- Email: [email protected]
Looking backward, looking forward
A message f r o m +he Presidenf
Looking backward, looking forward It's incredible! This year - my year - has passed so very quickly. it has been a priv-
cause of the proliferation of planned for the year.
ilege to serve you as the President of AORN. Often, we hear the statement, "no problems, no progress." At AORN we have had our share of problems this year, but at the same time, we have witnessed tremendous progress. I now look backward with satisfaction and with a sense of pride in accomplishment, and I look forward with optimism and hope for nursing in general and for OR nursing and AORN in particular.
To meet the primary purpose of AORN, education has taken on a broader dimension. Witness the implementation of the continuing education credit program; the diversity of workshops, institutes, seminars and symposia; the increased number of brochures, pamphlets and manuals, and other informational materials; plans for valid research; and continued excellence of the AORN Journal as an educational
As a novice board member in 1969, I served as the first chairman of the AORN long-range planning committee. The Board set down objectives and goals in keeping with the philosophy, aims and objectives of AORN, and each year these goals were reviewed, revised, some things added and others deleted. Since then, my greatest reward has been to participate in decision making and to witness the implementation
of many significant objectives. For this, 1972 was a great year. The Board of Directors even conducted an additional meeting be-
March 1973
programs
tool. All these are geared to the expressed needs of our members. Headquarters-related goa Is have taken on
new
dimensions.
Most
exciting,
of
course, has been the land-purchase, the architects' planning and groundbreaking for our new Headquarters building. Other innovations are the in-house Congress management, retaining of public relations consultants, the scholarship fund administered by a highly qualified scholarship board, provision for professional liability insurance and an active placement service.
7
I believe that in 1972 AORN gained significantly in stature as a professional nursing organization. W e have met with national and international leaders in OR nursing in particular, and health care delivery in general. Most important, of course, were the cooperative efforts to bring all professional nursing organizations together for the purpose of unifying nurses to speak for nursing with one voice. The plans for continuing this venture will have singular impact on the very survival of nursing. Today, AORN is recognized as a strong force in nursing, both nationally and internationally. My sincere thanks to the Board of Directors for their insight and support, their courage and hard work on behalf of AORN. M y sincere thanks to the Executive Director and all of the Headquarters staff for their loyalty and untiring efforts on behalf of AORN. Finally, my sincere thanks to the members of AORN for your initial con-
fidence in electing me to office and your continued support during my Presidential year. Like all good things, my tenure has passed too quickly. However, I turn over the reins to one who I know will serve you well. Ruth Metzger has been my champion, my colleague and, above all, my friend. I assure you, as President of AORN, she will be your champion, your colleague and your friend. M y personal investment in time, energy and commitment has paid off in tremendous personal dividends. I take pride in what has been accomplished and regret what time and physical endurance would not allow. As I proceed into the realm of the Golden Gavel, AORN will continue to grow in every way. M y devotion and commitment will not diminish - I shall serve AORN whenever and wherever possible. I wish each of you peace and love.
Martha J Parlapiano, RN
I
Nicesf feacher A medical school professor has devised a new teaching technique i n which the test questions are given out before the lecture. It compels the students t o listen closely t o get the answers, said Joachim S Gravenstein,
MD, professor and chairman of the department of anesthesiology at Case Western Reserve University School o f Medicine in Cleveland. Dr Gravenstein believes customary hour long lectures i n post graduate education are frequently too concentrated and usually d o not provide a mechanism for reinforcing learning. H e prefers t o divide the lecture into three 15 minute segments, quizzing the group on the questions previously handed out.
A t the end of the lecture period, the students are given a new set of questions, the correct answers, references and explanatory notes. Dr Gravenstein t o l d the American Society of Anesthesiologists the technique was tried i n post graduate education lectures given t o 240 American anesthesiologists and later with 140 European anesthesiologists. “More than 95 per cent o f the participants found the approach helpful and many recommended expansion of i t s use,“ he said. ”The technique also helps the lecturer,”
Dr Gravenstein said. “Not
only i s he forced
t o define precisely what the audience i s expected t o know after the lecture, but he also has an opportunity t o measure how successful he has been in presenting the concepts, and whether he has correctly assessed the background knowledge of the participants.”
