PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2014

� AORN, Inc, 2014

Celebrating

Excellence inPerioperative NursingVICTORIA M. STEELMANPhD, RN, CNOR, FAAN, AORN PRESIDENT

This month, from November 10 to 15, we

celebrate Perioperative Nurse Week. This

event allows us to embrace excellence in

perioperative nursing, taking pride in our specialty

and all that we accomplish on a daily basis. It also

provides us with an opportunity to showcase this

work for others to appreciate.

Thirty-five years ago, in 1979, the AORN House

of Delegates passed a resolution designating a day

each year to educate the public about the role of the

perioperative nurse. November 14 was designated

OR Nurse Day; a few years later, the observance

was expanded to the full week in which that date falls.

Perioperative Nurse Week provides an opportunity

for perioperative nurses to engage their colleagues,

families, the public, and the next generation in

the exceptional work performed by perioperative

nurses. It is important to celebrate Perioperative

Nurse Week for several reasons. First, it promotes

recognition for the outstanding work that periop-

erative nurses do, and it enhances the respect that

they receive. Second, it educates others about the

unique, critical nature of our work. Lastly, it pro-

motes the specialty as an option for the next gen-

eration, encouraging sustainability of highly skilled

perioperative nurses in the future.

IMPORTANCE OF RECOGNITION

Recognition has been an integral part of effective

nursing leadership for decades because of its link to

job satisfaction, employee engagement, retention,

.09.003

and job performance. Recognition results in em-

ployees feeling valued.1,2 When people feel valued

by their employers, they are more likely to be

satisfied and engaged in their work.3 Recognition

improves employees’ intention to remain employed

in the organization.2,3 Recognition also elevates

self-esteem.4,5 When self-esteem is elevated, it

enhances self-efficacy, optimism, and resilience,

which affect job performance.5,6 Meaningful

recognition also improves work group cohesive-

ness.7,8 In addition, group cohesiveness promotes

effective teamwork, an essential component of

patient safety. Recognition is an important strategy

because it motivates nurses to provide high-quality,

cost-effective care and remain actively engaged in

the workplace. Perioperative Nurse Week is one

form of recognition during which we celebrate

excellence in perioperative nursing.

WAYS TO CELEBRATE EXCELLENCE INPERIOPERATIVE NURSING

There are many creative ways to showcase the

work of perioperative nurses, including engaging

colleagues, families, and the next generation of

perioperative nurses. We can engage colleagues

by sharing improvements in practice and patient

feedback as well as by thanking each other. Posting

results of quality improvement projects where the

results can be seen by perioperative nurses, anesthesia

professionals, and surgeons is one easy way to

provide meaningful recognition. For example,

November 2014 Vol 100 No 5 � AORN Journal j 457

November 2014 Vol 100 No 5 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

when implementing changes to prevent retained

surgical sponges, posting the results of the project

on a designated bulletin board recognizes the ef-

forts of those nurses who coordinated the project

and also all nursing personnel who were involved

in implementing the changes. In this way, personnel

are engaged in the success of the project and moti-

vated to promote its success. Surgeons who might be

aware of the trigger for the project can see the work

being done and recognize personnel for making

improvements. We should also nominate peers for

There are several different ways nurses can berecognized by other team members. One is bysaying thank you. This may sound simple, butconsider the significant impact of these wordsand how much they mean.

institutional awards,

such as the DAISY

Award,9 and statewide

recognition, such as

the 100 Great Iowa

Nurses.10

Perioperative

nurses are in a some-

what unique situation

in that they seldom know how their patient pro-

gresses after surgery. These nurses seldom receive

the verbal thanks that nurses on inpatient units

receive. Posting patient comments on a bulletin

board provides this desperately needed feedback.

For example, a patient comment on a satisfaction

survey mentioning that the nurse was clearly fo-

cused on patient safety and yet took the time to

hold her hand during induction of anesthesia in-

spires everyone to provide the combination of high-

tech, high-touch care.

Peer-to-peer recognition is also important, and

nurses can be recognized by other team members

who catch them doing something right. There are

several different ways this can be done. One is

by saying thank you. This may sound simple, but

consider the significant impact of these words and

how much they mean. Some hospitals and ambu-

latory surgery centers use note cards, similar to

business cards, which say, “Thanks for what you

do.” The cards may have room for writing some-

thing specific, or they might be reusable. When

receiving the card from a team member, the nurse

feels valued. By giving the card to another person,

458 j AORN Journal

the nurse receives the joy of selecting and recog-

nizing another nurse. Team members also can be

recognized by a display board where members

of the perioperative team can post a note about

something someone did well. This could be a

simple bulletin board or a themed display. For

example, a recognition tree could have notes

shaped like leaves that, when completed, fill in the

tree, or it might be a butterfly net, labeled “caught

doing something right.” Notes shaped like butterflies

couldbeplaced in thenet.Theoptions are limitless.

