D ~ ~ l r g a t e s gather for breakfast Sunday morning to hear arid meet the curididates for Varional o f i c ~ .

CONGRESS REPORT 1967 Linda Brouin

I t was truly a “hspp-ning” out thete in San Diego. Outsize billboards sporting red hearts emblazoned with the u o r d s “AORN WE LOVE YOU,” heralded thz arrival of over 2.000 earnest OR nurses to that hsauti- f d citj . February 19-23. €or the 14th Annual AORN Congress. From the moment of a i - t ival participants were kept busy atrending I-ctures. edurational and scientific exhibit.. deleeates’ meetings. and specially planned bessions whicln united old friends f r o v all arioss the nation and as far away as AUS- tralia. Evpland a i d Ircland. VA Nurses. Army and N a i l nuis-. and OR technician

instructors grouped together for breakfast and lunch and dizcussed their past, thzir future, their hospitds. mutual problems, and their profession. Helping registrants find their u a j through the maze of events were the ever-hzipfu’. ever-cheerful San Diepo gals in nautical outfits of blue and white; assist- ing them w x e s:udrnt nurses from Mercy College of nurFing. Paradise Valley School of Nursing. and S3ti Diego College.

Over and above all the planned activities, Ciba P!~srmaceuticsl Company sponsored a live demonstration on preoperative planning. and Ethicon Inc.. a 30-minute documentar)

M n y I967 h l

These ga!s in navy dress are the chrirmpn responsible lor a successful AORN Congress. From l e f t to right, front row, are August Le f l e r , Public Relations; Nellie Mock , General Cha-'rman; and Mary Swartz, Program Chafrman. In the back ~ D I U , Left to right, are Harriet Draper, Monitor; Y tonnr Hazard, Registration; Frances Collier, Information and Arrangements ; Diane Vetrecin, Sci- entific Exhibits; and Lucile Bracy, Hospitality.

program on local television depicting an actual day in the life of a San Diego operat- ing room nurse.

Although the educational opportunities were endless and the main reason for attmd- ing the Congress, the business of running the Aesociation was uppermost in the minds of many. By the time the Congress had ended five days later, many important decisions re- garding the future of the Association had been reached.

Attention was focused on the proposed new Bylaws, election of officers, awarding of prizes. and the Operating Room Nurses Foundation.

NEW BYLAWS The proposed new Bylaws of course dom-

inated the business proceedings. Although there was lively debate on several of the sec- tions, the Bylaws were adopted essentially as proposed. Amendments to Articles IV. V. VI. VII and IX were made from the floor and approved unanimously at the Wednesday

meeting. The amendment causing the most flurry

was that concerning a President-elect, sug- gested by the Bylaws Committee Chairman, Ruby Sanches. Although the amendment had been turned down the previous w a r in Chicago, the Bylaws Committee believed that such an amendment was needed to enlarge the list of potential candidates fo r national office. As the Bylaws read prior to the San Diego Congress. only a candidate who had been a member of the Board could run for the office of President. The new amendment. "The (>Ricers of this Association shall be a Presi- dent. Vice President, President-Elect. Secre- tar! and Treasurer . . ." would make this stipulation unnecessary.

Questioned about this point b y delegates. Mrs. Sanches explained that the President- elect would be elected each year. serving one )ear as President-elect and one year as Presi- dent. Thus bv the time she had become Presi- dent she would have had one year's Board experience behind her. Mrs. Sanches pointed

M a y 1967 63

The 14th Annual Congiess in San Diego sets sail for neu horizons i n learning and f r i cndsh ip .

out that the Nominations Committee had a difficult time selecting qualified candidates because the availability of such candidates was so narrow. Jerry Peers, Chairman of the Nominations Committee, reaffirmed Mrs. Sanches’ points and said there were many capable people who could not run because they lacked Board experience, and that al- though she had been against this amendment in the past. her experience on the Nomina- tions Committee this year had pointed out to her the necessity for a President-elect.