8
AORN Journal
I
Looking backward, looking forward It's incredible! This year - my year - has passed so very quickly. it has been a priv-
cause of the proliferation of planned for the year.
ilege to serve you as the President of AORN. Often, we hear the statement, "no problems, no progress." At AORN we have had our share of problems this year, but at the same time, we have witnessed tremendous progress. I now look backward with satisfaction and with a sense of pride in accomplishment, and I look forward with optimism and hope for nursing in general and for OR nursing and AORN in particular.
To meet the primary purpose of AORN, education has taken on a broader dimension. Witness the implementation of the continuing education credit program; the diversity of workshops, institutes, seminars and symposia; the increased number of brochures, pamphlets and manuals, and other informational materials; plans for valid research; and continued excellence of the AORN Journal as an educational
As a novice board member in 1969, I served as the first chairman of the AORN long-range planning committee. The Board set down objectives and goals in keeping with the philosophy, aims and objectives of AORN, and each year these goals were reviewed, revised, some things added and others deleted. Since then, my greatest reward has been to participate in decision making and to witness the implementation
of many significant objectives. For this, 1972 was a great year. The Board of Directors even conducted an additional meeting be-
March 1973
programs
tool. All these are geared to the expressed needs of our members. Headquarters-related goa Is have taken on
new
dimensions.
Most
exciting,
of
course, has been the land-purchase, the architects' planning and groundbreaking for our new Headquarters building. Other innovations are the in-house Congress management, retaining of public relations consultants, the scholarship fund administered by a highly qualified scholarship board, provision for professional liability insurance and an active placement service.
7
I believe that in 1972 AORN gained significantly in stature as a professional nursing organization. W e have met with national and international leaders in OR nursing in particular, and health care delivery in general. Most important, of course, were the cooperative efforts to bring all professional nursing organizations together for the purpose of unifying nurses to speak for nursing with one voice. The plans for continuing this venture will have singular impact on the very survival of nursing. Today, AORN is recognized as a strong force in nursing, both nationally and internationally. My sincere thanks to the Board of Directors for their insight and support, their courage and hard work on behalf of AORN. M y sincere thanks to the Executive Director and all of the Headquarters staff for their loyalty and untiring efforts on behalf of AORN. Finally, my sincere thanks to the members of AORN for your initial con-
fidence in electing me to office and your continued support during my Presidential year. Like all good things, my tenure has passed too quickly. However, I turn over the reins to one who I know will serve you well. Ruth Metzger has been my champion, my colleague and, above all, my friend. I assure you, as President of AORN, she will be your champion, your colleague and your friend. M y personal investment in time, energy and commitment has paid off in tremendous personal dividends. I take pride in what has been accomplished and regret what time and physical endurance would not allow. As I proceed into the realm of the Golden Gavel, AORN will continue to grow in every way. M y devotion and commitment will not diminish - I shall serve AORN whenever and wherever possible. I wish each of you peace and love.
Martha J Parlapiano, RN
I
Nicesf feacher A medical school professor has devised a new teaching technique i n which the test questions are given out before the lecture. It compels the students t o listen closely t o get the answers, said Joachim S Gravenstein,
MD, professor and chairman of the department of anesthesiology at Case Western Reserve University School o f Medicine in Cleveland. Dr Gravenstein believes customary hour long lectures i n post graduate education are frequently too concentrated and usually d o not provide a mechanism for reinforcing learning. H e prefers t o divide the lecture into three 15 minute segments, quizzing the group on the questions previously handed out.
A t the end of the lecture period, the students are given a new set of questions, the correct answers, references and explanatory notes. Dr Gravenstein t o l d the American Society of Anesthesiologists the technique was tried i n post graduate education lectures given t o 240 American anesthesiologists and later with 140 European anesthesiologists. “More than 95 per cent o f the participants found the approach helpful and many recommended expansion of i t s use,“ he said. ”The technique also helps the lecturer,”
Dr Gravenstein said. “Not
only i s he forced
t o define precisely what the audience i s expected t o know after the lecture, but he also has an opportunity t o measure how successful he has been in presenting the concepts, and whether he has correctly assessed the background knowledge of the participants.”
8
AORN Journal
I