Another way to

recognize nursing

staff is by engaging

team members’ fam-

ilies. Some facilities

host a family night

and invite staff mem-

bers’ families to see

the OR and hear first-

hand about perioperative nursing and the im-

portance of this work. One perioperative nurse

described the significance of this event to her: “I

didn’t realize it, but my son thought that when I

talked about ‘scrubbing,’ that I meant scrubbing the

floor. He didn’t understand why I was needed when

I was called in. During family night, he saw what I

do and told me how proud he was of me.”

We also should continue our efforts to engage

the public and demonstrate the importance of

perioperative nursing. This might take the form of

an invitation to the media to learn about important

safety programs in your OR. Consulting with your

facility’s media specialist can generate ideas of

what to showcase. Nurses might invite a legislator

to a local chapter meeting, combining recognition

with advocacy.

Lastly, we should take this opportunity to engage

the next generation of perioperative nurses. The

average age of perioperative nurses is more than 50

years old.11 We need to ensure that there is a steady

infusion of highly skilled nurses in the future. There

are many options for doing this, focusing first on

nursing students. Nurses can provide a presentation

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE www.aornjournal.org

about perioperative nursing to the local school of

nursing or host an event for the National Student

Nurses Association,12 inviting the students to tour

the OR, accompanied by nurses passionate about

their work. Efforts also should be directed to high

school students and even elementary students. High

school students can be invited for a mock surgery

on their team mascot, or elementary students can

participate in the game “Operation.” Making school

events fun enhances the engagement of these po-

tential future perioperative nurses.

PROUD MOMENTS

Last November, AORN hosted a “proudest mo-

ments” discussion on Facebook�.13 Perioperative

nurses shared their proud moments, explaining when

they made a difference. Here are a few of the re-

sponses to finishing the sentence, “I’m proud to be

a perioperative nurse because . . .”

n “I can’t imagine doing any other kind of nur-

sing!” dGladys Burris West

n “I have the opportunity to provide care to a

variety of patients during their most vulnerable

times, ensuring they are cared for in a safe, pro-

fessional manner at all times. I also love peri-

operative nursing because it is a field where you

never stop growing and learning.” dSonja Furr

n “It’s amazing to see firsthand the resilience of the

human body and spirit!” dNorma Villaescusa

n “I’m the calm before, during, and after the

storm.” dVictoria McClure

n “I have a chance to impact the care my patients

receive in my role and to assist other nurses to

‘be all they can be.’ I have always respected my

role, that I am entrusted to protect my patient

throughout their time with me, ensuring safe

care and a holistic experience during their

perioperative journey.”dPatricia Moser Coates

n “I am my patient’s advocate when they are

under anesthesia. I also love what I do and I am

proud to be a nurse.” dMary Simpson

This year, AORN continues to highlight peri-

operative nurses and their finest moments. I invite

you to share your story on the AORN social media

pages and be inspired by others’ stories. AORN

will post some fun images for you to share with

your friends as well as some activities for you to

print and incorporate into your OR. In addition,

Perioperative Nurse Week is the perfect time for

AORN to introduce the CORE Award, which

stands for Committed to OR Excellence. The

CORE Award was created by AORN to provide

hospitals and health care systems with a way to

respond to increasing concerns about quality and

safety and to evaluate the continuing pursuit of

excellence in clinical care. I invite you to learn

more about the CORE Award (http://www.aorn

.org/CORE), and I challenge you to begin the

journey toward CORE Award designation.

This year, let’s celebrate excellence in periop-

erative nursing by recognizing the many con-

tributions that perioperative nurses make every

day. I encourage you to either select one of the

strategies described here or develop your own.

ORNurseLinkTM (http://ornurselink.org) is an

excellent location to share your creativity and inspire

others. Happy Perioperative Nurse Week.

Editor’s notes: Facebook is a registered trademark

of Facebook, Inc, Menlo Park, CA. ORNurseLink is

a trademark of AORN, Denver, CO.

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Victoria M. Steelman, PhD, RN, CNOR, FAAN,

is the AORN President and an assistant professor

at The University of Iowa College of Nursing,

Iowa City. Dr Steelman has no declared affili-

ation that could be perceived as posing a

potential conflict of interest in the publication

of this article.