Our mission is to promote safety and optimal outcomes for patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures by providing practice support and professional development opportunities to perioperative nurses. AORN will collaborate with professional and regulatory organizations, industry leaders, and other health care partners who support the mission.

We represent the interests of more than 160,000 perioperative nurses by providing nursing education, standards, and clinical practice resources – including the peer-reviewed, monthly publication AORN Journal – to enable optimal outcomes for patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures. Our 41,000 registered nurse members manage, teach, and practice perioperative nursing, are enrolled in nursing education, or are engaged in perioperative research. We define and advance best nursing practices for surgical patients by researching and distributing scientifically based guidelines.