AORN 2010 Blog

5:45am

Before the program starts, nurses browse Medline's Breast Cancer Awareness Wall, a timeline of Medline's involvement with the campaign and the past four breakfasts. The Pink Glove Dance plays on a continuous loop for anyone who hasn't had a chance to see the YouTube phenomenom.

5:50am

More than 1,200 nurses quickly fill the room. It looks packed, but, luckily there are a several open seats scattered throughout the room so we let in the people on the waiting list.

6:00am

Sue MacInnes, Medline's Chief Marketing Officer, welcomes everyone to the 5th annual breakfast. Medline started the event in 2005 to raise breast cancer awareness among nurses, as the average age of a nurse is 46.8 and it is recommended that women in their 40s get a mammogram every 1-2 years.

6:15am

Peggy Fleming takes the stage with roaring applause. Cameras are flashing from every corner of the room! Everyone wants to memorialize this up close and personal moment with a sports legend.

6:20am

Peggy, a 12-year cancer survivor, tells the audience that she was able to stay strong during the course of her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment thanks to her family, friends and the supportive doctors and nurses who had such a positive attitude. They really kept her spirits up.

6:40am

Peggy tells the audience that building her confidence took years of training as an athlete and skating helped give her the strength to survive breast cancer. She said it was her mother's strength holding the family together after her father passed away that helped her "learn not to crumble." She recalls going out on the ice for her free skate at the '68 Olympics and feeling the weight of the world. But she had the right attitude and believed in herself to make it through and win the gold. "We learn how to survive from all of our experiences in life, no matter how big or small."

6:50am

Medline President Andy Mills presents a check for $117,000 to National Breast Cancer Foundation President Janelle Hail. Medline donates $100,000 annually to the NBCF and, this year, Medline donated an additional $17,000, the proceeds from Generation Pink exam glove sales.

7:05am

Exam Glove Product Manager Emily Somers tells the "Making of the Pink Glove Dance Video" story and recognizes some of the stars of the video from Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. The medical center's CNO told the crowd that filming the pink glove dance really got people talking about breast cancer, at her facility and beyond. She said it really helped connect all of her nurses, too.

7:15am

The breakfast comes to a close on a great beat. The Pink Glove Dance video is playing and hundreds of nurses stay to watch the YouTube hit. Some are even dancing in the aisles. The feeling in the room is amazing -- such incredible spirit!

6:00pm

For the first time, AORN held an evening exhibit time for attendees. The exhibit floor opened and a throng of OR nurses and managers descended upon Medline’s booth.

Attendees must visit three of the eight stations contained in Medline’s exhibit space, featuring the latest in products and services Medline is bringing to the OR.

6:30pm

Nurses are lining up to hear about The SmartSponge® System – a simple and effective solution for preventing retained sponges in surgery. The sponges contain RFID tags about the size of a Tic Tac®. The sponges are scanned in before the beginning of the surgery and then after surgery placed in the “out” scanner bucket where they are counted automatically. The “in” and “out” counts are displayed on a screen. If they do not match, The SmartWand-DTX is scanned over the body before the patient wound is closed to locate the outlier sponge.

7:00pm

Nurses try out Sterillium Rub, an alcohol-based perioperative surgical hand preparation. Both CDC and AORN guidelines allow alcohol-based hand rubs as an alternative to traditional brush/sponge scrubs with medication soaps and the WHO says the antimicrobial efficacy of alcohol-based formulations is superior to that of other current perioperative surgical hand preparation. Nurses seem to love that Sterillium Rub far exceeds all FDA tests and key use criteria and has a high, immediate kill rate. It’s also non-irritating and moisturizes the skin.

Once nurse commented: “This blue stuff feels great and it rubs into my hands so quickly. I also like that it is compatible with CHG and my latex and non-latex gloves.”

7:30pm

After trying Sterillium Rub, nurses then don Medline’s latex-free Sensicare® surgical gloves with Aloe. Many nurses are saying that the glove feels like latex and is extremely comfortable. And it is because the glove is made with Isolex Polyisoprene, a material softer and more elastic than latex.

8:15pm

The evening session closes with the anticipation that the next morning will be even more busy with perioperative nurses looking for solutions to their OR challenges.