Active vs associate AORN membership

The status of active or associate membership in AORN continues to be confusing. It is impor- tant that the two categories be clearly under- stood so that members will be classified cor- rectly and chapters will have maximum dele- gate representation at Congress. An under- standing also offers potential for chapter growth through recruitment of associate mem- bers.

For comparison, the following definitions are taken from the National Bylaws of AORN:

Active 1. A registered professional nurse who is

currently employed in operating room nursing, either full or part time, working in a supervisory, teaching, or general staff capacity in the operating room area.

2. A registered professional nurse who is an active member and wishes to engage in formal nursing education andlor operating room re- search, either full or part time, may retain ac- tive status upon recommendation from the local chapter, approved by the national cre- dentials committee, and subject to annual re- view.

Associate 1. A registered professional nurse who is

inactive in nursing, but who was an operating room nurse immediately prior to becoming in- active.

2. A registered professional nurse engaged in an allied field of nursing who has special skills or knowledge relative to operating room nursing.

Active status is based on job description. It should not be confused in any way with active participation in AORN activities whether it be on the local or national level. Chapter mem- bers may have active or associate status de- pending on their individual job description. The

same categories of status are true for members-at-large. A popular misconception is that members-at-large are associate mem- bers. AORN National Bylaws stipulate that a nurse living or working in an area where there is a local chapter must hold membership in a chapter convenient to the member. A nurse living in an area where there is no local AORN chapter is classified as a member-at-large. There is one exception: military personnel who are subject to frequent transfers have the op- tion of joining a chapter if there is one in the area in which they are stationed or they may request member-at-large status.

Who is eligible for activ tatus? Regardless

tion that denotes involvement with operating room nursing, whether it be scrubbing, circulat- ing, teaching, supervising, or directing inservice educationlstaff development in the operating room, qualifies that nurse for active status. The bylaws further state that a nurse working in these areas full time or part time is eligible for active status. The Credentials Committee has ruled that part time is to be interpreted as work- ing any portion of every pay period during the year except when on official leave. A letter to Headquarters will obtain a ruling for any chap- ter or individual nurse who has questions about the eligibility of a particular part-time position.

In addition to operating room employment, other positions qualify for active status. Many hospitals have a special services department where procedures are performed requiring strict aseptic practice, for example, insertion of cardiac catheters or pacemakers. Nurses who work in these departments and scrub or circu- late for special procedures are eligible for ac- tive status. These special rooms may or may

of the title a nurse may h f ve, any job descrip-

982 AORN Journal, November 1979, Vol30, No 5

not be in the OR suite. In addition, more nurses are being employed as members of the infec- tion control committee or epidemiologists. By virtue of their job descriptions, they are as in- volved in nursing in the OR as most OR super- visors; that is, they do not scrub or circulateper se but must be thoroughly knowledgeable of all facets of OR nursing. They, too, may claim active status if 50% or more time is spent in OR nursing. This must be clearly indicated on application by circling “+OR”.

Check your job description. Many nurses, whose position title does not indicate OR nurs- ing, scrub and circulate as part of their job description. For example, a nurse working in the labor and delivery room scrubs or circu- lates because it is the policy of that hospital to perform the cesarean sections in the OB de- partment delivery rooms. Also, hospitals are increasingly reassigning vaginal surgery and minor gynecologic surgery to the delivery room suites to relieve the OR schedule. These nurses are entitled to active status. Many hos- pitals utilize the recovery room staff as backup for relief in the OR for lunch, vacation, and on call. These nurses, primarily employed staff for the recovery room, would qualify for active status in AORN because of their part-time commitment in the OR area. Some hospitals require their recovery room or intensive care unit staffs or both to rotate in the operating room for one week out of six; these nurses are eligible for active status.

Many hospitals have active emergency rooms with staffs capable of maintaining minor surgery schedules for out-patients. Nurses employed in emergency rooms with such ac- tivities written into their job descriptions qualify for active status. In small rural hospitals, it is common practice for the nurse anesthetist to scrub or circulate in the OR when not required to give anesthesia. She then becomes eligible for active status. A director of nurses in the same hospital might be required to be the RN during surgical procedures in addition to her usual duties as nursing service director. This active participation in OR duties makes her eligible for active status. In each of these situa- tions, it is important that the applicant for membership clearly indicate on the member- ship application that, in addition to the usual job requirements under her title, she also has specific OR duties. This can be done simply by

writing “+OR” after the code that describes the title of her position.