Several questions were raised about the President-elect’s position in relation to the Vice President. It was carefully explained that the President-elect would have all the privileges of a member of the Board of Ui- rectors, and would also be a member of the Executive Committee. Her office would ill no way change the term of ofice for the Vice President. In case of a vacancy in the Presi- dent’s office, the Vice President would assume office. In addition, Mrs. Sanches added. the Ex-President would no longer be on the Board, not even in an ex-officio capacity. At

one point former President Ethel West de- clared that two terms as President were too long.

After a great deal of discussion the amend- ment was accepted, with one disgruntled member asking why the aniendment hadn’t been explained more clearly in the past?

Another member questioned Article V . Section 3. “The Board of Directors shall em- ploy executive personnel,” asking for a state- ment as to who were executive personnel. A motion was soon made to enlarge that section and an amendment was passed stating that the Board of Directors “shall employ and dis- charge executive personnel, executive person- nel being the Executive Director, the Di- rector of Education, and the Editor of AOKA‘ /ournal.”

Another delegate moved that a section con- cerning the Executive Director be amended to read that the Director be an R.N. This opened up some cryptic discussion and after a brief speech by the current Executive Di-

l o Elennor Elliott, R.N. , President of the Ameri- can Nurses Association discusses the fu ture of nursing at the opening session of the Congress.

Continued on page 71

Ma,. 1967 65

Mr. August Bee, President of Ethicon, Inc., offers Ethel West, R.N., President of the Oper- ating Room Nurses Foundation, a check for $25,000. The money will be used to advance operating room nursing education.

rector, the motion was withdrawn and the amendment was passed to read that the Ex- ecutive Director would “manage, supervise and administer the business and financial activities of this Association, subject to the Board of Directors.” (Article VI)

The business of electing new officers again caught the attention of Delegates as it moved to delete an ambiguous and confusing sec- tion on office holders who are also running for a new office. Delegates spoke out feelinglj against candidates who wished to remain in one office while running for another. An amendment was finally inserted, and ap- proved, which stated that any candidate in elected office could not be a candidate for another office unless that term of office ex- pired at the time of the Annual Congress. This same amendment was also inserted in the section of the Bylaws which had to do with the Committee on Nominations.

A member of the Editorial Committee moved that the proposed Bylaws concerning the Editorial Committee be deleted and re-

placed by the old Bylaws; the motion was passed without discussion.

A suggestion by the Chairman of the Legislation Committee, that the Committee really had no significant function and should be abolished, was also passed without dis- cussion.

Mrs. Sanches proposed another method by which Amendments to the Bylaws could be accomplished. She explained that the amend- ment could be submitted by mail to the chapters 60 days before voting; and that if accepted by a two-thirds affirmative vote, it would become effective. The revision was adopted as an amendment to the Bylaws.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS The absence of a second candidate for the

office of President created an air of mystery and excitement as Delegates speculated as to whether an unknown candidate would de- clare herself as ready to do battle. As it turned out, Miss Doris Walk of St. Louis was nominated but unfortunately was not able to be present at the Congress because of a professional commitment, but in any event, Audrey Bell, National Vice President, was elected to the Presidency. Jerry Peers of Los Angeles, former National president, was elected treasurer while Caroline Rogers, of Queens Village, N.Y. and Betty Thomas of Denver, Colorado were elected to the Board. Louise Bagshaw of Newark, N.Y. and Lester Lackie of Glendora, California were elected to the Committee on Nominations. Board member Doris Armstrong was appointed to fill the position of Vice President, left vacant by Miss Bell. Filling Miss Armstrong’s for- mer position is Ruth Bramhall, Tacoma. Margaret Leitch, Seattle, and Dana Estes, Houston, were appointed to fill the vacancies on the Nominating Committee left by the election of Jerry Peers and Caroline Rogers.

Out of 303 delegates qualified to vote, 264 cast their ballots, with four votes being dis- qualified.

