President’s Message
It’s been an exciting summer for the Chapter. On June 3rd, we sponsored a Craniomaxillofacial Saw Bone Symposium sponsored by Synthes CMF. Nurses and surgical technologists learned rigid fixation techniques and had the opportunity to practice their skills. A big thank you to Brian Bertram and Dr. Randall Cohen for spending a Saturday morning with us.
I had the opportunity to represent our chapter at the AORN Leadership Conference in Denver, Colorado in July with over 400 chapter presidents, AORN National Board Members, and leaders. On Friday night, we toured the AORN Headquarters and met the staff. Saturday and Sunday were filled with educational sessions. Seth Hopkins’ presentation “The Age Wave-Responding to an Aging Workforce” highlighted age differences in the perioperative workforce. He asked “What if every nurse over the age of 50 retired today? What nursing skills would be lost? Are perioperative values at risk of being lost? How are we reaching out to new nurses to join AORN?” AORN has challenged “The Next Generation Task Force” to explore these issues.
AORN’s President Paula Graling spoke about “Promoting our Practice, Protecting our Patients, and Preserving our Future”. The successes of the Medication Tool Kit, the Correct Site Surgery Tool Kit, the “Patient Safety First! Program, and the establishment of the National TIME OUT Day in June have brought AORN much deserved national recognition as a leading organization focused on patient safety.
Incoming/outgoing chapter board members and officers met in August to start planning our chapter year 2006-2007. Key dates to mark on your calendar:
Chapter Meetings : September 9th , November 4th 2006 , January 13th, March 3rd , May 5th, 2007 at UMC Room 5403.
National Perioperative Nurses Week November 12-18, 2006 . This year’s theme is “We’re there for Safe Care”.
Southern Arizona Chapter’s First Annual Perioperative Nurses Week Gala Celebration November 18, 2006 --more information to follow…
“AORN Helps” Community Service Project in February 2007
AORN 54th Congress March 11-15, 2007 in Orlando, Florida
Get involved, come back to AORN. Try and attend at least one activity. Bring a friend to the chapter meetings. Renew those old friendships and meet new colleagues. Let’s build our community of Perioperative Nurses!

Sincerely,
Ellice Mellinger