Congress 2010 in Denver was marked with some very specific discussion in the business meetings, and what I found is that these discussions will have a long-term impact not only on elections, but how we look at membership. There were some heated discussions about the annual dues amounts that we charge for membership, discussions about voting, who could vote, and how we were going to set the leadership of the organization each year, based on feedback and also the laws around our incorporation, but there was one theme that I continued to hear, and that is the basis of my discussion.
One of the things we continue to hear, and I have heard at Congress starting in New Orleans is the generational issues around members. In New Orleans the focus was next-generation events, now we talk of the generations. The fate of our membership as the boomers start to retire, generation X, generation Y and now generation Z. One area that ended up being a point that people would bring up, as a discussion was if we raised dues could our next generation afford to join, would they join, and what special deals we need to offer to bring them into the organization. This discussion I continue to hear over and over the past few years, and near the end of the last House of Delegates someone spoke up about this, he was like me a generation X member of AORN. This speaker made it clear that we don’t need a special deal on membership, or special deal on Congress, but that we like anyone else are looking for ways we can contribute to the profession and our professional growth. I have been lucky during my career in the operating room that I had people bring me into AORN, I have served in a leadership role at my local chapter and been able to work with some of our national leaders. Please when you hear all of the talk of the special things you have to do to bring in the next generation, one thing I can tell you, as a generation X member is we are not looking for a special deal.
I did attend one presentation about social media and how we can use it, but it also had a long discussion about generational differences and how it relates to learning, management recognition, and technology use. These are all valid issues that we are finding in the operating room today, there is a lot of talk that one generation works harder than the other, but we have not always taken the time to learn how that generation thinks and works. This talk helped me to further think about the generational discussions in the forums and House of Delegates.
If there are a few takeaway points from Congress for me this year along with the education and poster sessions is the discussions around membership, leadership of the organization and the generational discussions. I think we made progress with the voting, giving people who have an interest the ability to pick our leadership, and those that come to the meetings the ability to speak and vote on organizational choices. I think we need to step away from discussion of things like dues at the business meeting; we have elected leaders who we should trust to make these decisions based on our needs. As to the generational issues, if you have a younger, Gen X, Y or Z rather than just bringing them to meetings, or offering the ability to attend congress show them how AORN touches everything we do on a day to day basis in surgery, get them involved in rapid improvement projects based on current data. Those are the things that I think those groups are looking for, not a special deal and after those things happen you will find a new group wanting to join, and lead.
I enjoyed Congress and attending the e-chapter events and working the booth, and I want to thank the leadership at e-chapter as they allowed me to attend as a delegate, which allows me to speak from the floor and make sure my voice is heard by the leadership and membership of AORN. Again thank you and I am looking forward to Philadelphia in 2011.
Oliver Gross