Promoting practice, protecting patients are the focus of 54th Congress Opening Session: Sunday, March 11, 2007

AORN Journal,  June, 2007  by Rebecca L. Holm

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AORN President Paula Graling, RN, MSN, CNOR, CNS, kicked off the Opening Session of Congress to strains of her favorite songs, leading a procession of AORN leaders and members that started with the President-elect; the AORN Board of Directors members; and the interim Executive Director. Next, the Nominating Committee members; past Presidents; Golden Gavel members; national committee and task force chairs; specialty assembly chairs; Ombudsman Vivian Watson, RN, CNOR; AORN Journal editor-in-chief, Nancy Girard, PhD, RN, FAAN; AORN Foundation trustees; Exhibitors' Advisory Committee members; Congress volunteer coordinator; Award for Excellence winners; Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI) president and board members; president of the International Federation of Perioperative Nurses; chapter presidents; and state council chairs paraded into the hall.

As President Graling introduced the active duty members of the Armed Forces, the entire audience rose to its feet and gave a resounding welcome to the beat of each service's anthem. COL Linda Wanzer, RN, MSN, CNOR, ANC, USA; LCDR Tommy Stewart, RN, MS, RNC, WHNP, CNOR, NC, USN; and Lt Col Jorge Gomez-Diaz, RN, MSN, CNOR, USAF, NC; led their AORN nurse colleagues who currently are serving, respectively, in the US Army, Navy, and Air Force. President Graling thanked all service members present and those deployed for the sacrifice they make every day so that we may live in freedom and democracy.

President Graling then struck the gavel, officially opening the 54th annual Congress. After Reverend Stephen G. Shepherd gave the invocation and Saundra Falk sang the National Anthem, Tiffany Moore, County Commissioner of Florida District 6, welcomed attendees to Orlando. An attorney by profession, she joked with attendees that "[attorneys] are not nearly as fun as you all." Extending a welcome from the Mayor and other members of the Orange County Commission, Moore instructed attendees to work hard, play hard, and learn hard but not to forget to visit all of the sites in beautiful Orlando. Kevin J. Metzing, RN, CNOR, 2007 Congress volunteer coordinator, welcomed attendees to the sunshine state and "vacation capital of the world," encouraging attendees to use this opportunity to learn ways to promote our practice, protect our patients, and preserve our future.

GREETINGS

President Graling then welcomed guests and nursing colleagues who represent the organizations of the Nursing Alliance and other nursing organizations from around the world. "It is through collaboration, commitment, and a deep partnership that members of the surgical team are able to function at such a high level of competence," said President Graling. Attendees watched a video demonstrating mentoring, which was provided by Edward Copeland, III, MD, FACS, Gainesville, Fla, president of the American College of Surgeons.

Terry C. Wicks, MHS, CRNA, president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) greeted attendees and extended a welcome from the 36,000 members of AANA. "Safety first," said Wicks, "we memorize it, we live it, we fear it." Wicks saluted AORN for the visionary effort of bringing together the seven professions that work cooperatively to protect patients. David DeWalch, president-elect of the American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants, commended AORN members for their cooperative efforts and "common goal of safety in the treatment of our patients."

Pamela E. Windle, RN, MS, CNA, BC, CPAN, CAPA, president of the American Society of Perianesthesia Nurses, extended her welcome to "our long-time partners" in perioperative patient care. "Together we are committed to collaborating in patient safety as we develop and share best practices, particularly in activities such as hand-off communications [and] promoting a safe environment for our patients," Windle noted.

James Bell, CST, CFA, president of the Association of Surgical Technologists, said "It's not a secret at all [that] we as surgical technologists and you as perioperative nurses have worked together for decades. Our success in the OR stems from our ability to work as a team." He told attendees to "bask in your pride as nurses. Your commitment is infectious, and, like a virus, [it] infects everyone around you with the desire to ensure the safety of our patients."

Todd Uhlman, president of the National Student Nurses' Association, offered greetings from the association's 51,000 members. "My crowning achievement is that I married an OR nurse," said Uhlman. He then explained that the resolution to ensure more perioperative experiences in nursing school curricula passed almost unanimously at both the state and national levels of his organization. "But we need the experiences to be beneficial," Uhlman said. "Don't just say 'stay away from everything blue! ... Look for students, embrace them, and mentor them the way you do so well."