Policies
MidEastern Pennsylvania Chapter of AORN

The policies of the MidEastern Pennsylvania Chapter of AORN are outlined as follows. They may be amended by the Board of Directors to continue the business of the chapter without interruption.

1. Chapter Meeting
   1. Chapter meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month except in July and August.
   2. Frequency of Board meetings shall be determined by the Board of Directors during the summer board meeting.
   3. Organizational Board meeting shall be held in August.
   4. The educational session will begin at 7:00 PM.
   5. The chapter business meeting will follow the educational session.
   
   
2. Dues
   1. Annual membership dues in this Chapter are determined by the National Board of Directors, and are subject to ratification by the Congress Delegates.
   2. Dues shall be paid according to established policy.
   3. Delinquency: Any member, whose dues are not received by the last working day of the member’s renewal month, is automatically terminated as a member, and all privileges of the Chapter are withdrawn.
   4. Chapter membership dues shall be waived for all professional nursing students (see definition of “student” in chapter Bylaws section Article III Section 3D).
   
   
3. Duties
   Section 1:     Standing Committees
   1. Bylaws and Policies
      1. Reviews Bylaws and Policies annually.
      2. Submits recommendations to the Board of Directors for amendments.
      3. Submits all adopted amendments to the National Bylaws Committee for approval.
      4. Submits final copy, for posting on chapter website.
   2. Education
      1. Reports to the membership any and all upcoming perioperative educational activities.
      2. Plans seminars and workshops sponsored by the chapter.
      3. Distributes and collects forms, verifies eligibility of candidates and awards scholarships at June and December meetings.
   3. Historian
      1. Collects historical data and maintains a journal pertinent to the chapter.
   4. Legislative
      1. Reviews legislative issues and reports pertinent information to chapter.
   5. Membership
      1. Promotes the growth and development of the membership of the Association.
      2. Keeps records of attendance at all general meetings.
   6. Website
      1. Constructs and maintains “MidEastern Circulator Online” at http://aornmideastpa.org, the website for this chapter.
         1. Maintains registration of the chapter’s domain name.
         2. Maintains the agreement for yearly web hosting.
      2. Website to include:
         1. Homepage
         2. President’s Message
         3. Program calendar with printable document for educational offerings
         4. Listing of Board of Directors
         5. Committees
         6. Monthly minutes and treasurer’s report
         7. Forms for:
            1. delegate application
            2. willingness to serve form
            3. member scholarship application
         8. Legislative updates
         9. Link to AORN National
         10. Any other information deemed pertinent by the board or membership.
   7. Programs
      1. Plans and presents programs of varied scope to hold the interest of and meet needs of the membership.
      2. Makes arrangements for the necessary facilities to present the programs.
      3. Is responsible for completing application for contact hours for each program.
      4. Plans the September program for the next year.
      5. Provides necessary information for publication on website.
   8. Ways and Means
      1. Prepares annual budget for presentation and approval to the Board of Directors during summer board meeting.
      2. Obtains additional funds for the chapter.
      3. Should include at least one (1) member from each representing hospital in chapter.
      4. Obtains permits as required by municipal offices for Bingo or Games of Chance.
      5. Submits pertinent information for publication on website.
   
   Section 2:     Officers
   1. Vice President: responsible for arranging December and June dinner meetings.
   2. President-elect: chairs the Programs committee.
   3. Treasurer: chairs the Ways and Means committee.
   
   
4. Special Committees
   Special committees may be appointed by the President with the approval of the Board of Directors and cease to exist when the purpose for which the committee was created has been completed. Each committee ideally consists of a chair and at least two (2) members. A majority of the members present constitutes a quorum.
   
   
5. Delegate Selection
   1. Policy for election of delegates to AORN congress: A member must meet all four (4) criteria in order to have their name placed on the ballot.
      1. Active membership status.
      2. Local chapter membership for one (1) year preceding annual Congress.
      3. Attendance at five (5) of the eight business meetings the previous year or 70% based on months September to June. The dinner meetings in December or June do not count for this attendance criteria.
         1. A separate sign in sheet will be used for the business meeting.
      4. Active participation within local chapter which is defined in Section E (Outline of Points…)
      5. The chapter President will automatically represent the chapter as a delegate each year.
   2. Awarded points system extends from July 1 to June 30 of previous year.
   3. Points will be awarded in accordance with established criteria approved by membership. Objectives of the point system:
      1. To foster interest in attending chapter meetings.
      2. To encourage members to work toward the advancement of the organization.
      3. To promote member interest in the chapter by their participation in AORN activities.
   4. Recording of points:
      1. Record of participation in chapter-related events will be kept during the course of the year by each individual member seeking to have their name placed on the ballot.
      2. The minimum number of points needed to define active participation in local chapter is twelve (12).
      3. A written record of chapter participation will be submitted to the Nominating Committee by the interested individual.
      4. Applications should be submitted to the Nominating Committee by the October business meeting. No application received after this time will be considered. (Applications are available from Nominating Committee or on the chapter website, aornmideastpa.org)
      5. The list of potential candidates will be presented to the membership at the Octer business meeting. Selection will take place at the November business meeting.
   5. Outline of points awarded for activities:
      
