2020-2021 NBORN executive

Who is NBORN?

The history of an organized Operating Room Nurses group in the Atlantic region started as early as 1963. At that time study groups were organized and by 1965 a group of interested nurses had met periodically to share ideas and concerns related to operating room nursing.

In June of 1974, an organizational meeting for a provincial OR nurses organization was held at the Moncton Hospital. At that time, it was decided that the group would become a sub-committee of the New Brunswick Association of Registered Nurses (NBARN). It was open to any graduate or registered nurse interested in supporting the objectives of the group.

Due to the demographics of the province, the membership was divided into six regions. A regional presiding officer (RPO) would represent each region. At the 1974 meeting, the proposed number of yearly provincial meetings was set at two. One would be held in the spring and one in the fall. The first provincial institute was held in Moncton in November 1974.

NBORN is a member of the national group which is the Operating Room Nurses Association of Canada (ORNAC). This membership entitles NBORN to be represented on the National Board of Directors by two members. Our province has been represented at the national level since ORNAC began in 1965.

NBORN provides a means for OR nurses to come together to share ideas and concerns. The Constitution and By-laws were first presented and approved in 1974 and have been revised several times. Continuing education for perioperative nurses is provided through regional meetings and provincial meetings and conferences. Some major accomplishments have resulted from this interaction. In 1975, a clinical interest group was formed to create standards for surgical counts. Another group, in the same year, was created to study the hazards of anaesthesia gases. Due partly to this groups efforts, all Ors are now equipped with scavenging systems.

Changes in nursing education in the 1970s resulted in students no longer being prepared in OR experience. An NBORN group, in 1976, developed and OR/Recovery Room post-graduate program and recommended its implementation. In 1978, a course was started at the Moncton Hospital. However due to lack of provincial government funding, this was discontinued. This program has been adapted by the
education department at the Moncton Hospital to a self-motivating, modular program. In 1991, it was approved by NANB as a post graduate course and was available to any OR nurse with at least two years experience.