AORN Congress 2026 – Forums

First Forum

AORN President Darlene Murdock, MSN, BBA, RN, CNOR, CSSM, kicked off the 2026 AORN Congress on Saturday by welcoming members to New Orleans and leading the roll call. State reporters delivered their delegate counts to enthusiastic applause, while Murdock highlighted new chapters and international attendance. Members then heard reports from AORN Membership, Government Affairs and the AORN Foundation.

In 2025, AORN membership remained steady above 40,000. Looking ahead, AORN will continue strengthening the perioperative community by supporting multiple paths to practice excellence and engagement—chapters, online communities, specialty assemblies, advocacy groups.

Members can read the full 2025 Government Affairs report here.

The AORN Foundation is celebrating 35 years of empowering perioperative nurses through education, research, and programs that advance patient and workplace safety. The Foundation introduced two new grant programs in 2025 and supported more than 250 nurses with grants and 169 students with scholarship support. On behalf of the Foundation, Stephanie Davis, MSHA, RN, CNOR, CSSM, thanked the members for their individual and chapter donations that make these programs possible.

Next, co-chair of the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Natalie Jones, DHA, MBA, BHSA, BSN, RN, CNOR, presented the new position statement on Artificial Intelligence in Perioperative Nursing, noting that safe and effective use of AI in perioperative practice is a shared, interdisciplinary responsibility.

"AI is here, it is expanding, and it is changing almost every day," Dr. Jones said. "AORN upholds the principles that AI compliments rather than replaces human expertise in perioperative care."

Dr. Jones shared the task force's gratitude for the opportunity to develop this essential position statement. With the House's adoption, this position statement will provide principled guidance for AI adoption – prioritizing patient safety, nursing judgement, and ethical use – while clearly affirming that AI is not and can never be a replacement for the perioperative RN.

From the microphones, a member from Florida shared that her team had "an issue with staff wearing smart glasses in the OR" and asked for a recommendation from the panel.  President Murdock later noted that the AI position statement does address data security and privacy issues which would encompass technologies like AI-enabled wearables. Chair of the RN First Assistant Task force, Karen Knapp, BSN, RN, CNOR, RNFA, then presented updates to the position statement on the RN First Assistant which is used by RNFAs, RNFA educational programs, and state policy makers nationwide. Knapp confirmed the task force had reviewed and is supportive of one amendment that will be brought to the House.

President Murdock closed by inviting members to continue the discussion at Sunday's Second Forum.

Second Forum

AORN's Second Forum drew hundreds of members on Sunday with a report from the Chapter Evolution Workgroup and presentations on three more position statements.

Nakeisha Tolliver, DNP, MBA, RN, NE-BC, CNOR, CSSM, presented the charge to the Chapter Evolution Workgroup to better understand the gap between member needs and the current chapter structure, and to identify engagement models that ensure AORN remains accessible, relevant, and sustainable moving forward. Dr. Tolliver announced the workgroup's recommendation that AORN continue to support local chapters while building an engagement ecosystem where chapters are one of several pathways members can choose.

Regina Hayford, MSN-ADM, MPH, RN, CNOR, presented the Clinical Nursing Practice Committee updates to the position statement on Preventing Wrong-Person, Wrong-Site, Wrong-Procedure Events, highlighting for the delegates that preventing these never events is a shared ethical and professional responsibility of the entire team.

From the microphones, one member asked for AORN to collect real data on the issues, while another urged the association "to engage its 40,000 members to make wrong-site surgeries something they own."

Other suggestions included exploring how AI has contributed to wrong-site surgeries, analyzing if nurses move too fast, and collaborating with the American College of Surgeons.

Next, Danielle Quintana, PhD, MSN-Ed, RN, CNOR(E), presented the National Committee on Education updates to the position statement on the Role, Value and Scope of the Perioperative Nursing Professional Development Practitioner and Specialist, showcasing the nomenclature alignment recognizing Nursing Professional Development. This position statement affirms the crucial role of the perioperative NPD in workforce readiness, professional growth, and safe patient care, clearly articulating the rationale for why appropriate resource allocation for this role and function is essential to advancing perioperative practice and sustaining patient safety.

From the floor, a few members expressed concern about the change in nomenclature and the potential for a misunderstanding of the qualifications for the role based on use of the word Practitioner.

Dr. Quintana then presented the National Committee Education updates to the position statement on the Value of Clinical Learning Activities in the Perioperative Setting in Undergraduate Nursing Curricula, which support the perioperative RN pipeline and reinforces perioperative nursing as a vital and intentional career pathway.

President Murdock then invited members to the microphones for discussion. This year's discussion encompassed such critical issues as chapter officer training and chapter support.

One chapter officer urged AORN to develop a two-day chapter officer leadership conference focusing on areas such as event planning, governance, finance, marketing and member engagement. "I recommend surveying the chapter officers to identify the areas where they need help the most," she said.

Other topics raised included bringing nursing students in the OR, stressing the importance of a periop curriculum in nursing school, engaging nurses in the workplace, and embracing the term "periop."

"It's time to encourage the universities to put OR nursing in the curriculum where nurses actually spend time in the OR," said one speaker. "And hospitals need to embrace those nurses." Another member encouraged perioperative leaders in hospitals to connect with clinical faculty of their local schools to arrange placement and observation opportunities for nursing students.

President Murdock closed by reminding attendees to vote for their elected leaders and be prepared to vote on the position statements at the House of Delegates on Monday.