Editor’s Page: Bright Lights, New Cities ...

Seeing a concert at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville is a spiritual experience.

Makes sense considering the building literally used to be a church before serving as the original home of the Grand Ole Opry. The first show I saw there was Gary Clark Jr. — a guitar god with the ability to effortlessly jump between genres and blend seemingly cacophonous styles into a harmonious and wholly original sound.

I was in Nashville for AORN’s Global Surgical Conference & Expo. With the house lights still on, I scanned the Ryman for familiar faces and spotted a lot of folks from the convention hall where I’d spent the day breaking personal records on my Fitbit. I remember thinking I recognized some staff from my own company right when they cut the lights and Mr. Clark Jr.’s urgent, unmistakable intro to “Bright Lights” rushed in and drowned out any coherent thoughts other than, “Damn, this guy is good...”

That was in 2019. At the time, AORN had recently purchased this magazine, and we were in that this-is-great-but-what-happens-next phase of the relationship. Seeing the Outpatient Surgery Magazine and AORN staff interact back then was like watching boys and girls mingle at their first elementary school dance — each tribe strategically positioned as far away from the other group as possible, wanting to make contact but unsure of how to proceed.

Fast-forward six years and I’m preparing to head to my fifth AORN Expo. In addition to Nashville, this conference has brought me to New Orleans (twice), San Antonio (an underrated conference destination) and, in a few short weeks, Boston.

The first item on my conference to-do list was to put out the issue you’re reading right now, our annual AORN Expo issue. If you’re attending, you’ll receive a copy of the March issue in your welcome bag. As you read through, you’ll notice a variety of information focused on AORN and its annual conference. There’s a product showcase, information on AORN’s brand-new ERAS Guideline and multiple mentions of updated guidelines throughout. This month’s web exclusive by Jeanine Watson, our in-house ASC expert, is all about Expo’s ASC Hub and 2024 OR Excellence Awards ceremony, which Ms. Watson and I will host. (Submit your facility for the 2025 OR Excellence Awards here.) This month’s Staffing column centers around an Expo presentation on legacy nurses.

It’s safe to say our relationship with our parent company has evolved from the middle-school dance days, and we couldn’t be happier.

Fun little postscript to my Ryman story: After the show, I was at a bar on Broadway surrounded by a pack of new friends and colleagues, most of whom still wore their conference badges. Shop talk dominated all conversations around me and I desperately needed a break so I snuck out into a back alley, and who did I see? The drummer and keyboard player from Gary Clark Jr.’s band (see photo). What happened next is a story for another column... OSM