Chapter Officers 

President: Linda Thompson RN BSN CNOR (2010-2011)

President - elect: Linda Thompson RN BSN CNOR (2010-2012)

Secretary:   Lisa Ryder RN BSN MSN (2009-2011)

Treasurer:  Lorraine Heslop RN CNOR (Emeritus) (2010-2012)

Board of Directors:  Above officers plus: 
                                                  Eva Daniels RN BSN (2010-2012)
                                                  Kim Cotter RN BSN CNOR (2010-2011) 
                                                  Jodi Lee RN (2010-2011)                          

Nominating Committee:  Donna Barber RN BSN CNOR (2009-2011)
                                        Diane Kelly RN  (2009-2011)                                      

Contact information for Chapter 3001 
http://www.aornnh.com

  Newsletters are emailed. Contact Lisa Ryder for e-mail address changes.  

   Lisa.ryder@va.gov

Please visit the website of AORN Chapter 3001 at:  

http://www.aornnh.com/meetings.html

 President’s Message 

    As summer approaches, our AORN chapter will take a hiatus from conferences and meetings to enjoy the delicacies of the season. It's strawberry picking time, one of my favorite seasons. A morning spent in the strawberry fields is a great and tasty way to start the day.

     Your Chapter members and Board of Directors and guests met for the end of year picnic on June10th. Although we said ‘rain or shine’ for the picnic, we opted for the dryness of my home and feasted on many great dishes as the downpours came on. Ballots were counted and we ushered in a new slate of officers. Okay, most of us were already officers but we did vote a new officer onto the Board. Jodi Lee RN, from DHMC has been voted onto the board for a one year term. The board generally has rotations of officers each year for two year terms but due to an empty position, a one year term was required to get us back to having our two board members rotate their election years in opposite years. We welcome Jodi and hope that having some fresh blood and new ideas will help spark YOUR interest in representing your chapter next year. Eva Daniels will serve as board member as well. In the absence of a president-elect nomination, and despite a write-in campaign for Kim Cotter from Keene , I have been elected to another year as president-elect while also serving as president. In order to keep our board member numbers at the same level, Kim Cotter will serve as an additional Board member, also for one year. Lorraine Heslop has been re-elected as treasurer. Lorraine has faithfully served in this role for more than two decades, providing our chapter with a rare opportunity for continuity. Our nominating committee is also in need of reverting to an alternate two year term. We will tackle that challenge next year. Thank you to all who voted. We had a record number of votes this year. We recognize that it's the personal interactions with our members that have brought an added level of involvement by our members. Thank you to each of you who participated in electing your Board of Directors. We accept the challenge to bring you interesting conferences that promote your growth in the perioperative arena. Please let us know how we can serve you, what ideas you have for our chapter, and what needs you have as well. We're here for you!

In the last newsletter, we mentioned that on May 1 we would be voting on updating our chapter bylaws. They are now in accordance with National AORN, and we have also provided more clarity regarding our specific chapter. You can access our bylaws on our chapter website www. aornnh.com . At the May 1 meeting we also voted to purchase an AORN Foundation walkway brick displaying our Chapter 3001 name. Thank you to all who supported this initiative.

            Our tentative plan for the coming year is to provide you with 3 day-long conferences. In addition, the Northern New England Perioperative Leaders (NNEPL) will be holding their bi-annual conference at DHMC on September 11th. Your Board of Directors will meet in October, January and April to finalize plans for day-long conferences in early November, February and May. These conferences will be held at one of the chapter hospitals. Congress will be held in March in Philadelphia , PA.

            The board also voted to expand our support to our Chapter members who attain CNOR status for the first time in their careers.  Beginning this month, a Chapter 3001 member who successfully completes the CNOR exam may apply to the Chapter for $250 reimbursement of the fee of the exam! We will also continue our tradition of financial assistance to Chapter members attending their first AORN Congress.  Delegates to Congress will also receive financial assistance to attend.
            In closing, we wish you a happy and healthy summer. See you in the fall.

