WENDY PERERA

I am currently serving on the BOD for eChapter AORN, serving as the Interim-Chair for the Communications & Social Media Committee. In the past two years, initially a team of two, we successfully relaunched the Communications and Social Media Committee. We created a linked company page to help serve our members the way eChapter does best, through the use of technology and inclusion for all, no matter where in the world we work or choose to call home. As someone who has been a travel RN, an interim RN Leader, and now Nurse Executive Consultant, I know first hand how meaningful it is to have a chapter without borders, keeping us all informed.

I am proud to have always held AORN eChapter as my primary chapter, and I am an AORN Leader member. I would be honored if selected to continue this important work with now a team of 6 committed individuals. I believe we finally have the team in place to help the Communications and Social Media Committee expand its platforms and outreach." I am a Nurse Executive Consultant with PereraHealth. My RN PeriOperative Leadership expertise includes: surgical and procedural service line operations, ambulatory clinic operations, medical-surgical, cardiac rehabilitation, and critical care units. Specializations include: compliance, engagement, leadership development, recruitment and retention strategies, change management and innovation: AI, Robotics, IT optimization, Telehealth, Telemedicine and predictive analytics

KATHLEEN LANGERMAN
AORN eChapter is a professional organization that has allowed me to become involved in the chapter. In my previous job role as the evening charge nurse at a community hospital, I lacked the amount of time necessary to attend the local chapters’ meetings, although there are a few. EChapter allowed me to engage with other OR professionals. It has also allowed me to meet interesting people and even lead an education offering on a topic dear to me. It has also allowed me to learn so very much as I leaned heavily on online education when I changed job roles to keep my mind active and sharp while I was awaiting the beginning of the 2022 fall semester. 

It has been twelve months since I changed job roles to that of the call RN. This has opened up a tremendous amount of free time. I would like to utilize my free time to aid eChapter in any way I can. Before I had the drive to serve, but no time. Which frustrated me. Now I have the drive to serve, and the time to do so. 

I have set out to learn in any job I undertake. And in passing what I have learned to others. If I obtain a position, I would seek to create excitement and the willingness to participate in others.

AORN is made up of individual members from every possible walk of life and I want to include everyone at every level. Because we are all OR nurses, no matter what we look like, or who we are. Every single one of us deserves to be heard. We all have stories to tell.

MARY SAMOST
Being an active member of eChapter provides an opportunity to interact, in a highly professional manner, solve problems, and network with other perioperative nurses both nationally and internationally.  This is an amazing opportunity, to learn from each other and have open honest discussions that impact perioperative nursing practice.  

I have found eChapter to be a group of welcoming nurses ranging from novice to expert practice with a shared mental model of perioperative nursing practice focused on safe patient care.  We can all agree that perioperative nursing is both a challenging and an extremely complex specialty.  The public do not know, nor appreciate, the amount of coordination and expertise that is required to support their operative procedure.  The regulatory requirements shift from state to state and country to country, yet our mission to give excellent safe care is unwavering. The eChapter affords an opportunity for all Perioperative nursing to unify our voices through the lens of addressing the challenges and gaps in diversity and inclusive nursing practice.

My active involvement in eChapter has included the Nomination Committee (2021,2022) and the Membership Committee (2022), in addition to educational opportunities.  Through my committee work I have not only developed a deeper understanding of gaps in our nursing practice, but also contributed to eChapter’s strategic direction to both support and advance perioperative nursing practice.  I believe that all nurses are leaders and active participation in professional organizations, such as eChapter, places nurses in a position to influence perioperative nursing practice.

Through the Treasurer leadership position, I feel that I can assist in further advancing nursing practice, influence diversity of our nursing members through collectively identifying gaps in our nursing community and strategically address those gaps. The movement of our profession must push towards eliminating structural barriers to reach our goals of diversity, inclusivity, and develop a nursing workforce that matches our community.

Being a member of the Nomination and Membership Committees afforded me an opportunity to gain additional insight into the mission, vision, and strategic direction of the eChapter.  My goal of transitioning to the Treasurer position is to ensure the long-term financial health of the eChapter.  

I will provide fiscal stewardship of the chapter through monitoring both revenue and expenses.  As the Treasurer it will be important for me to work collaboratively with the eChapter Executive Leadership Team and membership at large to provide accurate budgetary information to support the prioritization of both expense and investment initiatives.  As the treasurer I will also assist in setting the chapter’s vision and supporting the overarching goals of the chapter to continually support and advance perioperative nursing practice through a lens of diversity and equity to strengthen perioperative nursing practice

STACEY DUSIK

Throughout my 21 years as an OR nurse, I have had the unique opportunity to work and lead in two different countries. Throughout my OR career, I have had the privilege to teach and mentor nurses, scrubs, RNFA and surgeons across the globe. I have been a member of AORN since 2007 and have had the opportunity to be a member of the nominating committee for the last two years. Being an active member and in a leadership role within the eChapter,  provides me the opportunity to help drive both the chapter and the organization.  Information that is shared at a chapter level provides me the opportunity to share with the leadership and staff at the hospital and system levels.

