levels. In all, the conference presents more than 100 education sessions and can provide as many as 200 continuing education credits.
The Leadership Summit is an example of educational content that is designed according to nurse roles and interests. In addition to Sherman’s presentation, Pamela Hunt, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, will present “True Leadership,” a session that will explore the characteristics of what a true leader “looks like and how they make other people feel about their work and achieving their passion.” Past Summit attendees enjoy the networking opportunities that come along with the 4-day Summit. They are in a gathering of their peers from coast to coast and able to compare notes on clinical and management issues they face in their facilities.
Summit attendees can also attend the general conference, including education sessions and general sessions with keynote speakers.
AORN’s perioperative nursing specialists will be presenting education sessions to guide evidence-based practice and policies for safe patient care. The Guideline for Retained Surgical Items is currently being updated and its lead author, Julie Cahn, DNP, RN, CNOR, RN-BC, ACNS-BC, CNS-CP, will discuss significant revisions and key points in preventing RSIs in surgical patients.
“It’s been a year of so many changes, in practice and in our personal lives,” said Ervine. “It will be extra special to come together as a profession, reconnect with old friends, and shake off the pressures we’ve been under.”
Visit OR Today at Booth #29062!
