AORN Partners with Military Educators to Create Evidence-Based Webinars

AORN has partnered with the Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School of Nursing (GSN) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), and military nurse educators stationed overseas to create evidence-based webinars for members. Developed by military perioperative Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) trainees and faculty, the webinars translate real-world military and clinical experience into practical perioperative learning.

Together, these programs connect military academic and clinical educators with AORN’s continuing education platform, producing learning that blends military readiness, leadership, and perioperative best practice.

“This partnership exemplifies how collaboration strengthens our entire perioperative community,” said Dr. Colleen Becker, AORN senior director of perioperative education. “By sharing military nurses’ unique experiences, we’re expanding how members learn, adapt, and apply evidence-based practice in every environment.”

Building Confidence and Global Perspective

For GSN and BAMC, the collaboration builds confidence among emerging perioperative leaders.

According to Lt. Col. (Ret.) David Bradley, DNP, AGCNS-BC, CNOR, FCNS, Deputy Director of the Army’s Perioperative Program at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), the experience pushes trainees to recognize that their expertise doesn’t stop at the walls of their own ORs or hospitals. Through this partnership, they learn how to take an important clinical topic, elevate it for a broader audience, and share it globally. The process empowers them to view themselves as educators and innovators, not just practitioners.

A Shared Commitment to Safe, Ready Surgical Teams

The GSN and AORN have collaborated on webinars as part of the CNS curriculum since 2017. This partnership was formally written into the curriculum by Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jeffrey J. Oliver, MSN, CCNS, CNOR and COL (Ret.) Dr. Linda Wanzer, DNP, RN, CNOR, FAAN.

Since 2020, GSN faculty, including Dr. Laura Taylor, LTC Kenneth Romito, DNP, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CNE, CNOR, CSSM, FAORN, FCNS, and Director of Clinical Education, Lt. Col. Christy V. Mitchell, DNP, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CNOR, RNC-OB, have partnered with AORN’s Education team to mentor military graduate trainees in creating continuing education content for the broader perioperative community.

The initiative builds on a long tradition of military nurses applying AORN Guidelines to ensure surgical safety and operational readiness in both hospital and deployed settings.

According to Dr. Taylor, the program helps trainees take evidence-based recommendations and turn them into action. By understanding the “why” behind each guideline, they learn how to adapt best practices across a range of clinical environments—from academic ORs to field settings.

Leadership in Action

Majors Bethany Atwood and Kenneth Bellus, stationed overseas, are extending the collaboration through leadership-focused education. With a shared passion for developing perioperative leaders, they are designing learning that helps nurses, from novice to experienced roles, use data more effectively to improve patient care.

Atwood and Bellus are collaborating with AORN’s Department of Education and Center for Perioperative Leadership to build and share these resources, expanding the project’s global reach.

Knowledge Born from Experience

The webinars cover practical topics relevant to both military and civilian perioperative teams, including malignant hyperthermia management, culturally congruent care for Muslim patients, sterile storage practices, and borescope use in sterile processing. Each is grounded in evidence and aligned with AORN’s Guidelines for Perioperative Practice.

Bradley has described the collaboration with AORN faculty as highly rewarding, noting that trainees see firsthand how professional partnerships can elevate nursing education. Working alongside AORN educators gives them a model for collaboration, professionalism, and subject-matter expertise that inspires them to continue learning and contributing.

According to Dr. Taylor, the initiative gives trainees an early opportunity to build their professional networks and strengthen their leadership identity. By learning to reach out, connect, and share knowledge, trainees expand both their professional sphere of influence and their long-term impact on perioperative practice.

Expanding Access, Building Connection

Each military-developed webinar is available exclusively to AORN members, adding to the Association’s growing library of continuing education designed to keep perioperative professionals current and confident in their practice.

“Partnerships like this remind us that nursing excellence transcends settings,” Becker said. “When we share knowledge, we strengthen every OR team, military or civilian.”