May 1967 71

Board Member Ina Love IF’illiams looks on as Ftiinces Parker of Fair fax Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia casts her vote. Waiting their t u rn are Captain J ran Soeder, U S A F Hospital in Anchor- age, Alaska and Jeanne Lux, Children’s Memoriz l Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska.

Tellers for the election were Ina Love Williams, chairman AORN of Tidewater, Virginia; Madeline Hanson, AORN of Dal- las; and Bess Owens, AORN of Oahu (Ha- waii).

AWARD WINNERS This year’s Charles B. Moore award win-

ner, Della Ruppert, was honored at the opening session of the Congress with an in- scribed plaque and a dozen red roses. (See page 11, April 1967, AORN Journal). A member of the AORN of Iowa, Number 1. Miss Ruppert is Operating Room Supervisor at University Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa.

Three Johnson and Johnson award win- ners were also honored at the opening cere- monies: Leisla Sansom of Cincinnati. Ohio;

Raymond J. Brigden of Coventry, England; and Maura Donohoe of Dublin, Ireland. Later in the week Mr. Brigden, Editor of NATNews, the official journal of the Na- tional Association of Theatre Nurses, gave a short talk on the status of OR nurses, par- ticularly male operating room nurses. in Eng- land. His speech appears in the April 1967 issue of the Journal, as well as more com- plete news of the three awards.

OPERATING ROOM NURSES FOUNDATION

The Foundation, first announced at the Chicago Congress, has come a long way in its brief year and its efforts were further supplemented in San Diego when August S. Bee. President of Ethicon. Inc., presented

M a y 1967 73

Prrzsiderht Kathryn L. O’Donnell p i r,rnts a plaque and a dozen roses to Della Ruppert, this year’s winner of the Charles B. Moore a u w d .

Foundation President Ethel West with a check for $25,000. Mr. Bee voiced the hope that Ethicon’s offering would serve as a catalyst, which seems to have happened since at the end of the Congress a check for $300 was also given to the Foundation hy the AORN of San Diego.

REPORTS The report of the Association’s new Ex-

ecutive Director, Mrs. Marion Parker, called for active promotion and extension of AORN, stating that “Standing still in these rapidly changing times is moving back- wards.” She called for an increase in mem- bership as well as maintenance of present membership; a research and development committee which could formulate needed programs for the members of the Associa- tion; and image research to determine what OR nurses and members desire from their organization.

National President Kathryn O’Donnell outlined the progress of the Association dur-

ing the last year. She pointed out that mem- bership had increased to 8,000 and chapters to 111, Headquarters had moved to larger offices, and the Journal had become monthly. The Operating Room Foundation, under the guidance of its President Ethel West, was firmly established. An OR Technicians man- ual was being written and would be published in June. The future of the Association looked bright. she said, although she regretted an- nouncing the resignation of Rachel Ayers, NCE Chairman, and Ruth Pendleton, Edi- torial Chairman, both of whom had con- tributed much to the Association. Their re- placements will be announced shortly.

The Committee reports that followed Miss O’Donnell’s talk pointed both to successes and to areas where hard work is demanded.

Budget and Finance Committee: In April of last year this Committee met with the Executive Director and the chartered public accountant to prepare a tentative budget for the 1966-67 fiscal year. Past budgets were reviewed and used as a guideline in prepar- ing the new budget, which was reviewed with the Executive Committee on June 4th. Sug- gested changes were made and the budget was presented to the Board of Directors at their annual mid-year meeting in August; it has then approved. A decision to publish the Journal monthly, however, and a move to new offices required considerable budget ie-adjusting. This was done with a member of the Association’s accounting firm. The budget was then submitted and approved by the Executive Committee in November.