      

      Officers in Local Chapter        	         Points
      President					    6
      Vice President					    4
      President-elect					    4
      Treasurer					    5
      Secretary					    5
      Board Member					    3
      
      
      Committees
      Membership					    3
      Program						    3
      Ways and Means					    3
      Newsletter/Website				    3
      Bylaws and Policies				    2
      Legislative					    2
      Historian					    2
      Education					    2
      
      
      Special Committees
      Nominating					    2
      Workshop/Seminar			Chair	    4
      Workshop/Seminar		        Member	    2
      
      
      Other Considerations
      Chapter meeting attendance			    1/meeting
      CNOR						    1
      Participation in fundraising activities		    1
      Consent to run for office			    1
      Recruit new member				    1/member
      PCORN meeting attendance			    1/meeting
      Chapter workshop attendance			    1/1-day seminar
      Speaker at AORN function or related event	    2
      Congress attendance				    5
      Workshop/Seminar OR related			    1/1-day session
      PCORN Committee participation			    3
      PCORN officer					    4
      National AORN officer				    4
      National AORN committee member		            3
      Participation in service project		    1/session
      

      
      
   6. Voting Process
      1. Voting will take place at the November business meeting. Delegates and alternates are selected after meeting criteria.
      2. If more than one (1) alternate delegate position is filled, the entire ballot will be recorded by the Secretary in the event that an elected delegate is unable to attend.
      3. In the event that an elected delegate is unable to attend, the Board of Directors will review the ballot as recorded by the Secretary and select the next eligible candidate to fill the vacant position as delegate.
   7. Alternate Delegates
      1. Alternate delegates will be selected based on allotted quota.
      2. The first chapter alternate delegate would be the individual who is on the ballot that would fall next in line on the point system.
   8. Expenses
      1. A stipend will be presented to the delegates and alternate by the chapter. The amount will be equal for each individual.
      2. The amount will be set by the Board of Directors, to be reviewed annually during the summer board meeting.
      3. The set amount and number of individuals to be compensated must be documented in the minutes of the summer board meeting.
   
   
6. Delegate Chairperson The President will attend Congress as a delegate each year and serve as chairperson of the delegates.
   
   
7. Delegate Expectations
   1. In addition to the requirements expected by National AORN, chapter delegates will attend the Congress session of the Pennsylvania Council of periOperative Registered Nurses (PCORN).
   2. It is expected that any member attending Congress as a delegate or alternate will participate actively on a chapter committee during the next chapter year (not necessarily as committee chair), and participate in a service project or fundraiser.
   3. Each selected delegate shall serve for a term commencing at the beginning of the first annual Congress that follows the election of the delegates and ending immediately prior to the beginning of the next Congress
   
   
8. Absentee Ballots
   1. May be obtained by members in good standing by formal request of a member of the Nominating Committee. This requires a member to have attended three chapter business meetings in the past year. Nominating Committee will contact the Membership Committee chair to verify meeting attendance.
   2. One copy of the ballot will be mailed to the member with a return address envelope. The ballot must be returned in this envelope to ensure confidentiality. Any ballot returned in any other manner will be considered invalid.
   3. Absentee ballots will be available when the “Slate of Officers Candidates” and “Slate of Delegate Candidates” is presented.
   4. Returns must be received by Nominating Committee prior to meeting during which the voting will be held.
   5. In the event of a tie, if the absentee ballots are in favor of the remaining candidates, these votes will be accepted. If an absentee ballot favors a candidate who is no longer being considered for office, that ballot will not be considered in the vote.
   
   
9. Leadership Meeting
   The President-elect will attend the National Leadership Meeting held yearly, to participate in sessions offered for incoming Presidents. This will be supported by the chapter. The amount of funding will be set by the Board of Directors.