Congress week was filled with many opportunities to increase our knowledge on many topics. As a delegate, the chance to take part in the voting process associated with our Recommended Practices and officer elections was incredible. The most discussed issue was the reconfiguration of the nominating committee. The requested introduction of two additional appointed members was a hot topic. The final vote defeated the change in the composition of the committee. The Recommended Practices up for a vote were all approved. The forums are always a great place to learn about the delegate process and become involved in what our national organization can grow into. Another topic discussed at the forum was the future increase in the national dues. The breakdown of the financial status of AORN showed that the cost of providing services to each member is approximately thirty five dollars less than we are currently being charged. The final decisions on the rate increase and date of this increase have not been determined yet. Now would be a great time to sign up for the three year renewal deal!

The educational sessions were varied. As a new manager, I took this opportunity to focus on team building and conflict resolution. Both of these topics can be used by all of us in our daily practice. One of the best sessions was given by Col. Keith E. Essen about bullying in the workplace. This behavior occurs in all areas of our workplace. This behavior includes abuse in a lateral aspect from nurse to nurse. The primary message was that the management team needs to address the issues and not ignore them. There were a lot of different options available for the manager to address this behavior. I learned a lot this week about my ability to impact the morale and ability of our team to provide safe patient care. There are many studies that show how much bullying and conflict among co-workers affects patient care. Col. Essen gave us a website that might be interesting for everyone to check out (bullyinginstitute.org). The Joint Commission is addressing bullying as a sentinel event.

There are a few quotations I will take with me back to my job. I am not sure of who the authors are, but they are inspirational:

• “Leaders don’t tell people what path to take; they invite them on a journey.”
• ”Change the viewing and you change the doing.”
• “If you don’t like change, you are going to like irrelevance even less.”
• “Once you humiliate someone in public, you lose them forever.”

• “Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching.”