Bylaws Committee: Since last year. when a unanimous vote by delegates asked for a complete revision of the Association’s Bylaws, a committee of three has been steadily at work. Under the guidance of Ruby Sanches, the Committee and Parliamentarian Gerta Morris met after the Chicago Congress to draft a revision. This was reviewed by the Board of Directors at their mid-year meeting and suggestions made at that time were re-

May 1967 75

Richard 8. Sellers, lef t , member of the Johnson and Johnson Executive Committee greets the corn- pnny’s award winners. Leisla Sansom, R.N. , operating room staff nurse at Veterans Administra- tion Hospital in Cincinnati; M a u m Donohoe, OK Supervisor at Adelaid Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; and Raymond J . Bridgen, Supervisor at Coventry arid Waravickshii e Hospital in Coventry, England.

viewed by the Parliamentarian and presented to and approved by the Executive Committee. The completed Bylaws were then published i n the November-December issue of the Jour- ndl. thus giving ever) AORN memhei an opportunity to review them prior to the Delegates meeting in San Diego.

Editorial Committee: A Chicago Congress meeting was held last year with lengthy discussion of committee members’ assign- ments, Journal departments and potential articles. During that Congress members worked hard to cover all the talks given and report them to a member of the Journal staff. Members also contributed their time to manning the Journal booth in the Exhibit area. A mid-year meeting in New York provided an opportunity to acquaint the Committee in detail with the procedures in- volved in producing the Journal. After meet- ing with the staff, members concerned them-

selves with discussion of their functions and assignments, exploration of future editorial goals, and special projects to be published in the Journal. (See Basic Book List, AORN Journal, July-August, 1966; and Listing of Scholarships and Grants for RN’s, April, 1967). The Committee continuously con- tributes department items, evaluates articles for possible publication, and otherwise sup- ports the editor and staff in every way that they can.

Committee on Education: During the last year, NCE, under Chairman Rachel Ayers, sponsored four Institutes. Major Hazel John- son was the NCE representative at the In- stitute held by the AORN of Cincinnati. Chaired by Patricia Copenhaver, this Insti- tute had a registration of 228. Mamie Polite Peace was chairman of the Institute spon- sored by the AORN of Philadelphia, which saw a registration of 312; and which had

M a y 1967

Virginia T . Rockwell, R.N., member of the OR technician manual committee and Rachel Ayres, R.N., listen as Maurice J . Brown, M.D., Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, speaks out in support of the Association’s training of surgical technicians.

Sister Mary Virginia Clare as the NCE representative, The AORN of Northwestern Oklahoma sponsored an institute in Tulsa which brought together 191 nurses. Martha Kuzilik was chairman and Doroth! Ellison the NCE sponsor. NCE representative Libby Chandler worked with Lois Harson of the AORN of Denver in presenting the fourth successful Institute.

Although Institutes were the main business of NCE, plans for a closed-circuit telecast to be presented in San Diego were formu- lated. Chairman Rachel Ayers represented the AORN at the Audiovisual Conference for Medical and Allied Sciences in Washington, and as a program participant described the 1966 NCE television program at the Chicago Congress.

Film Committee: The Film, “Building Training Programs for Operating Room

Technicians” was produced for the San Diego Congress by Davis & Geck Film Pro- duction Division for sponsorship by AORN. Filming was done at San Diego County Uni- versity Hospital and Ohio State University Hospital in Columbus. The film was written and narrated by Miss Jean Reed, ORS, at Ohio State University Hospital. Her con- sultants were Augusta Leffler, ORS at Sari Diego County University Hospital and Mary Swartz. ORS at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. Mrs. Virginia Rockwell of AORN Technicians Training Manual Committee acted as a consultant to the film’s producers. 0 Legislation Committee: This committee, chaired by Martha Henry, reported on the many health meascwes passed by Congress this last year-more than in all its previous history. Although there were no specific measures referring to the operating room

May 1967 81

4 scene from the film “Building Training Pro- grams foi Ope? ating Room Technicians,” which piemiered at the Congress, shows how use 0)

t isiinl aids can he lp make leariiing easicv. Tho itcirse is holding a diagrani depicting aiietri ysnt of the a01 ta.

nurse, important legislation touching o n thv piofession of nursing was carried out. Fol- lowing are some excerpts from MisS Henij’> report.

