DENVER, Colo-Sheila L. Allen, RN, BSN, CNOR, CRNFA, became the national president of Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) at the association's  48th annual congress in Dallas last month.

Allen, who is currently a staff nurse at Baton Rouge General Medical Center, will serve a one-year term. She has been a perioperative nurse and a member of AORN for more than 31 years. 

Donna S. Watson, RN, MSN, CNOR, ARNP, FNP-C, was elected president-elect of AORN at the conference as well. Watson is a nurse practitioner in the Women's Wellness Center at Bremerton Naval Hospital in Bremerton, Washington. Watson will serve as president-elect for one year, then assume the presidency the following year. 

She has been a nurse for 20 years and a member of AORN for 16 years.

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Operating Room

 operating room page provides news articles and videos on the intersection between surgery and infection prevention. The operating room is a prime breeding ground for harmful pathogens to spread, resulting in surgical site infections. The role of the infection preventionist, together with the perioperative nursing staff, is to craft policies and processes to cut down on these infections and ensure patient safety during surgical procedures. 

Leadership at AORN Changes