2017 Delegate Narratives

This year I attended the AORN International Surgical Conference and Expo for the second time. I had high expectations, as I was blown away last year by the friendships and knowledge I received. However, I was nervous because of the snow and rain, and I knew that I would be just as tired as last year. I most definitely suffer from FOMO, or fear of mission out. I want to attend every session, every party, every physical activity offered. Last year I was so focused on not missing out, that I missed out on talking to people.

So this year, I focused on just a few educational sessions, and still woke up at 0430 and stayed out until midnight, but I put down my phone and focused on the people who were in the room with me. It turned out to be a very good strategy. I was able to meet a lot more people in passing, and when we smiled or laughed my entire mood was lifted and I felt less tired.

I enjoyed my time immensely. I attended the Volunteer Summit which taught me a lot about how to be of service for my Dallas chapter. I served as a delegate and learned so much about just how much AORN does for its members and to better perioperative practices globally. I learned so much during the educational sessions, and I cannot wait to bring new practices, theories, and ideologies to Parkland Hospital.

Because the Educational Hub was restored, I could review sessions I missed or sessions that happened at the same time. AORN also gave us 15 minute breaks, which was great when I needed 10 of them to sprint from the posters to the Grand Ball Room.

I enjoyed being on stage as a member of the Awards Committee, and was humbled to receive the 40 Under 40 Award and meet amazing young professionals, many of whom I inspire to be like. I went to Zumba and Yoga and was grateful for the mindfulness and meditation that physical activity can provide. During the T-Party I was able to visit with old friends and make new ones, and I was able to mentor a new attendee and create a life-long friend. During the Scanlan party I saw old friends, danced with new ones, and spoke with an OR educator at Indianapolis University.

 I learned about a peer support program, mentorship training, succession training, new OSI tables, SPD retention programs, and a lot about developing a healthy relationship with your heart and mind. All in all, I could not have asked for a better celebration of my hard work and the OR that I love.

 Thank you to the Dallas chapter, for sponsoring me as a delegate for our fine state. We have much to learn from our friends in Greater Houston, who won the Overall and Gold Award for Large Chapter Excellence. We were not shy, and I do believe that Texas was the loudest state. I am proud of what we have done, and all that we can do. Thank you for believing me and in the Power of You.

This was my fifth AORN Conference and each time there is a new challenge to educate and revive oneself for the dynamic and ever changing healthcare environment. I took away several pearls from expo and would like a share a few with you. Firstly, is the theme “The power of you.” Everything you do as a professional nurse starts with you. As speaker after speaker reiterate what it means to have ‘the power of you’, I realized it was more than just a catchy phrase it brought to the core that you are responsible for  setting the standard for practice, you tackle the challenges, and you lead by example.

Secondly, Brad Montgomery spoke at the general session and used humor to send a very powerful message to embrace your awesomeness. The pearl I got from that is you use whatever it is that you are good at to influence others. He used the example of two coaches, one who put down the player for not being very good (his son), and the other who saw the potential of the same player and moved him into a different sport where he excelled. The second coach embraced his awesomeness by building up the player which took him from ordinary to extraordinary. One never knows how his or her awesomeness will change or influence others.

Thirdly, Marshall Goldsmith used the value of structure as a theme for his presentation with numerous examples of structures that have been proven to work, such as Checklist, The wheel of change, and his daily questions. The pearl I took away was the acronym AIWATT which represents “Am I Willing At This Time.” This really resonated with me especially for volunteer work that one should consider the question- Am I willing to make the investment required to make a positive difference in this position before committing to the task.

Fourthly, Mr. Goldsmith gave attendees six (6) daily action questions to ask ourselves:

• Did you set goals

• Did you make progress toward goal achievement?

• Are you fully engaged?

• Did you build positive relationships?

• Did you find meaning?

• Are you happy?

At the end of the day one should ask oneself ‘did I do my best?

Finally, Ann Dunwoody a four star Army General wowed me with her presentation on leadership. The pearl I took away is that as a leader one must live and be held by a higher standard. In order to do this a leader never stop learning, always stay on the moral high ground, always believe in yourself, and never walk by a mistake without making a correction. Whenever a leader walk by a mistake he or she creates a substandard and if something is worth doing it is worth doing it right.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as a delegate to AORN Expo for our chapter. It was another memorable time, beginning with the snow greeting me on arrival Friday afternoon and continuing through a long Saturday of multiple educational offerings. In the northern suburbs of Boston and further north, public and educational events were cancelled due to the expected snowfall, just like we might see in Dallas.

One of the most interesting presentations I heard was titled Dangerous Distractions and discussed addictive behaviors, specifically the addiction to technology. The use of personal electronic devices has highlighted a few dangerous O.R. behaviors, such as ineffective multitasking, a decline in relationships with an increased expectation from technology, possible link to increased infections, and the constant temptation/need of some nurses to glance again at their phone to make sure nothing is being missed. The speaker, Donna Ford, suggested Alone Together by Sherry Turkle as providing a lot of information to consider surrounding this issue. It is on my "to buy and read" list. And social media must be of concern across the country as a second CE presentation, Social Media and the Professional You, came at the general topic from another direction, that of positive use of social media to promote your facility or you as an individual. The topic was not well fleshed out but focused on the positive of increased use of electronic devices. In my opinion, many in the audience were more expecting something on the perils and pitfalls of posting on social media as many of the follow-up questions asked these questions.

Another "nugget" I would share from AORN is the ever changing schedule of Expo. In the past, AORN Congress was Sunday through Thursday evening and there was some concern about trying to shorten it and questions of concern about the ability to get time off work or some being required to utilize PTO for the time. So this year Expo started at 0800 on Saturday morning and the day was very full, especially if you could not fly in early enough to register (although registration was very streamlined unless you needed a new badge printed). Our first Forum was held Saturday at 1545. Sunday started at 0645 and we finally had Opening Session at 0945. Lots of jokes were made about the delay in what many assume to be the kick-off event of Expo! Our first House of Delegates was also held on Sunday. The week-end started the fast pace, packed calendar for the five day event. For me, the jury is still out on these changes. It would have been hard to make a plane home after the sessions finished on Wednesday.

Beth Israel presented an excellent program titled Developing a Peer Support Program. The staff who fill this role, in addition to their fulltime job, may be talking with colleagues about an adverse patient event, something totally personal that is impacting the staff member significantly or something a little more vague such as how hospital "politics" impact units, teams and individuals. They do not file a report or share any specifics about the peer support but instead are emailed quarterly about the content that was brought up to them, but no names or units are shared to allow for the staff to know that what they share is totally confidential. Their webpage has a link to this subject and some suggestions should you feel that implementing this concept would benefit your facility.

The educational sessions were varied this year, addressing clinical procedures as well as problems such as workplace violence, change, wrong site surgery, patient handoffs, surgical site infections, sim events, and drug diversion. My favorite sentence I heard at Expo..."Never confuse acquiring degrees with wisdom." and my most encouraging session...Moral Courage. The speakers were fabulous and the audience members who shared times they demonstrated moral courage made me proud to be a perioperative nurse!

Thanks again for the opportunity to serve as a delegate!