AORN OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Welcome to all of our new AORN members; our membership is now 147 members strong! The Chapter 3001 Board of Directors is committed to the goal of supporting you in your practice and we welcome your input and suggestions of how to serve you. We encourage you to join us in educational conferences, both at the national level and at the local level. Our next day-long conference is just around the corner on May 1 at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene NH . Please join together for a day of professional growth, camaraderie and learning. We encourage you to car-pool and bring a friend.

SPECIAL NOTE: A one-year AORN membership will be raffled off (PEP members are excluded)! Double or triple your chances of winning for each additional non-member you bring along! There will be other special prizes so GET READY TO WIN!

For those of you who have never experienced AORN Congress, it is an exciting and inspiring opportunity filled with ideas and information that are specifically applicable to caring for our Perioperative patients. This year’s theme was Safety, Quality, and Collaboration. 80% of all sessions focused on these aspects of our profession, making this one of the best Congress’ that I have attended. Next year, AORN Congress will be held closer to home, in Philadelphia , PA with many opportunities to explore the history of our great nation and the work of our forefathers.

Six chapter members attended AORN Congress in Denver , CO this past March. Rebecca Saypack (Valley Regional), Phyllis Barrell and Monte Murphy (APD), Lisa Ryder (VA), Susan Snow and Linda Thompson (DHMC). Rebecca, Sue, Lisa and Linda served as chapter delegates. There was an amendment proposed that would have changed the House of Delegates to only include those attending Congress. Speaking for myself, I believe this amendment would have been detrimental to small chapters such as ours. The amendment was defeated. If this amendment had passed, I feel large chapters would have the ability to control all aspects of this organization.

Having fair representation encourages all members to have a voice in electing officers and speaking to the issues that face us as a national organization. Former AORN President Bill Duffy crafted a new amendment that would keep the current House of Delegates and would also open up delegate positions to those attending Congress.

As delegates, we were impressed by 2009 President Patrick Voight and his Board of Directors for keeping our organization solvent through dramatic and turbulent financial situations that not only faced the nation but also the solvency of our organization. Many AORN headquarters’ positions were cut in 2009. In addition, meetings and travel were curtailed in order to trim the budget. Because of these cuts, the budget indicated that we ended the year just barely in the black, but thankfully out of the deep red hole of the previous year. What does this mean to us, the members? Our current membership dues have not increased since 2003 and as you can appreciate from your own financial situations, the cost for everything has increased substantially since 2003. The current membership dues are $27 per member below what it takes to support the trimmed functioning of our organization. The National Board of Directors asked for a $20 increase in membership dues. Some members of the House of Delegates strongly felt that this amount would not meet the organization’s requirements and proposed a $30 increase. The House of Delegates settled at $25. As this may pose a hardship to some of the membership as an annual fee, the Board of Directors have been charged with investigating an automated monthly premium plan. This proposed change would ease the burden for many members. The dues increase will become effective on July 1. Now is the time to purchase a 3-year membership to take advantage of the lower rates before the increase.

For additional information about AORN Congress, please join us on May 1, at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene for “The Eyes Have It!” Lunch will be provided as part of the conference fee. You know the saying- ‘If you feed them, they will come!” See you there!

Linda

Linda Thompson RN BSN CNOR
President, AORN Chapter 3001

MEETINGS AND EVENTS:

May 1 2010

Cheshire Medical Center
Keene, NH

Chapter 3001
Spring Educational Conference:

The Eyes Have It!

8am-3pm in the Auditorium

$50 Registration…prepay please

5 Contact hours

Lunch is included

Business meeting during lunch

Eye Anatomy

Cataracts and Intraocular lens

Lasik Surgery

Photorefractive Keratotomy (PKR)

Project Orbis (the flying eye hospital)

Flying Eye Hospital

The ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital is literally a hospital with wings that brings together dedicated eye care professionals and aviators to give the gift of sight to developing countries around the world.

Onboard the refurbished DC-10 jet aircraft, local doctors, nurses and technicians work alongside ORBIS’s international medical team to exchange knowledge and improve skills. The mobile teaching hospital is a unique tool in the fight against preventable blindness in developing countries.

In the 48-seat classroom at the front of the plane, doctors gather for lectures, discussions and live broadcasts of surgical procedures being performed nearby in the Flying Eye Hospital operating room. If needed, surgeries can also be broadcast to an additional classroom outside the aircraft, for instance, at a nearby hospital. Large numbers of trainees observe the surgeries and ask questions of the operating surgeons via a two-way audio-visual system.

Prior to the start of a Flying Eye Hospital visit, local doctors pre-select patients whose conditions are relevant to that program’s specialties. Selected patients are then screened by ORBIS volunteer faculty members at the program site. Priority is given to children, individuals who are bilaterally blind, cannot afford to have the surgery otherwise, and represent good teaching cases. Local doctors maintain oversight of patients before, during and after surgery.

Contact Kim Cotter RN BSN at Cheshire Medical Center for more information. Kcotter@cheshire-med.com

Pathway to Patient Safety

AORN Foundation News:

Each day you act on your commitment to patient safety as a professional in perioperative nursing. The AORN Foundation is pleased to offer you, your chapter, state council, company or organization the opportunity to further advance patient safety by purchasing a personalized, engraved brick to be placed in the Pathway to Patient Safety.

The Pathway to Patient Safety will be a permanent testimony of your commitment to this important cause, displayed at the entrance to AORN headquarters. Show others that you are a part of the legacy of advancing patient care by purchasing a brick in your own name, or pay tribute to a special family member or fellow colleague by purchasing a brick in their honor or memory.

Proceeds of the Pathway to Patient Safety will support AORN Foundation programs.

A suggestion has been made that Chapter 3001 should invest in a brick. This topic will be addressed at the business meeting on May 1.

Change in CNOR recertification contact hour eligibility window

As reported in the Congress News of Tuesday March 16, 2010, the CCI Board of Directors approved a change in the policy governing the window during which contact hours can be earned and counted toward CNOR recertification. This change will take place January 1, 2011. Please refer to the table below to determine the period during which your eligible contact hours must be earned:

Credential Valid Hours must be earned between Application Date

2006-2011 1/1/2006-12/31/2010 7/1/2011

2007-2012 1/1/2007-12/31/2011 7/1/2012

2008-2013 1/1/2008-12/31/2012 7/1/2013

2009-2014 1/1/2009-12/31/2013 7/1/2014

The following policies have not changed:

· Your credential is still good for a five-year period

· You still have five years to earn contact hours.

· Your application will still be due on July 1 in order to recertify your credential without penalty.

· You still are required to earn 125 contact hours from providers deemed acceptable by CCI.

Specialty Assemblies

What do you know about the 23 Specialty Assemblies? As you know, AORN offers one complimentary inclusion in a specialty assembly with AORN membership; however members may belong to more than one assembly for only $15 each. You can change your Specialty Assembly by calling AORN Customer Service. We have been highlighting a specialty assembly with each newsletter. We have already looked the Specialty Assemblies devoted to:

· Federal Nurses

· Orthopedic

· Ophthalmology

· Trauma

· Pediatric

· Cardiothoracic

· Leadership

General Surgery/Gynecology Specialty Assembly

Overview
Perioperative nurses who specialize or are interested in surgical procedures involving the peritoneal cavity, gastrointestinal organs, endocrine system, breast, aorta, peripheral vascular system, and reproductive organs

Chapter 3001 Membership for April 2010

Membership Type	Count
Standard	76
PEP member 1year	58
Retired	4
Associate	4
Student	3
3 year	2
Total	147