Passing the Baton

Article Outline

• The Music of Perioperative Nursing
• The AORN Symphony
• Take a Bow
• Words from the Incoming President
• Copyright

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As Congress preparations are being finalized, one of the President's assignments is to select the music that will be played during the week, at the Opening Session, and for the Congress highlights video. Although it sounds like an easy task, I have found it difficult to identify the perfect songs, in which the words, tempo, and tune all embody the message I wish to convey. I might find a song with a great beat and beautiful melody but with lyrics that aren't quite right, or I might find a song with great lyrics, but with a dull, forgettable tune. Finding music that has all the right components has proved to be a challenge, but when all the parts fit together, it is magical.

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The Music of Perioperative Nursing 

Music has been a part of my life since I was young, and at the beginning of my presidency, I shared with you that I played the violin and bugle in my youth! In fact, my music teacher scolded me for leaving my violin behind in the pursuit of nursing.

Our work in the OR has been compared to a variety of art forms—to a theater production with all of the characters performing their well-rehearsed roles or to an intricately choreographed dance—but I see music as the metaphor that fits us best. A diverse group of nurses is needed to comprise our orchestra. Overall, we are playing from the same score, although the delivery is often very different. Some days we are in perfect harmony, and some days another instrument or player is added, and some discordant sounds may emerge. We all play our parts efficiently, effectively, and with great care, though, because we all strive for the same finale: a patient who emerges safely from the surgical experience with the best possible outcome.

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The AORN Symphony 

Likewise, the work of AORN is a symphony with many diverse parts merging to produce a harmonic whole. Each year at Congress, the baton is passed, and the new conductor prepares to lead the ensemble in the coming year's spectacular productions. Our smooth transitions are the result of our past leaders' willingness to mentor those of us who have the pleasure of serving you in leadership roles.

All of the players in our organization have worked tirelessly to promote our mission, advancing our Association as the leader in advocating for excellence in perioperative practice and health care. The Board and Headquarters staff along with all of the member volunteers have created an energy that is truly elevating our performance to a new level. We have spread the melody of perioperative practice across the country to other nursing, physician, and health care partners and regulatory agencies. That music has traveled across the globe as colleagues have joined in from the east, west, north, and south. We invited industry partners, new members, lapsed members, and other perioperative team members to accompany us in strategic planning. Board and staff members struck the right chords in articulating the organizations' core values:

The AORN symphony is complex and vibrant. Technology challenges us as our instruments change. AORN has invested in keeping our rhythm strong by orchestrating projects within our information technology structure, developing the Perioperative Nursing Data Set and Recommended Practices database systems, and investing in the Knowledge Factor database. New designs for the Journal and AORN Connections give our publications a fresh look. Educational offerings continue to raise the bar and this year will showcase a Magnet conference and a joint leadership meeting with OR Manager in addition to our very popular Executive Symposium, Leadership Conference, and Fall Specialty Conferences. Our membership numbers have swelled to a crescendo during the past year as our message and mission is carried across the health care continuum.

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Take a Bow 

You all deserve a standing ovation for your contributions to our profession; our specialty; our Association; and most importantly, our patients. Thank you for showing up every day and playing your part to the best of your ability. May the music of perioperative nursing forever play loudly and clearly in your hearts. It has been my great honor to serve as this orchestra's conductor for the past year, and now it is my turn to pass the baton to my predecessor who is waiting in the wings. Watch for the coming season's previews; it's going to be another great year!

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Words from the Incoming President 

The opportunity to serve AORN as President is the pinnacle of my career. I frequently refer to AORN as my “second family” and attribute my professional growth to the nurturing of that very special family. Serving on your Board of Directors for the past five years has clearly reinforced the significance of this mentoring process, without which I would not be in this position today. It is my mission to continue the tradition of mentoring emerging leaders, and I ask you to join me in that effort. The theme I have selected for this year, “Embrace the Future,” reflects this commitment and is dedicated to the perioperative nurses of tomorrow.

The coming year calls for the Board of Directors to sustain our positive momentum of growth. President Steiert has summarized the accomplishments that will become our starting point and will serve as the directional beacon to the future. Author Christina Baldwin is quoted as saying “Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth, the egg of the phoenix.” What better way to visualize our Association? With each generation, rebirth is crucial because clinging to the past diminishes the future.

Motivational speaker Alan Kay tells us that “the best way to predict the future is to invent it.” At the heart of invention is providing an environment for the exchange of ideas, conflicting viewpoints, and divergent needs. Let's respect that philosophy and push forward to make AORN as strong in 10 years as it is today.

I would like to take a moment to thank some very special people who support me from home when my AORN duties take me away. My husband, Marty, always encourages me to succeed and keeps the home fires burning. Our children are grown, and they understand when AORN duties must take precedence over family celebrations. Finally, my colleagues at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, particularly the management team, continue to step up in my place without complaint. I want them to know how much I appreciate them; I could not be your President without them.

Next month, I will share a number of future initiatives and will ask for your help and participation to ensure their success. I look forward to this year and to the discovery of what lies around the corner for AORN.