9CTOBER 1Y87, VOL 46, NO 4 AORN JOURNAL

OR Nurse Day: Portraying a Positive Image

NOVEMBER 14th

ince OR Nurse Day was first established in S 1979, penoperative n u m have dedicated Nov 14 as a day to teach the public about the responsibiiities of perioperative nurses before, during, and after surgical procedures. Some people learn firsthand when they undergo surgical procedures; many other people learn about penoperative nursing through OR Nurse Day activities on Nov 14.

Penoperative nurses use OR Nurse Day to teach the public about the following perioperative nursing responsibilities:

assessing patients’ special needs and deter- mining the nursing care necessary for an efficient, successful surgical procedure; teaching patients what will happen during surgery; preparing equipment and supplies; monitoring the sterile environment and promoting patient safety; acting as patients’ advocates when they are unable to speak for themselves; and evaluating patients’ progress and teaching them how to participate in their recovery programs.

AORN members have brought this message to the public in many ways. Some perioperative nurses visit schools to explain to students who OR nurses are and what they do. Some hospitals sponsor an OR open house so that people can

visit their operating rooms and see the equipment and surgical supplies that are used. This also gives the public an opportunity to see that OR nurses are real people.

Another way perioperative nurses have introduced penoperative nursing to the public is by setting up displays in shopping malls. This method usually attracts a wide cross section of people. During the display perioperative nurses meet the public and explain their role during surgery, what a surgical procedure involves, and how equipment works.

Each year at Congress, an OR Nurse Day display is set up using items submitted by chapters and hospitals. Photographs, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, posters (no bigger than 22 inches by 28 inches) can be submitted. Please do not submit videotapes. Space is limited, but a portion of all items submitted will be displayed. Chapter representatives may pick up their items at Congress after the OR Nurse Day display has been dismantled; remaining items will be returned to the chapters by mail after Congress.

A new O R Nurse Day poster and brochure has been developed for 1987. Information has been sent to chapter presidents and hospitals/medical centers about how to order the posters and brochures.

JANET PAULSON MEMBERSHIP MARKETING SPECIALIST

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