1) The Allied Health Professional A ( \ p i ovides increased training opportunities for pardmedical personnel at the baccalaureate level through instruction grants, loans and operational funds for schools.

2 ) Health planning and Public Service grants to states and local areas for compre- hensive planning and operation of Public Health Services are now available.

3) A minimum of $1 an hour for hospital workers was established and took effect February first. This will advance b, 156 each year until i t reaches $1.60, and for the first time will cover over six million hospital workers.

4) All hospitals must be desegregated; i t not adhered to, a hospital can be deprived of Federal funds.

. fnother scene in the movie points out that wrgicnl techniciaris should become acquainted with the ioork of the Iaboratory technician.

0 Membership Committee: Chairman Ina Love Williams and her committee were bus) throughout the year encouraging new mem- berships and establishing new chapters. A chapter information folder with a list of

hospitals, cities, and towns represented in each Chapter was completed and is cur- rently being used at Headquarters. Welcome letters were sent by the Committee to 13 newly-organized chapters. Results of a ques- tionnaire sent to OR Supervisors last Janu- ary helped establish future goals as well as provide names of nurses interested in form- ing a chapter or joining as members-at-large. Several hundred letters were sent out to these prospective members. (See AORN Journal. January. 1967, page 27.)

In order to strengthen memberships, the Committee recommends that a Board member be sent to visit each newly-organized chapter. They also think a small printed brochure con- taining the history, aims, objectives, phil- osophies and key Bylaws of the Association should be published. This brochure could be

M a y 1967 83

Although all three o f these uni forms appear a little zany, the one on the l e f t could actually be worn today; it is made of paper and completely disposable. T h e center outfit features skin-tight leotards hand-painted with the organs o f the body while the un i form on the right is designed with polka dots to remind the nurse of her fight against germs; the helmet features a rear- view mirror. A l l three uni forms were modeled at the annual fashion show sponsored by the Hospital Products Division of Kendall Corn- Puny.

sent to all persons inquiring about member- ship and/or chapter information and would be a valuable asset at Congresses and In- stitutes. 0 Charles B. Moore Award Committee: Plagued by non-responding chapters. this committee fell into difficulties in an attempt to revise the format for selecting the winner of the Charles B. Moore award. Only 14 chapters out of 110 responded to a letter by Chairman Trudi V. Elkins. Thus, the old format was quickly reverted to. Ten resumes of nominees for the award were sent to chapter presidents to be voted on; 50 chap- ters participated in the voting. It is hoped that when more time is available, the change- over in procedure can still be effected.

0 Nominations Committee: Letters were sent to local chapters by April 1, 1966, requesting the names of potential candidates for na- tional offices and committees. Every effort was made to fill the slate completely; hio- graphical information and contributions to local and national AORN were considered be- fore submitting names to the Board. Written consents were obtained. 0 Committees on Manual for Operating Room Technicians: Committee members met in April. June, September and January. re- viewing their efforts at these times. Each member covered certain subjects-in lesson plan form-and an outline of the contents was prepared and given to the National president. In January members met to corre- late material and prepare it for review, and editing. The completed manual was prom- ised by June 1967. A cover has been designed -aqua with black lettering and the new AORN seal-and a sample printed. (See two articles elsewhere in this Journal for more on this Committee.)

In addition to writing a manual, the Com- mittee appointed one of its four members to participate on the panel discussion on operat- ing room technicians in San Diego. 0 Policy Committee: No report was submit- ted.

OTHER BUSINESS A motion to raise dues to $10 a year was

passed unanimously. Soon afterward, the Board announced it was working out a form for standardizing dues payment and would present it to members at a later date. A later motion asking for disclosure of executive salaries was defeated by a vote of 143-97.

