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• Awards And Recognition

Your dedication to promote safety and optimal outcomes for patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures is evidence of your commitment to perioperative nursing. AORN honors outstanding perioperative nurses through a comprehensive and well-recognized awards program, both for individuals and chapters.  

In 1954, AORN solidified the purpose and intent of the founders to establish an organization dedicated to the assurance of high-quality nursing care for patients undergoing surgery. Although many individuals had been recognized in various ways for contribution to OR nursing and to AORN, there was no specific award to honor an operating room nurse for excellence in perioperative nursing. The AORN Award for Excellence Committee was established by the Board of Directors in 1981, met in 1982, and chose the first recipient. As membership and specialization within perioperative nursing increased, the Award for Excellence Committee felt that many outstanding individuals were not being recognized. They recommended to the AORN Board of Directors in 1990 that two new award categories be implemented for outstanding achievement in leadership and clinical practice. The awards were in no way intended to detract from the comprehensive Award for Excellence in Perioperative Nursing. The Board approved these categories in 1992. Through the years, more perioperative specialty areas have been added for recognition – now totaling 14 individual award categories, plus a new facility award for 2010.

AORN’s network of over 300 chapters serves as the grassroots of the Association and the immediate resource for supporting our members’ perioperative practice. Local chapters play an essential role in bringing AORN’s vision, mission, and core values to hospitals, health care facilities, schools of nursing, and their communities. They assist chapter members to achieve professional and personal growth by offering educational programs; inspire students interested in the perioperative field; promote the value of AORN membership; and seek to increase public awareness of perioperative nursing by involvement in community activities. Through the Chapter Excellence Awards program, AORN has the opportunity to recognize these valuable contributions at the chapter level.

The Awards Committee knows that it is truly an honor and a privilege to accomplish the milestones in the field of perioperative nursing that are required to apply for one of the individual awards or to recognize valuable contributions at the chapter level. All awards submissions will be judged by the Awards Committee. Recipients of both individual and chapter excellence awards are honored annually at Congress.