                                          Linda   
                                                   Linda Thompson RN BSN CNOR
                                                   President, AORN Chapter 3001

Health tip of the month             

 Facts about Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT):  

The fact that you develop a deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and a pulmonary embolism (PE) indicates that your blood has a tendency to clot under certain stressful conditions, such as sitting on an airplane for several hours. Having one DVT or PE means you are at high risk for another, even if you avoid air travel. Without an anticoagulant to help protect against blood clots, your chance of having a repeat DVT or PE is about 30% to 50% over the next 10 years. Many doctors would advise you to take an anticoagulant such as warfarin indefinitely.

The AORN NLC is trying to encourage more involvement by AORN state councils and AORN Chapters and through the Councils and Chapters to every AORN member.  In an effort to expand communication, we will provide highlights of each monthly State Coordinator conference call to State Council Chairs and Chapter Presidents.

Jo Colacci RN
                                                           Government Affairs Manager, AORN INC.

AORN Government Affairs Needs You!

Help lead the advocacy efforts in New Hampshire …become a State Coordinator.  The State Coordinator is the liaison between AORN’s public policy interests, efforts in your state, the National Legislative Committee, and AORN Government Affairs staff.  New Hampshire is one of seven (7) states currently without a State Coordinator.  To sign up or learn more, contact

Jo Colacci at jcolacci@aorn.org

AORN CHAPTER 3001 SPRING CONFERENCE 2010

On Saturday May 1 2010 we met at the Cheshire Medical Center in Keene New Hampshire for “The Eyes Have It”, a conference specifically tailored to describing eye anatomy, surgery, complications and nursing care of the patient.  Basilio Kalpakian MD discussed “Refractory Surgery and Intraocular Lenses in 2010”.  His discussion covered topics such as lasik surgery, photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), the use of lasers in eye surgery, the history of cataract surgery, intraocular lens and more.  Lawrence Jaeger, MD led with a discussion on the anatomy of the eye, cataract formation and the decision process leading to cataract removal, and posterior capsulotomy.  Our third speaker was unfortunately unable to attend because of a personal matter, but her excellent replacement was Kathleen Bolash RN.  Kathleen led us through the needs of the patient as seen by a perioperative nurse. 

Lunch was provided.  During lunch we had our business meeting, led by President Linda Thompson.  Highlights of the AORN Congress were presented.  Our Chapter 3001 Bylaws were revised and presented to the audience for a vote to accept the changes.  Linda urged members to assist with the Chapter by completing a willingness-to-serve form, and to vote when the ballot is presented in June.

Door prize winners included: Joyce Paquette, Mary Hilton, Pam Heggelund, Kelly Von Ruden, and Courtney Grandee.  The grand prize of a 1-year membership to AORN was won by Christa Weaver.

A total of 35 participants attended the conference.  Many thanks to Kim Cotter for coordinating this major conference and for presenting it with elegance and style!  Thank you to our speakers and participants!
                  

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/GYN

Ambulatory Surgery Center Specialty Assembly

Overview
Perioperative nurses and administrators who work in ambulatory settings or are interested in specialty surgery centers, office-based settings, free-standing surgery centers, or hospital-based outpatient centers.
Purpose Statements

·         Enhance communication among perioperative nurses who practice in either a freestanding, office-based, or hospital-based ambulatory surgery facility.

·         Provide specialty education related to perioperative practices for the ambulatory surgery patient.

·         Serve as a resource for health care professionals.

·         Facilitate application of perioperative research to the ambulatory surgery patient.

    Chapter 3001 Membership for July 2010  

What Rewards Can You Earn for Recruiting New Members?

 
• Receive a $5 Amazon.com® Gift Card* for each new member you recruit
• Recruit 3 in one year: Entered into drawing for a Free Congress registration
• Recruit 5 in one year: Free 1-year membership
• Recruit 10 in one year: Free 3-year membership  

For more information, go to aorn.org, membership information

Have a safe and fun-filled summer!

See you in September at DHMC for the NNEPL Conference on the 11^th !