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The Key to Safety: Lifelong Learning

A perioperative nurses, we know that the demands of our profession include being lifelong learners. We are required to attend inservice sessions and classes at work that are necessary for our job. Many of us go above and beyond what is required and attend our local AORN Chapter meetings, listen to the free AORN webinars, and attend the AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo. I will never forget my first “AORN Congress” in 1988 in Dallas, Texas. I was the OR educator at a large hospital and had earned the privilege of attending as a delegate from my local chapter. This was such an honor, but I had no idea what I was about to see. There were literally thousands of nurses in that convention center—the sheer magnitude of the event was mindblowing. The opening ceremony had so much pageantry; it made me so proud to be a perioperative nurse. Sitting with my state in the House of Delegates made me so excited to be part of this Association and represent the nurses back home. The exhibit hall was so big that I thought I would never be able to find my way around. Other experienced nurses helped me and soon I found myself involved in learning about products and procedures in a way I had never experienced before. Products showcased on the Exhibit Floor allowed for handson training, and it was amazing to see all the new products in one place. I will never forget my first conference, and I am sure most of my fellow nurses feel the same way.