PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Innovation in Volunteerism ROSEMARIE T. SCHROEDER BSN, RN, CNOR, AORN PRESIDENT

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he month of December is when many of us extend ourselves by reaching out to others. This can entail buying and wrapping gifts for loved ones, contributing to the Salvation Army red kettles, attending parties, inviting others into our home, baking, and going to worship services. I think of the holidays as a joyful time for sharing happy memories and photographs and for supporting one another. As a practicing Christian, for me, December is a time to commemorate God’s infinite love and to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. In addition, the holiday season generally draws us away from our hectic daily routines and gives us time to reflect on our blessings and to look with anticipation to the prospect of the new year. The holidays are typically steeped in tradition, so this time of year may not be when we necessarily think about innovation. But I contend that the influence of innovation extends even to our holiday rituals. Just think about how many of us cook today with convection ovens, microwaves, or other automated appliances, and how many of us rely on telephones, computers, SkypeÒ, and FacebookÒ to communicate. Or, consider how many of us travel by car, train, and airplane to visit friends and family, and who shop online, send electronic cards, and watch holiday movies on television or stream them to a mobile device. This holiday season, as you celebrate the holidays in your family’s tradition, I invite you to extend yourself by

embracing the volunteerism that marks this time of year. In particular, as a perioperative nurse, I invite you to share your talents with AORN to help the organization become more innovative and a stronger influence on perioperative patient outcomes. VOLUNTEERISM Volunteerism to advance our profession conveys the same “feel good” sensation that holiday giving does. Through efforts to extend ourselves to our AORN family by focusing a portion of our time and talent to connect with other perioperative nursing professionals, volunteerism serves as a personally rewarding and fulfilling experience. To make a difference and contribute to safety and quality initiatives for our patients’ benefit helps ensure that our legacy is motivational. For example, AORN counts on members’ grassroots volunteerism efforts to remain relevant, articulate, and visible in the clinical, educational, and government arenas. So, the question arises, why do we have increasing difficulty finding members who are willing to participate on AORN committees and task forces or to become candidates for elected office? I contend that it is because we have not done a good job of demonstrating the importance of service leadership, we have not appealed to the talent and needs of our generational membership, and we have not facilitated the collection of valued input from

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2013.10.001

Ó AORN, Inc, 2013

December 2013

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December 2013 Vol 98 No 6

multiple sources, and we have not celebrated individuals’ commitment to the fullest extent. Involvement in AORN can be achieved in varying ways and degrees. For me, it was a journey that enhanced my professional career. I began in chapter leadership roles that expanded to the state council level. I then submitted “willingness to serve” forms at the national level and served on and chaired various committees, including education, legislative, and bylaws. My professional development through AORN mentorship and networking evolved into being elected to two terms on the AORN Board of Directors, one term as Vice President, and my current service as AORN President.

To help ensure the future of the association, AORN is focusing on and supporting innovation through several initiatives: n n n n n n n

establishing multigenerational task forces, increasing the association’s financial strength, improving communication, seeking out international collaborations, producing multidisciplinary practice standards, benchmarking perioperative data, and providing perioperative education.

In addition, AORN is connecting with nurse executives and individuals from industry to demonstrate our value as the prime resource for perioperative issues and to solicit support for staff development opportunities. We also are experimenting with online editing, such as for the recommended practices THE IMPORTANCE OF INNOVATION and position statements; database development, As I have shared with the Board of Directors, such as around AORN SyntegrityÒ; increasing the Headquarters personnel, and AORN members, my availability and use of theme for this year, webinars; and incor“Innovation,” chose porating multitract me. It is a topic that As competition for our time gets steeper, I see everywhere: perioperative nurses are required to stretch out face-to-face meetings, of our comfort zones and be willing to seek out such as having the “Innovation . . . to new ideas and mechanisms for being involved Executive Conference excite” at the Chicago airport, “Creativity . . . in and supporting our professional organization. and International Symposium running as evidenced by innoin conjunction with vation” in hospital AORN Surgical Conference & Expo in 2014. mission statements, and “Innovation” in the titles Efforts such as these will help AORN expand its of American Nurses Association and MagnetÒ audiences and ensure that association decisions are programs. Why is innovation such a hot topic in made with a broad spectrum of input. organizations today? Extensive competition for people’s time and resources, heightened emphasis MAKING A DIFFERENCE on work-life balance, and the varying interests and Innovation lends itself to change. For some, change expectations of multigenerational members are all is controversial, scary, and hard work, and may be factors for consideration. As competition for our difficult to accept. For others, change is necessary time gets steeper, perioperative nurses are required to evolve and grow, and is something to be accepted, to stretch out of our comfort zones and be willing even if making the right decision is not always to seek out new ideas and mechanisms for being comfortable. I encourage you to make the right involved in and supporting our professional orgadecision, even if it is not necessarily comfortable, to nization. We also need to try new things and never grow. For example, volunteering may prove diffibe satisfied with a mindset of “that’s the way it’s cult to fit into your schedule, but it is a meaningful always been done.” This will help ensure AORN’s way to make a difference outside of your practice. future success. 556 j AORN Journal

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE If you are able to volunteer, do offer your time and talents to your professional nursing organization. AORN needs you! Those interested in volunteering should contact the President-Elect, any member of the Board of Directors, or AORN Headquarters personnel. I wish everyone a happy holiday season and an exciting and rewarding New Year in 2014. Editor’s notes: Skype is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp, Redmond, WA. Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc, Palo Alto, CA. Magnet is a registered trademark of the

www.aornjournal.org

American Nurses Credentialing Center, Silver Spring, MD. AORN Syntegrity is a registered trademark of AORN, Inc, Denver, CO.

Rosemarie T. Schroeder, BSN, RN, CNOR, is the AORN President and director of perioperative services at Ministry Saint Joseph Hospital, Marshfield, WI. President Schroeder has no declared affiliation that could be perceived as posing a potential conflict of interest in the publication of this article.

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Innovation in volunteerism.

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