The AORN Audiovisual Committee. Thirty-three years of perioperative nursing education

The productions of the AORN Audiovisual Committee are best measured by their popularity. Enthusiastic audiences at Congress premieres and demands for bookings by chapters and individual instructors represent thousands of viewers for each film. A complete list of all films produced by the Committee is available in the archives, located in the AORN library at Headquarters. Readers may obtain a complete list of all perioperative nursing film topics produced by this program in the past 33 years from the author. The out-of-pocket costs for producing these films and videotapes during the past 33 years exceeds $33 million. Of even greater significance is the great number of hours devoted by the Committee members. Serving on the Audiovisual Committee is similar to taking an advanced college course. Selected for their specialized knowledge, members need to learn and apply the techniques of the cinema. Far more than just showing a surgical procedure, teaching films require the staging of the ideal method while explaining its superiority over the method it replaces. Films must be forceful enough to overcome the common attitude, "This is the way we've always done it." In the course of writing the scripts, which are critiqued by the Committee, authors must research the subjects and review the state of the art. They are challenged to improve on the past and remain current on changing techniques. Service on the Audiovisual Committee prepares members for further involvement in AORN activities. Twenty members of the Committee have been elected to the Board of Directors, and seven of those have served as AORN Presidents.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)