Summer 2015 Issue 4 AORN Richmond Area 4702 www.richmondaorn.org Officers President Janet Wingfield, RN, CNOR President Elect Jean Watling, BSN, RN, CNOR Vice President Janet Shortt, MHSA, BS, RN, CNOR Past President June Hill, RN, CNOR Secretary Jan Heizer, RN, CNOR Treasurer Debbie Martin, MSN, RN, CNOR Board of Directors Diane Evans, RN, CNOR Jackie Repass, RN Joann Schroeder, RN, CNOR Bonnie Vencill, RN, CNOR, LSO Pamela Wheadon, RN, CNOR Nominating Committee Carla Beattie, RN, CNOR Bonnie Garretson, RN Jessica Guido Ooms, RN, CNOR Newsletter Committee Jessica Guido Ooms, RN, CNOR, Editor Sue Cheatham, RN, CNOR, Webmaster President s Message by Janet Wingfield, RN, CNOR Thank you to AORN Richmond chapter 4702 for such a successful year. Time has flown by as we have remained active in so many areas of professional involvement. It has been a privilege for me to serve as your president. Let's look at our successes. Fundraising remained a focus as we worked to bring money in to sustain scholarships to nursing students. We had a hugely profitable golf tournament, selling of scalpel pins and workshop topics that drew a lot of attention from perioperative nurses across the state. Our fundraising allowed for nine delegates to attend Conference and Expo in Denver with members providing educational sessions and poster presentations. We are fortunate to have local members that are serving on a national committee also! Educational opportunities have been provided for members throughout the year. We have sustained consistent attendance to our chapter meetings with guest speakers providing opportunities for growth and learning. We even won the vote to plan the 2015 Fall VCORN/AORN workshop! Community work has grown tremendously as members support volunteering for assorted organizations. We have built new friendships within the community and furthered team building within our membership. Supporting the elderly in Clarksville, volunteering multiple times with HandsOn Greater Richmond, serving meals at the Reinhart Guest House, helping on build projects with Habitat for Humanity and walking dogs at BARK are only a short list of the ways that we have helped our community. Thanks for giving back! Celebrating our 50th Anniversary was a success at Chex Max. It was an enjoyable evening of reminiscing about our path to this point and visiting with friends and supporters of our journey. Due to successful fundraising, we were able to present an additional check to the AORN Foundation Owens and Minor Scholarship Fund for $2,000. We have also designated $3,000 to be given, in honor of our organization, to students within the Greater Richmond area. Message continued on next page
Page 3 of 4 President s Message continued Our greatest success is VCORN and the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association releasing a joint statement, which the AORN Board of Directors endorsed, titled The Registered Nurse Circulator and Safe Patient Care. Years of working to get legislation to provide safe care for all patients undergoing invasive procedures, had been unsuccessful but we accomplished it though collaboration with our fellow professionals. Lastly, I proudly mention our bronze AORN Chapter Excellence award 2015. We have so much to celebrate! Thank you, to all the members of AORN Richmond, officers and Board for your involvement with our organization over the past year. As mentioned, it has been an honor to serve. Thank you for supporting our efforts and the best to the new leaders as we move into year 51. Have a great summer and I look forward to seeing you in September. Board of Director Meetings in 2015 Sincerely, Janet Wingfield Anyone is welcome to come to our chapter meetings or BOD meetings. You don t have to be a member and you can bring a friend. Meetings will start at 6pm at St. Mary s Hospital in Room 159 August 10, September 14 & November 9 Chapter Meeting Dates this Fall September 21 Dr. Maged Hamza Topic: Managing Chronic Pain: Truths & Myths Hospitality: Margie Walsh, Medtronic October 19 Dr. Marc Katz What s New in the Trans catheter Treatment for Cardiac Valvular Disease? Hospitality: TBA November 16 Eric Davis, RN Surgical Site Infection 2 contact hours with Molnlycke Health Care Hospitality: Eric Davis, Molnlycke Health Care November 7 VCORN/AORN Workshop Topic and speakers: TBA All AORN Richmond Chapter meetings will be at: Advanced Orthopedics 7858 Shrader Rd Richmond, VA 23294 Dinner at 6pm Business meeting at 6:30pm Educational speaker at 7pm
AORN Officers for 2015-2016 PRESIDENT Jean Watling, BSN, RN, CNOR PRESIDENT ELECT Nicole Meredith, RN, CNOR VICE PRESIDENT Janet Shortt, MHSA, BS, RN, CNOR PAST PRESIDENT Janet Wingfield, RN, CNOR SECRETARY Jan Heizer, BSN, RN, CNOR TREASURER Deborah Martin, MSN, RN, CNOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS Joann Schroeder, RN, CNOR Diane Evans, RN, CNOR Bonnie Vencil, RN, CNOR, LSO Donna Winderweedle, RN, CNOR Katherine Frasca, BSN, RN, CNOR NLDC Jessica Guido Ooms, RN, CNOR Bonnie Garretson, RN Jackie Repass, RN Did You Know? Your AORN Chapter offers: Monthly educational sessions with approved contact hours? Opportunities to network with nurses from other facilities? Opportunities to be involved in the organization? A website with current info about the chapter and applications. Check out our website: http://aornrichmondva.homestead.com/
Page 5 of 4 Legislative Committee Report AORN 2015 Legislative Priorities include: RN as Circulator; RNFA; Workplace Safety; Patient Safety Culture; Professional Practice and Health System Improvements. Now is an excellent time to introduce yourself to your individual legislators. We are appreciated and respected. Building and sustaining relationships encourages opportunities for our voices to be heard. A phone call, email, letter, card or personal visit can open the door for networking. Elected officials want to hear from their constituents. Other ways that you can be an effective advocate include: Find out what is happening in your state in regards to legislation. Respond to action alerts in your state from AORN government Affairs. Download resources and look for the newly released Advocacy 101 Handbook. Contact AORN Government Affairs with any questions. In December 2014 the RN Circulator and Safe Patient Care Joint Position Statement of the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association and the Virginia Council of perioperative Registered Nurses was approved. Janet Wingfield and I attended the 2015 VNA Legislative Lobby Day at the Marriott in Richmond, VA. It usually takes place in February, so consider attending in 2016. I would love to increase the participation of perioperative nurses at this venue. Every day legislative and regulatory decisions are being made that impact your life both personally and professionally. Laws and regulations that affect your professional practice, workplace environment and safety of your patients are being made and implemented, often without your input. It has been said, Decisions are made by those who show up, but how do you show up? How do you advocate on behalf of the perioperative profession and patient safety? Respectfully submitted, Bonnie P. Vencill, RN, CNOR What s Happening in My State? You can find information about Virginia Government Affairs on the AORN website: http://www.aorn.org/advocacy/whatshappening/va/ There are links to the following information on this webpage: Nurse Practice Act Nursing Association Find Your Legislators & State Council Take Action
Volunteer Work We have made such a difference in our community this year! From October 2014 to May 2015, we have volunteered on 13 projects, there were 57 volunteers and we worked over 118 hours helping in Richmond and other surrounding areas. I am so proud of our chapter and those that have given their time to help others. I am excited to see what we will do next year. If you have any ideas for volunteer projects please let me know and if you re interested in joining the Marketing Committee, we d love to have you. We are taking a break from volunteering this summer, but we ll start back up in September. Our committee will have a meeting in August. If you would like to attend please contact me. Jessica Guido Ooms (240) 538 1833 jessguido10@yahoo.com