Association of periOperative Registered Nurses

The first groups of organized OR nurses were concerned with many of the same issues AORN and the profession of OR nursing face today, including standardizing OR techniques and education programs and promoting friendship among OR nurses. Between 1916 and 1949, several OR nursing groups formed in various parts of the United States, leading to the formal recognition of AORN as a national association. Major milestones in the association's history include:

• The first national conference in 1954
• The establishment of a constitution, bylaws, and national officers, the AORN Board of Directors
• The establishment of the AORN Journal in 1963
• Standards for Administrative and Clinical Practice in the Operating Room, now called Perioperative Standards and Recommended Practices, a booklet first published in 1965

AORN is also involved in efforts that advance perioperative professionals and their profession. These activities include:

• Offering educational opportunities that specifically address the perioperative setting
• Setting standards for perioperative care and demonstrating how best practices can be implemented in the day-to-day work environment
• Facilitating a community of perioperative professionals that enables sharing of best practices
• Creating awareness and celebrating the value and skills of the perioperative nurse
• Empowering perioperative registered nurses to engage in efforts to shape legislative and health policy issues
• Securing resources to enable advancements in education and research in perioperative surgical care

The AORN Surgical Conference & Exposition is the largest education and networking conference of perioperative nurse professionals in the world, and the largest surgical products trade show in the US.^[4] To date there have been a total of 62 Congresses dating back to 1954.^[4]

In 1979, the AORN approved a resolution to promote consumer education and enhance public knowledge of perioperative nurse.^[5] November 14 was designated as OR Nurse Day, later it expanded to a week. Since 1979 individual members, AORN chapters, hospitals, and other medical facilities have organized special events and utilized other forms of publicity to help educate the public about the diverse roles performed by perioperative registered nurses.^[5] In 2000, OR Nurse Week was renamed to Perioperative Nurse Week to broaden the term. It always occurs in the second week of November.

At the 56th annual entered into a partnership with Mercy Ships, a leading non-profit in providing free healthcare in the third world, in an effort to boost the health care accessibility and opportunities for international collaborations.^[6]