New Year's resolutions for OR nursing

We hope 1975 will be a successful and happy year for each of you. For most of us, it is a time to reflect on the past year and plan for the future. We cannot erase the slate, but we can improve it. Because of this attitude and because it i s traditional, I am sure that many of you have made New Year's resolutions.

How many of your resolutions affect your practice of nursing? May I suggest that the new year offers us an opportunity to resolve to take some concrete action to improve our professional practice? To begin this project we must first look back to OR nursing '74 and to the activities and direction of our national organization. In our own profes- sional situation, have we attempted to implement even one of the many improve- ments of nursing care in the OR suggested and developed by AORN? A few might include: Project Assistance offered by AORN

Preoperative 1. Seminars visit 2. Numerous Journal articles program 3. "The preoperative visit" film

available from Davis+Geck film library

a Presided's message

Orientation program for OR nurses

OR nursing audit

Technical standards in the OR

1. Seminars 2. Congress program 3. Completed manual, avail-

able from Headquarters

1. Congress program 2. Journal articles 3. Audit tool developed by

national committee

1. National committee

2. Standards to be developed established

this year These are just a few of the areas of nurs-

ing care that we, as committed OR nurses, can improve this year. How do we begin? By developing realistic, attainable, and measurable goals for 1975 for the upgrad- ing of OR nursing in our hospital.

It is my belief that every registered pro- fessional nurse, as an independent practi- tioner accountable for her practice, must actively participate in the development of goals for all surgical suites. We must have goals to continue our growth as profes- sionals.

As a staff nurse you may not think that you can influence the initiation of such projects. I believe that you can and must. At your next staff meeting, determine if there are nursing care goals for your de- partment. If there are not, ask why. Suggest a goal for 1975. Most OR nurses I know are vocal and active. Group interaction will

AORN Journal, January 1975, VoE 21, N o 1 7

follow and your OR will be on the way to providing improved patient care, Remember, you are a professional and you will be held accountable for your actions.

Goals must be realistic and measurable. Written nursing care goals with quarterly progress reports demand more action than those simply talked about and forgotten. -he goals and progress reports should be communicated to the OR staff quarterly. If ufter three to six months everyone realizes yhat a goal i s unrealistic, do not hesitate to

retreat, revise, and resubmit a new, more realistic goal. Do not waste time trying to attain the unattainable. Be honest.

OR nursing care on the national level can take giant steps forward in 1975 if every OR nurse resolves to develop and work toward a t least one specific goal to improve her professional practice this year.

The New Year has just begun.

Nancy Erf i , RN Vice-president

Board of Directors

Congenifal defects fopic af instifufe "A quality of life," a topic dealing with congenital defects, was presented for about 100 nurses and student nurses from New York, New Jersey, and Maine a t the regional institute presented by AORN of Upstate New York in Rochester, NY.

Philip L Townes, MD, PhD, reviewed chromosome characteristics explaining dominant, recessive, and unexpressed gene activity in his speech on "Principles and application of human genetics." The detection of genetic disease was discussed by James A Durfee, MD, and cytogenetics was the subject presented by Prof Mary Pat Pennel, medical technologist at Monroe Community College.

Two controversial films from the Joseph P Kennedy Foundation were shown concerning treatment of retarded children a t birth and later in life. "Who Should Survive" was the story of a child born with Down's syndrome and duodenal atresia who was given no supportive care as a result of the decision of parents and doctor. "Bertha" told of a borderline retarded teenager the state wished to make unable to conceive.

"A look at hemophilia" was discussed by Robert H Breckenridge, MD; S Ross Mackay, MD; and Sarah Davis Day, RN, MNP. The presentation by Robert R White, MD, on

intestinal malformations and duodenal problems in newborn was geared to OR nurses in that he showed slides and discussed the surgery involved in treatment. Thomas Rodenhouse, MD, explained the pathology and showed slides of hydrocephalia, spina bifida, and meningomylocele.

Questions from the audience were answered by Dr Rodenhouse, Rev Robert Clark and Eric Renna, MD, who participated in a panel on "Right to live, right to die." Surgical repair of genetic defects was presented by Charles Line, MD, who spoke on reflux problems and Joseph D Kepes, MD, who discussed repair of the cleft lip and cleft palate. A second panel on care of the abnormal newborn from birth was given Gary Meyers, MD, and three nurses from the Birth Defects Clinic at Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester.

8 AORN Journal, January 1975, Vol 21, N o 1