Discussion centered on the new monthly Journal, the ratio of advertising to editorial matter, the problem of advertising deadlines, the unfilled office of education director, and the policy of Congress sites. It was recom- mended by a delegate that reports on the new Bylaws, on Board action, on finances, and on

M a y 1967 85

policy, be sent to all members. No action was taken on this recommendation.

Five bids were received for future Con- gresses: Fresno, Houston, New York. Atlan- tic City, and St. Louis. Next year’s Congress will be held in Boston, and the year after that in Cincinnati. Chicago will again be the host city in 1971.

TALKS “Change will not be stopped by attempts

to maintain the status quo.” In her opening address. ANA President Jo Eleanor Elliott best summed up the kind of attitude and spirit of questioning that prevailed at this \ear’s Congress. Not only were the latest sur- gical techniques discussed but such problems as nurse recruitment, moral and legal ohliga- tions. and changes in the profession. A sense of inquiry and excitement could be felt as those attending tried to assess and cope with the sometimes startling new thinking in the profession.

In her talk Miss Elliott pointed out that many of the problems in nursing today were the result of too many nursm who thought that by not reacting, change would go at+ a!. “‘It didn’t and now nurses must rapidl j catch up.” She cited the areas of education and nursing service as the most lapidly changing, adding that orientation and incerv- ice needs are greater now since \+e do not have finished projects coming out of our edu- cational programs. Nurses must !ooh fot ways in which their own authority and tasks can be assigned to non-nurses, she said. but they must keep in mind that a practical nuise is not a substitute for a professional nurse.

Miss Elliott stressed the importance ( J f at- tracting nurses back to their profession m t l

declared that salaries must be raised to a pa1 with the skills demanded in modern niedirine. She also advised nurses to be more concerned with research relating to patient caie.

Later in the afternoon. K. Mar) Stiauls. Associate Professor of Catholic Uriiversitv

The live closed-circirii color TV trlecast on the nurse and legal licibility featured Grace C. Bar- bee, attornry at laiu and legal counsel f o r the California Nurses’ Associatiotl; Par ren H . Schmidt, Ph.D., Dirrctor and Senior Vice Pi esi- dent of Leadership Resources, lnc . ; and James U . Croridey, attoinry at law in Los ,411gdes.

of America in Washington. D.C. reiterated msnj of the same points in her talk enlitled “Satisfaction and Excitement of Learning. She amphasized the necessity fur continuing education through such means as professional literature. professional organization and participation in action research-Ieaining through doing. Miss Straub also declaied that there is a need for developing roles that re- flect the upsurge in nursing research that looks into nursing service departments within health agencies. and the nurse’s economic security drive.

Dr. Franklin Earnest, neurosurgeon, ie- minded his audience that medical attitudes through the ages have been reflected b j a sense of responsibility, ethics and humane- ness and wondered whether those in the nurs- ing profession were striving to continue these efforts. He declared that it was a moral ohli- pation for doctors to love better. to give com-

Coiitinrted OTI p a g e 91

..

M a y 1967 87

Audrey N . Bell, newly elected President, receives n S.300 donation to the Farindatiorz f rom Cong- reAs Genernl Chairman, Nellie Mock.

passionately of their talent, and to act forth- rightly as responsible individuals.

“Miracle of Sound” was the basis f o r three talks relating to the problems of hearing loss. Robert E. Sandlin, speech pathologist and clinical audiologist, discussed the linguistic and psychological aspects of hearing impair- ment, noting emotional problems that result from such a loss and the personality change that can be effected with successful surgery. Dr. William Compere, Jr. followed with a description of two types of hearing impair- ment-conductive and perceptive-and its accompanying trauma. He reviewed the his- tory of the stapes procedure, showing ana- tomical slides of the structure of ear anatomy operated upon. Barbara Corliss, surgical su- pervisor, showed a film which detailed the basic approach to setting up the operating

room. preparing and draping the patient, caring for instruments and setting u p the Mayo.