A leadership position in the eChapter provides growth and opportunity for both myself, nurses and all staff that we are leading at the Operating Room.  As a leader in eChapter, my goals would be to continue on the growth path for myself and the chapter.  Echapter and  AORN provides OR nurses with guidelines, best practice and data driven practice, which promotes OR nurses as a professional group. AORN provides professional growth for OR nurses across the world and provides a platform for nurses to provide safe and optimal patient care.  As a chapter of AORN, diversity and inclusion are vital for all members.  As leaders, we should speak at various events and hospital forums to ensure that all OR nurses are aware of both AORN and eChapter and how to expand and grow in their professional practice.

MELANIE PERRY
AORN eChapter provides perioperative professionals from across the globe the opportunity to connect with others, no matter where they live. For many of us, there isn't a local chapter nearby for us to be a part of, so the eChapter gives us the ability to belong, learn, network, and connect with others within the perioperative specialty. 

As the use of social media grows, more nurses with the skillset to use social media well will be needed to keep our chapter engaged and relevant. My involvement in the eChapter would help move our chapter forward, grow our social media presence, and spread awareness of our chapter, and the importance of membership, to other nurses around the world. Serving in a leadership position would allow me to help our chapter, and let me use my skillset to better our organization. 

My goals include: Supporting the growth of a consistent and active social media presence. Provide quality, beneficial, relevant content on our social media channels. Support the vision of the eChapter and share that vision with others. Create a safe and inclusive environment where all members have a voice, and feel that their voice is heard and respected.

PENNY SMALLEY

AORN eChapter offers perioperative nurses around the world, and those in the US who are too far from a local chapter, live in an area that has no local chapter, or who have work and family schedules that do not allow for local chapter participation.  It offers opportunities for chapter leadership, mentoring, education both current and an enduring library with open access at members convenience, periodic meetings and events both in-person and on virtual platforms, and the opportunity to network with colleagues world-wide.

As a self-employed consultant having to travel a great deal and following a variable schedule, I have not been able to maintain membership in my local chapter.  eChapter has given me the chance to connect with my colleagues and stay abreast of new programs, education, standards, and other  important and evolving issues in perioperative nursing.

Over the past 2 years of my term as an eChapter board member, I have grown to feel connected to my organization in so many ways.  I have been able to contribute to eChapter initiatives and activities, and served on the 2021-2 Ways and Means committee, as we prepared for Expo 22, and have volunteered to present at a future monthy webinar.  I am most excited about my appointment to lead as chair of a new committee tasked to establish a mentoring program, which I was then able to merge with the membership committee to form the new Membership Engagement committee, of which I am co-chair. 

I hope to continue my work with the board of directors in a second term so that I can provide support and leadership to the emerging Membership Engagement Committee, and  use my experience and expertise in international relations and standards, to support the mission and vision of eChapter.

As eChapter maintains a consistent membership of over 2000 members, I hope to help support a strong emphasis on reaching out to strengthen and highlight those representing diverse cultures and ideas, by offering more opportunities for participation in relevant educational offerings, and networking.  We have a lot to learn from one another, and we need to expand our outreach and awareness.  An example is to include organizations such as the Friends of African Nursing, which is based in the UK and Africa and has sponsored educational programs and resources to help improve perioperative and general nursing practice.

PHOENIX NEAL
I think AORN eChapter is important because it is available to all members. It is an organization that you can get involved in nationwide. Through the eChapter, we can exchange information with people that are all over the country. This makes it much easier to keep things in the operating room and throughout the organization consistent. I have wanted to become involved in a professional organization for a while now, but finally, have the time and energy to do so. I have been a perioperative nurse for ten years and am excited to get the opportunity to serve. For the past three years, I have been working to complete my Ph.D.; and, through that, I have learned a lot about my desires. I want to be a part of an organization that makes a difference- and this is that chance for me. Leadership has always been an interest of mine. I have not led any group professionally, but I am constantly searching for ways to be involved and find myself leading in other ways. I am excited for the opportunity to lead as a part of a team and to better our workplace professionally for all perioperative nurses. I want to serve our perioperative community in any way that is needed. I have turned to AORN professionally for the past 10 years and would love to be a part of the team that has given me such guidance throughout my career as a perioperative nurse. The eChapter is the best example of inclusion and diversity in AORN because anyone can join regardless of location or status. I hope to be able to showcase that through leadership and involvement in the eChapter of AORN as a professional organization. Every perioperative RN deserves to be respected and included in our organization.

AMBER NEAL
Amber Neal is a Main Operating Room Business & Logistics Manager at the Naval Medical Readiness Training Command in California. She manages the Perioperative services budget, and leads a team of eight supply technicians for the procurement and management of surgical supplies and equipment in support of 9, 600 surgical cases annually. She has developed a business framework that promotes efficiency, functionality, and continuous operations of the department, which optimizes product availability and allows for minimal disruption to surgical procedures. She holds a CNOR certification and is an engaged AORN member.