JANUARY 1995, VOL 6 1, NO 1

Time to invest in a more powerful future

ou are a major shareholder in a corporation, the Association Y of Operating Room Nurses,

Inc. You own one share, and you pay $45 per year to maintain your share. The shareholders’ meeting is in March; you and/or your col- leagues will be attending the annu- al meeting to conduct the business of the corporation. The agenda has many significant topics that you will be asked to respond to, approve, and perhaps challenge. Your responsibility as a share- holder in this corporation is to lis- ten, learn, and ask.

One of the major issues that will be discussed is a dues increase. At the 1994 annual meet- ing, the Board of Directors dis- cussed the need to consider a dues increase in 1995. This would be effective July 1, 1995, and there- fore would not affect the financial well-being of the Association until the 1995-1996 fiscal year.

DUES HISTORY Your Association was formed

in 1957, and at that time, the dues were $1. By 1976, the dues had increased to $25 and in 1980 to $35. The last increase was in 1991, when the dues went from $35 to the current $45 per year. The Asso- ciation has been in existence for more than 30 years, and during that time there have been only eight increases in what we contribute to the financial well-being of the organization. If our contribution kept pace with inflation at the same rate as the sneakers we wear, the newspaper we read, or the postage

we pay for a letter, our dues would be $75 effective July 1, 1996.

WHY DO WE NEED TO INCREASE DUES?

The decision by the Board to seek a dues increase comes after a comprehensive analysis of our fiscal responsibilities and member and program needs. The corporation needs a dues increase to have the financial and human resources to advance the priorities of the strate- gic plan and to keep our stockhold- ers (ie, members) at the forefront of specialty nursing organizations.

AORN has done more with less each year. Because of inflation, the purchasing power of our dues has declined from $45 in 1991 to only $40 today. Each member costs the Association $1 12.90 (excluding Congress revenue and expense) to maintain for one year-while the member is charged only $45. That $45 pays for 6.5 AORN Journal issues per year. The remainder of the money to cover the other bene- fits we receive as members comes from nondues revenues.

In the 1992-1993 fiscal year, AORN had a budget deficit, and the Board took appropriate action by instituting major cost-contain- ment efforts. These efforts were successful in containing costs, but as activities and new programs were curtailed, the committees and staff could not accomplish the goals and work they wanted to do.

The total annual cost of pro- viding current member benefits (Table 1) has increased from $158 per member in 1986 to $278 per

member in 1994. This is due to a substantial increase in the quantity and quality of services and pro- grams and to rising costs.

Finally, the growth of our alter- native source of revenue (eg, non- dues income from advertising and exhibits) has slowed during this past year, and we anticipate that this trend will continue. Currently, 6 1.2% of our revenue comes from these sources and only 16.1 % comes from membership dues. This is of concern because our corporation is very vulnerable to the changes that are occurring in health care. The American Society of Association Executives indi- cates that 3 1 % of our revenue should come from member dues. The proposed increase would increase this portion of our rev- enue to 20% by 1997.

WHAT HAS THE BOARD DONE IN RESPONSE TO BUDGETARY CONCERN?

Board and staff members have reduced travel, per diem perioper- ative nurses have been used to augment the temporary needs of the Center for Perioperative Edu- cation, and secretarial resources have been pooled at Headquarters. In addition, positions have not been filled immediately, and busi- ness plans now are developed for all proposed programs and services.

When a new program is approved, the Finance and Audit Committee compares the actual financial performance of the pro- gram against the projected income. Committees now are

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JANUARY 1995, VOL 61, NO 1

Table 1 MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

AORN Journal h i d e AORN

View Into Products OR Product Directoy AORN consultation Opportunity Credentialing Grant funding Research funding LibraryAiterature searches Scholarships MasterCardNisa Goldreserve credit line Memberloan program Professional liability insurance Disability insurance Long distance telephone

Toll-free telephone number discounts

responsible for establishing their own budgets-after they set their goals for the year. If the budget exceeds what is available, the committee is requested to revise its goals and budget. In the 1993- 1994 fiscal year, committee expenses were $268,000.

annual dues of other specialty nursing organizations. Most orga- nizations have higher dues, but not all of them offer the full range of benefits (eg, monthly journal, library, consultation services) that AORN members receive (Table 2).

We also have investigated the

HOW WILL THE INCREASED REVENUES BE USED?

The position of a nurse researcher will be filled, and activities to validate perioperative

clinical and professional practice will be implemented.

Cutting-edge professional development programs, committee initiatives, and other short-term activities will be funded on a pri- ority basis. This will include new modalities for innovative educa- tional programming and services.

An electronic bulletin board system will be developed, and members will be able to gain access to the information superhighway. Contracts with on-line state net- works for legislative and regulatory information will be explored.