“Diagnosis: Surgical Problems” was the subject of a panel discussion among eight different members of a hospital staff. The shortcomings and aims of each problem were explored candidly.

Sister Mary Giles started the discussion by describing the duties of the OR Supervisor and her responsibilities to the patients under her care. Captain C. K. Holloway followed with a description of the surgeon’s role: “He should lead, not drive; should not be a prima donna type, and should always be neat and pick up his used scrub suit.”

Anesthesiologist Gilbert Kin yon pleaded for more quiet in the operating room. re- minding nurses that even at deep levels of

May 1967 91

anesthesia, patients can hear remarks which may do little to promote their tranquility. Administrator Robert Hansen’s criticisms ranged from the laboratory which does not provide the right type of blood in a hurry to the engineering department which cannot build a needed cupboard or supply extra keys. He also stated that one of the main obli- gations of an OR nurse is keeping up with all that is new in the field.

Susan Mathias, Director of Nursing Serv- ices, stressed the need for OR Supervisors to have extra training, especially since most schools of nursing do not provide it at the baccalaureate level, while Dorothy Ellison, Department Head and Associate Professor of Surgical Nursing, stated that inservice edu- cation must be accelerated as well as admin- istrative support to the service department, and to action research. Dr. Chet Curry, pathologist, urged nurses to be more spe- cific in labeling specimens and George Malli- son, environmental control expert, gave pointers on good housekeeping, stressing the use of elbow grease.

The relatively new pereyra procedure for anterior repair which reduces operating time and appreciably hastens postoperative recov- ery was explained in detail by Commander William Lucas, M.D. A film on the procedure will be available as soon as copies are made. Those interested should write: Ob-Gyn Serv- ice, United States Naval Hospital, San Diego, California.

Dr. Robert Dykhuizen, Chief of Urology at San Diego Naval Hospital, followed with a talk on the ovarian vein syndrome, first de- scribed in 1964. A film showing ligation of the ovarian vein to relieve pressure on the ureter was shown.

Purchasing and product evaluation was the subject of talks by Mary Swartz, OR Super- visor; Homer G. Harding, purchasing agent; and Walker Sandbach, Executive Director of Consumers Union.

Miss Swartz stated that it is important for

nurses to be aware of new things on the mar- ket because such knowledge improves patient care and facilitates employee efficiency. She thought it necessary that a trial period of at least six months be set up for honest evalua- tion. Such an evaluation would include the following considerations: ease of opening package, shelf-life of article, storage require- ments and assurance of maintained sterility.

Homer Harding pointed out that one-third of the hospital’s dollars are spent on supplies and for this reason one must buy standard- ized articles whenever possible. Costs, he said, include not only purchase price but also quality and service. He emphasized that the department head, not the purchasing agent, must have the responsibility for defining what products should be purchased.

Walker Sandbach closed the session by outlining exactly what the Consumers Union is, how it works, and how its testing pro- grams are carried out.

A film that teaches OR nurses how to train technicians was previewed at the Congress Wednesday. Entitled, “Building Training Programs for Operating Room Technicians,” the film dealt with screening, interviewing and selecting students for the course, discus- sion of course content, length of program, classroom setting, selection of instructors and guest lecturers, and the coordination in- volved. Written by AORN member Jean Reed and filmed by Davis and Geck, the movie will be available from the Davis & Geck Surgical Film Library in Danbury, Connecticut. Re- quests for showing from AORN chapters will receive priority.

Commenting on the film were Virginia Rockwell and Major Helen Lundahl, mem- bers of the Operating Room Technician Manual Committee. Both women thought the film an excellent supplement to their manual, a complete teaching guide which has had the benefit of the experiences and thinking of nurses across the country. Maurice J. Brown, M.D., a Fellow of the American College of

May 1967 93

This year’s officers gather for their official photograph. From left to right, front row, are Mary Morgan, Secretary; Kathryn O’Donnell, out-going President; Audrey Bell, President; and Jerry Peers, Treasurer. In the back row, left to right, are Board Members Caroline Rogers, Ina Love lYilliarns, Betty Thomas, Doris Armstrong and Sister Mary Carmen.