The following list of titles may be used as a guide for establishing status eligibility for AORN membership: Active status (coded 1)

OR supervisor, OR director, OR nursing coordinator

assistant OR supervisor, OR director, OR nursing coordinator

OR head nurse, assistant OR head nurse, OR team leader, charge nurse

OR staff nurse (scrub or circulator) OR clinical instructor (whether teaching

RNs, student nurses, or surgical techni- cians)

OR inservice educationlstaff development (whether teaching RNs, student nurses, or medical students)

private scrub nurse/RN, surgeons’ assis- tantlpractitioner

administrative OR supervisor medical-surgical instructor in OR nursing director and assistant director of OR nurs-

ing services Associate status (coded 2)

nurse anesthetist (unless they do dual per- formances such as scrubbing or circulat- ing, then they are active)

recovery room nurse (unless they relieve in OR as needed, then they are active)

emergency room nurse (in cases where minor surgery is done as a scheduled procedure routine, they are active)

08 labor and delivery nurse (unless surgi- cal procedures such as cesarean sec- tions are done in the delivery room, then they are active)

industrial nurse, nurses working for surgical supply companies

director of nursing service (if they take OR call or cover in OR as needed in small hospitals, they are active)

assistant director of nursing service RN hospital administrators and assistant

RN hospital administrators Nurses in surgical care or surgical rehabili-

tation units ICU or coronary care units central supply infection control epidemiologist RN first assistant animal care OR nurses

984 AORN Journal, November 1979, Vol30, No 5

RN cardiopulmonary perfusionists (unless performing dual functions such as scrub- bing, circulating or patient assessment, then active)

AORN members who were in operating room nursing or related fields im- mediately prior to retirement or disability

Where RR-ER-OB nurse anesthetists do actual work in the OR as well must be clearly noted on the application or dues notice by circling “+OR’.

If there are other titles currently being used not included in the above list, the credentials committee will rule on the status. Simply sub- mit a brief jobdescription of the position to the committee.

What does associate status mean? A finite interpretation of the definition of associate status in the AORN bylaws should further clarify all aspects of the status. Members who qualify for associate status have all the rights and privileges of active status except two: hold- ing an elective office and serving as a delegate to the annual Congress. They do have the right to vote, make motions, and enter into discus- sion during business meetings on the local level; they may chair and serve on local com- mittees and serve on national committees. These two exceptions to their privileges in no way hinder their active participation in all local chapter activities. In fact, they have much to contribute to the chapter by sharing their ex- pertise with all chapter members to round out the educational advantages of chapter mem- bership. Dues for associate members are the same as for active members.

Why have an associate status category at a//? The AORN Board believes it is important for all nurses working in the areas that fall into the associate status categories to be knowl- edgeable about surgery and surgical proce- dures, aseptic technique and infection control, etc, if they have any involvement with an operative patient. To give the best possible health care to the total patient, a nurse must keep current with the latest advances and technology relative to surgery. Therefore, AORN has much to offer these nurses educa- tionally through the organization. At the same time, AORN feels that as an association primarily geared to accomplish the stated goals in the bylaws, the policy making and governing body of the association (the elected

officials) must be nurses whose nursing ac- tivities are within the perimeters of OR nursing. An organization whose leaders have been out of touch with the realities and practicalities in- volved with the goals and objectives of that organization will not be strong.

As chapter members, associate members are eligible to vote for delegates to represent them at the House of Delegates meetings. They have the responsibility to make their wishes and needs known to the chapter dele- gate who in turn has the responsibility to take this information to the national AORN Board of Directors at the business sessions during Congress. How a chapter’s delegates vote on the floor of the House of Delegates should be a reflection of the wishes of all members of the chapter.

Treasurer’s responsibility. A primary func- tion of every local chapter treasurer is initialing all new member applications before submitting these applications to Headquarters for pro- cessing. The National Bylaws stipulate under Article Ill-Membership and Dues-Section 5-8-2, “The completed membership applica- tion is initialed by the local treasurer and for- warded by her with the member’s local and national dues to Headquarters.”

The reason the treasurer initials the applica- tion after the member has completed the form is so the treasurer may verify that the applicant is a registered professional nurse and also to be cognizant of the proper status to which the applicant is entitled. In situations where there may be some ambiguity, it is incumbent on the local treasurer to make a notation on the appli- cation that will aid the clerical staff at Head- quarters in properly coding the new member. Proper coding for status will eliminate possible future problems for the chapter. Incorrect cod- ing could result in erroneous computation of eligible delegates for the chapter. Individuals may also be denied the right to be a candidate for office if they are incorrectly coded.

Clarifying the status coding of members should assist recruitment on the local level and promote greater harmony among the chapter members.

Caroline Rogers, RN Director of Membership

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