AOR”s visibility in other arenas related to perioperative nurs- ing will be enhanced by funding meetings with the American Col- lege of Surgeons, the Association for Professionals in Infection Con- trol and Epidemiology, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instru- mentation. A conference will be planned to encourage nurse educa- tors to add perioperative nursing to their cumcula.

The annual leadership meeting will be expanded to include the chapter leaders. This meeting is designed to facilitate partnerships

among chapters, volunteer Associ- ation leaders, and Headquarters staff regarding their responsibili- ties, roles, and performance within the Association.

Collaboration with other edu- cation providers will be explored to develop

a penoperative advanced nurse practitioner program, an inservice orientation pro- gram for surgical facilities, and postgraduate certificate pro- grams in perioperative nursing. Public relations will increase

activity, targeting the public regarding perioperative nursing and other issues of vital concern to our members and our association.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN / F A DUES INCREASE IS NOT PASSED?

All of the above programs will be put on hold or eliminated, and several existing member benefits (eg, the toll-free telephone number) will be re-evaluated. Implementa- tion of the toll-free number at last year’s meeting increased calls to the Center for Nursing Practice 150% and increased our telephone expenses 29%. We might need to consider changing the toll-free number to a 900 number.

Table 2 ANNUAL DUES OF SPECIALTY NURSING ORGANIZATIONS

American Association of Nurse Anesthetists $340

American Association of Occupational Health Nurses $95

American Society of Post Anesthesia Nurses $50 Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics, & Neonatal Nurses $80

Emergency Nurses Association $80 National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses $60 Oncology Nurses Association $65 Sigma Theta Tau $60 Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates $75

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JANUARY 1995, VOL 61, NO I

Committee expenses will be reduced, and the charges for AORN publications, programs, and other services will be evaluat- ed for a possible increase.

WHY MAKE THIS INVESTMENT? Our Association can no longer

afford to provide top-quality pro- grams and services with fewer dollars coming from membership

dues. Our future as an association and as perioperative nurses is bright with promise.

It is the intent of A 0 R ” s Board of Directors and Headquar- ters staff members to capitalize on this promise and continue to pro- vide complete and up-to-date ser- vices to meet member needs. The vision of the strategic plan includes positioning the Association as a true

leader in the nursing community.

association, what will you do to ensure the future? Vote yes for the proposed dues increase and invest in a more powerful future for peri- operative nursing.

LINDA K. GROAH RN, MS, CNOR, CNAA

TREASURER FINANCE AND AUDIT COMMIITEE

As a major shareholder in this

AORNJoumal Writers Contest Authors of AORN Journal articles are eligible for the ated with AORN. First- and second-place winners annual Writers Contest. If your article was published during 1994, and if at least one of your article’s authors is an AORN member, your article could be chosen as a Writers Contest winner.

latory, management, and research/education. Manu- scripts from these three categories are evaluated by AORN .lournu/ editors, and the top articles are for- warded to selected judges. Winners are chosen by judges who are nursing editors or educators unaffili-

The categories for the contest are clinical/ambu-

On-Si te Delegate Registration For the first time, individuals can register as delegates or alternates at Congress. Attendees submit their on- site registration forms with their delegate or alternate status indicated. Delegate chairs may submit the names of delegates and alternates at the Member Resource Counter in the registration area of the Geor- gia World Congress Center, Atlanta. Delegates and alternates must be registered before Meet the Candi- dates, Sunday, March 5 , from 9 to 10:30 AM.

Delegate chairs can obtain confirmation lists and change alternates to delegates at the Member Resource Counter on Saturday, March 4, from 10 AM to 4 PM; Sunday, March 5 , from 7 AM to 2 PM; Monday, March 6, from 7 AM to 2:45 PM; Tuesday, March 7, from 7 AM to 5 PM; Wednesday, March 8, from 7 AM to 2:45 PM; and Thursday, March 9, from 7 AM to 1 PM.

Delegate status is coded on the badges and

are chosen in each category. The Journal is always looking for excellent

manuscripts, and this is one reward for writing a win- ning article. Johnson & Johnson Medical, Inc, Arlington, Tex, sponsors the contest each year and provides generous cash prizes for the winners. The first- and second-place cash awards are divided among the authors. Winners are announced in the Congress News and the Journal, and the awards are presented at Opening Session of Congress.

and Delegate Changes Expocards that registrants receive at registration. The chair must authorize any changes by notifying a Headquarters staff person at the Member Resource Center. The delegate and alternate involved in the change must present their badges and Expocards at the Member Resource Counter. New badges will be printed, and the Expocards will be recoded before the change is valid.

Alternates also can be changed to delegate sta- tus at the Credentials Table in Hall D, exhibit level, West Concourse of the Georgia World Congress Center, 15 minutes before the beginning of each House of Delegates session.

the House of Delegates session, but the Expocards must be recoded before 2:45 PM on Wednesday, March 8, for the delegate to be eligible for Thursday morning’s vote for national officers.

Temporary delegate stickers will allow voting at

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