by
Sean Ruck, Contributing Editor | March 13, 2012
AORN president
Anne Marie Herlehy
From the March 2012 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Representing more than one quarter of all the perioperative nurses in the country, AORN steers nursing practices for the better. On the eve of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses’ annual show and conference, current association president Anne Marie Herlehy took some time to speak with DOTmed News about the association’s goals, the evolving roles of perioperative nurses and a little bit about how she came to be the president of the prestigious group.
DMBN: So your term as president of AORN is drawing to a close, but getting appointed had to be a long journey. How did you get interested in health care as a career?
Herlehy: In part, it stemmed from having ill family members that we took care of. So I always wanted to be a nurse, I was just unsure of the specialty. In nursing school, I did clinical rotations and the team oriented nature of the OR drew me. During my time working there, I had a nurse supervisor, Joan Uebele, who became my mentor. She encouraged me to work toward my masters’ and doctorate and also introduced me to AORN. It was intriguing to see fellow nurses gather and share information about the things that were impacting their careers.
DMBN: How long have you been in health care and has there been an achievement that stands out?
Herlehy: I graduated nursing school and went directly into the operating room in 1993, close to 20 years. While I was in nursing school, someone asked me what my career goals were. I said I wanted to be able to influence the practice of every perioperative nurse in the U.S. So, my greatest achievement has been the realization of that goal when I became the president of AORN.
DMBN: And during your time as president, what initiatives have you championed?
Herlehy: The association as a whole has come up with initiatives, rather than the individual. So we’ve pushed technology including making access easier for our members. Another standout is our recommended practices. We’ve created links and ranked the practices, qualifying and quantifying our work making it appropriate for nurses to use. It’s offered in Word and pdf. formats, giving nurses the ability to edit the lists to suit their needs. Our immediate past president, Charlotte Guglielemi, was a real driver on that tool.
DMBN: What achievements are you most proud of from your time as president?
Herlehy: I would have to say moving along the recommended practices, moving the perioperative practice to be very safe.
DMBN: Revisiting an earlier response you offered, how can and does AORN help to shape the country’s health care?
