Mission Statement

AORN (the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses) is the professional organization of perioperative registered nurses whose mission is to promote quality patient care by providing its members with education, standards, services, and representation.

AORN Vision Statement

AORN is the premier association essential to the professional practice of perioperative nursing that exerts global influence to advance and protect quality perioperative services.

Philosophy

AORN is a voluntary organization of professional registered nurses concerned with perioperative patient care.

The Association believes nursing is a social institution that provides essential and significant health care services to meet evolving societal needs.  The perioperative nurse uses knowledge, judgment, and skills based on the principles of physical, biological, physiological, behavioral, social and nursing science.

The Association believes that nurses must be ethical, responsible and accountable for quality patient care.  The nurse engaged in perioperative nursing practice provides or facilitates care to surgical or other perioperative patients.  The Association believes that research should be the foundation for perioperative nursing practice.

The Association believes that learning is a lifelong process and that perioperative nurses must assume responsibility for their ongoing education.  The Association is committed to enabling perioperative nurses to meet that responsibility.

The Association believes that standards of nursing practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, and appropriate resource utilization enhance perioperative nursing practice.

The Association believes its activities should be structured to anticipate and meet society's perioperative health care needs.

Excerpt from 1998 AORN Board Manual