JULY 1996, VOL 64, NO I

1. E ’I ’I E R S

CONGRESS lease allow me to commend everyone on the 1996 Con- gress. The content of the pro-

grams and the abilities of the speakers were the best ever.

I do feel a need to share my concerns, however. I was sur- prised to hear President Linda K. Groah, RN, MS, CNOR, CNAA, speak at Congress of AORN’s leaving its leadership role behind. I am uncomfortable with the con- cept of stewardship. AORN’s members have given their elected officers the trust and support to represent them. It is my under- standing that with stewardship, guidance and direction are given with action by the whole.

As an attempt to curtail indus- try’s spending at Congress, I have these concerns about joint meetings with other health care providers.

Will this affect toward whom the meetings, education ses- sions, and exhibitors will be directed?

m Will contact hours be shared among with participants from other disciplines or will there be separate meetings these other participants can attend to meet their needs?

m Will a limit be set on the num- ber of registered participants to accommodate the needs of the other disciplines as well as our own membership? What of the concern for hotel availability to AORN members at Congress? If we bring others into our

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sphere of educational offerings, can they include this as a component of their educational processes and take more of our positions, “lowering the cost of health care” by taking the RN out of the OR and using others in the circulating role?

As to the idea of a world office

in Europe, I also have concerns. Why can we not continue to func- tion as advisors to other countries? As Grazyna Wojcik, RGN Nurse, MA, a Congress speaker from Poland stated, “Bring your ideas, but don’t tell us how to do our practice.” I am concerned that opening an office in Europe would only increase our spending. Even if we do build partnerships with our European colleagues, our expenditures have to increase. And, if we are concerned already with losing members and losing industry support, why would we take on such a costly endeavor? We could be spending those dol- lars at home by increasing contact hour availability to members. More support could be made available to members at the grass- roots level because they are the mainstay of the Association.

I am all for supporting our col- leagues around the world, having seen some of the conditions and limited educational exposure they may have, the conditions in which they have to perform, and the sup- plies they possess. I believe that we need to take care of our own, however. As health care systems continue to cut their costs and as the RN continues to be viewed as an expensive commodity, more and more of us will be out of the loop unless we take a stand.

LORRAINE M. BROWN RN, CNOR, CRNFA

RN FIRST ASSISTANT BORGESS HOSPITAL PARCHMENT, MICH

Response. Stewardship is a dif- ferent model of leadership4 is all inclusive and represents participa- tion by the members in the gover- nance of an association. Specifical- ly in AORN, this means reaching out to the members and soliciting

feedback and insight on issues of vital concern to the membership before decisions are made. This information is then incorporated into the decision-making process. It does not mean that the Board of Directors abdicates its responsibili- ty of leading the Association, but it does mean that the members also have a responsibility to participate in making decisions regarding major issues and in advancing the goals of the Association.

The issues you raise regarding collaboration with industry and other health care providers are excellent. It is related to these and other questions that I created the three project teams I announced at Congress-to obtain different points of view than those expressed by the Board and staff members. I am certain the project team members will consider your comments in their deliberations before making recommendations to the Board and the membership.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with the membership.

LINDA K. GROAH RN, MS, CNOR, CNAA

PRESIDENT

CLINICAL EXEMPLARS was particularly interested in the “Editorial” titled “Clinical I exemplars demonstrate periop-

erative nurses’ courage and com- mitment to quality patient care” in the January Journal. In writing this piece, Beverly P. Giordano, RN, MS, has focused on an area of perioperative nursing that is vir- tually ignored.

Most of the literature presented on the subject of perioperative nursing is the result of quantitative research and technical studies. Although this type of information is practical and highly useful to the perioperative nurse, it does not

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