Surgeons. praised the Association’s work in the technician training field and declared that although it would be better to use only registered nurses in the operating room, the acute nurse shortage made standardized training of technicians essential.

The uses of cryosurgery were examined by Robert W. Rand, M.D., John G. Bellows, M.D.. and Barbara-Ann Wright, R.N., in a fascinating afternoon session. Dr. Bellows outlined the various degrees of cold applica- tion to different tissues and what could be accomplished, and showed a film demonstrat- ing the use of cryosurgery in extracting cata- racts, halting the progress of glaucoma and mending a detached retina. Dr. Rand fol- lowed with a movie showing cryosurgery of the pituitary gland, thoroughly explaining the positioning of the patient’s head and the direction in which the hold is made for later entrance of the cry0 probe. The operation was complemented by a complete picture of the pre-and postoperative clinical workup. Barbara-Ann Wright completed the session

with a short history of attempts to cure Park- inson’s disease, first by installation of 70 per cent alcohol, and now by cryosurgical inter- vention. She described the instruments used and stressed the importance of knowing why and when something is done.

Theodore Hilbish, radiologist, spoke on complications of selective angiocardiogra- phy, citing the symptoms necessitating the procedure and the findings received. Alan F. Schroeder of the Radiation Therapy depart- ment at the San Diego Naval Hospital fol- lowed with an outline of hazards involved in handling radiation. He suggested various means of protection and included informa- tion on exposure time, means of inserting isotopes, implements used, and the responsi- bilities of personnel handling the dangerous material.

As real doctors and nurses acted out inci- dents that frequently result in damage suits or criminal prosecutions, AORN members watched them on a mammoth television screen, meanwhile taking copious notes. Fol-

May 1967 95

lowing each simulated incident, attorneys Grace C. Barbee a d James B. Crowley dis- cussed the liability of the people involved. The audience got into the act by answering questionnaires, as did 10 selected nurses on the stage who sat as a jury. Frequently jury, audience and lawyers disagreed, but when the three-hour telecast had ended the nurses were more sophisticated about their legal rights and resources, and had a much cleare? idea of the importance of accurate records and depositions.

Lulu Wolf Hassenplug, Dean and Profes- sor of the School of Nursing at the University of California in Los Angeles, ended the 14th Congress by forcing the operating room nurse to look at herself, her job and the whole of nursing. She pointed to the aloof- ness of the operating room nurse and told her audience that they must realize the neces- sity of establishing a new set of values and techniques. She said they must face the fact that they are not going to have enough qual- ity nurses to do the job and expressed the opinion that the operating room now has more than its share.

Mrs. Hassenplug went on to outline the future as it will affect nurses: nursing care will not be confined to hospitals, it will not

be on a one-to-one basis, private duty will fade out, the technical worker nurse and the professional leader nurse will come into be- ing. Above all, she declared, nurses must learn to develop teamwork.

THE FUTURE By all accounts this year’s Congress could

be termed a success: the attendance of 3,547 (2,167 R.N.’s, 55 student nurses, 1,114 com- mercial exhibitors and 23 scientific exhibi- tors) made San Diego the third largest Con- gress in the Association’s history ; donations to the Foundation insure an exciting future for it; the newly-accepted Bylaws will enable the Association to run more smoothly; and the newly-elected officers promise greater things to come.

Discussing the Association, President Au- drey Bell explained that she thought its most immediate goals should be growth in the membershipshe would like to see a gain of 2,000 over the present 8,000-and expansion of educational aids to nurses and hospitals. She plans to call for an investigation of the kinds of educational services AORN can offer and how it can best serve the needs of the operating room nurse.

The future looks bright indeed.

M a y 1967