Time Out: Honoring a Daily Practice on National Time Out Day on June 10, 2026

What Is National Time Out Day?

National Time Out Day, held each year on the second Wednesday in June, is a vital initiative led by AORN to highlight the importance of taking a surgical "time out" before every procedure. Created in 2004, this national observance empowers perioperative nurses to lead a moment of pause to verify the right patient, right procedure, and right site—ensuring safe surgery through clear communication and teamwork.

The Time Out is often the final safety check before incision. It gives every member of the surgical team the opportunity to speak up, review key details, and voice concerns. This critical pause—usually lasting around two minutes—is time well spent to prevent never events like wrong-site surgery.

Safety Spotlight

The Joint Commission’s National Performance Goal #1, “Right Patient, Right Care,” reinforces the importance of accurate patient identification and ensuring the correct care is delivered to the correct patient every time—principles that are central to the surgical time out process and National Time Out Day.

The principles of National Time Out Day align closely with this framework, which includes preprocedural verification, site marking, and performing a time-out before procedures as part of its standards for patient safety. Learn more about The Joint Commission’s ‘Right Patient, Right Care’ National Performance Goal.

• Top 3 Reasons the Surgical Time Out Matters

Speak Up, Reach Out for Safe Surgery Together

Legislators are not often familiar with what happens in an operating room. The Time Out Day observance highlights your role in patient care and commitment to patient safety as the perioperative nurse caring for your patients. AORN encourages perioperative nurses to write to your legislators about the importance of taking a time out for every patient every time. 

Want to go a step further?

Send a letter to the editor of your local paper! AORN encourages perioperative nurses to write letters to their local papers to educate readers about the importance of taking a time out for every patient every time.