2026 Guidelines Update

Protect your career, your facility, and your patients. Pre-order by Dec. 31 to lock in the 2025 price.

Pre-Order Guidelines

Recharge. Learn. Thrive.

Join peers, refresh your skills, and reignite your passion for patient care at AORN Expo 2026.

Learn More and Register for Expo

Become an ASC IP Expert

Register for an infection prevention course by 11/15 & get a free IP competency verification tool.

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Perioperative Nurses Week - Light the Path. November 9-15, 2025.

Periop Nurses Week is a celebration of every perioperative nurse and the vital role you play in making surgery safe. This week is about recognizing the diverse voices, experiences, and contributions that strengthen our profession.

News & Updates
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Train. Guide. Empower.

Discover 3 essential resources for smarter onboarding, stronger compliance, & retention that lasts. View Facility Solutions.

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Robotic Surgery Webinar

Members: Boost safety & teamwork in robotic surgery. Join our 30-min webinar & earn 0.5 CH. Earn Contact Hours.

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Nursing Research Symposium

Register now! Come see your peers present their research and learn more about how you can help advance the field.

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Delaware Goes Smoke Free

Delaware is the 20th state to mandate surgical smoke evacuation. New law takes effect April 1, 2026. Read the story.

Using evidence-based guidelines, AORN defines the standards that help keep healthcare workers and surgical patients safe – while also providing education and resources to support high-quality care.

New to AORN? Try AORN Membership for Just $1

Get 2 months of full access to the most trusted guideline implementation tools, CNE, and 24/7 support from a perioperative community that’s got your back. No risk. Cancel anytime.

Start Your Trial Today

Spotlight on Education

36.4 CH, 36.4 AEU, 9.7 IPCH

Designed for new and returning labor and delivery nurses who participate in Cesarean section procedures, this hybrid course provides the necessary clinical foundation for safe surgical practice.

This online facility subscription provides access to the most current AORN Guidelines for Perioperative Practice and comes with a complete set of implementation tools and resources to empower your team to apply standardized techniques facility-wide.
39.8 CH, 39.8 AEU, 10.8 IPCH

Periop 101 OR is an online course that prepares novice nurses for the operating room. This OR nurse training is part of the full Periop 101 Program.
18.5 CH, 18.5 AEU

This comprehensive ASC administrator course helps new ambulatory surgery leaders to hit the ground running. It helps administrators pinpoint and prioritize the most crucial duties in their first year and provides supporting education to help you tackle these responsibilities like an experienced administrator.

This course provides an overview of the anatomical and physiological differences between children and adults and reviews the developmental stages that establish the basis for safe care. Learners will be able to use knowledge from this course to formulate an age-appropriate plan of care throughout the perioperative process.


3.5 CH, 3.5 AEU, 2.5 IPCH

This interactive course is the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leader's go-to resource for navigating the annual ASC Quality Reporting submission, which is vital to the success of your surgery center.

AORN Governance

A 12-member Board of Directors, chosen from and elected by the membership, are responsible for the strategic vision and financial sustainability of AORN.

Members are also elected to the National Nominating Committee, which approves candidates for the ballot.

Learn more about voting and how to get involved.

Small perioperative teams in rural settings are proving that lean staffing doesn’t limit success. With flexible roles, clear communication, shared ownership, and smart resource use, rural OR nurses are finding new ways to grow case volume, strengthen safety, and deliver high-quality surgical care.

The updated 2026 AORN Guideline for Instrument Cleaning introduces several new and updated recommendations, including enhanced PPE, borescope inspections, cooling devices for decontamination staff, cleaning verification, perfusion technology for lumened instruments, and protocols for delayed processing. Find key takeaways that strengthen safety and standardization in the perioperative settings.

Become a Vendor Partner

We’re stronger together. Medical device companies, healthcare recruiters, and other vendors partner with AORN through diverse, impactful sponsorship and advertising opportunities.

  • Exhibit, sponsor, and reach highly engaged perioperative nurses and leaders at the largest surgical conference in the world.
  • Implement multi-channel advertising to connect with your target perioperative audience.
  • Show your support for the nursing profession with sponsored educational events and guideline resources.
  • Conduct market research surveys and focus groups to inform your medical device development and product enhancements.

AORN Distinguished Awards and Recognition

AORN is honored to receive a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) award from the Denver Business Journal.

We have been recognized as a “Top Workplace” by The Denver Post, and our employee engagement scores are consistently in the highest category.

Denver Business Journal - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion AwardsEmployee Appreciation Award Logo