Georgia Council of Perioperative Registered Nurses Bylaws


Approved October 22, 2022

Georgia Council of Perioperative Registered Nurses

Bylaws

Article I

Name

The name of this professional organization is the Georgia Council of Perioperative Registered Nurses, hereinafter referred to as the “Georgia Council”.

Article II

Mission, Vision, and Values

The Georgia Council advocates for excellence in practice and safety in healthcare policy as we unite to empower perioperative nurses through professional collaboration, continuing education, and practice resources.

Vision

It is the vision of the Georgia Council to be the collective voice on issues impacting perioperative nurses, advocate for healthcare policy at the local, state, and national level, and educate for the purpose of raising awareness and support for best practice for our perioperative teams.

Values

Inclusiveness – maintain an intentional environment of belonging and connection through our perioperative and nursing experiences.

Innovation – exhibit an open, creative environment that strives for excellence in perioperative practice.

Collaboration –work with others to achieve our common goals.

Representation – provide support for perioperative nurses for influencing decisions impacting health and safety of ourselves, our patients, and our community.

Article III

Membership and Dues

Section I.         Membership in the Georgia Council is contingent on compliance with requirements as specified in these bylaws.

Section 2.        Membership is unrestricted by consideration of nationality, race, creed, lifestyle, color, sex, or age.

Section 3.        Membership: Categories of membership in this organization are AORN chapter members, representative members, and associate members.

  1. AORN Chapter Members
  2. An AORN chapter member is a Georgia AORN chapter that wishes to participate.
  3. GA Council members who are independent AORN members without a Georgia AORN chapter affiliation to include Members at Large and eChapter members
  4. All AORN chapters in the state, and individual GA Council members will be informed of activities of the GA Council to encourage chapter interest and participation
  • Representative Members
  • An AORN chapter that has paid annual dues is entitled to two (2) representatives.
  • Each chapter representative has one (1) vote.
  • Only official representatives may vote.
  • It will be the responsibility of each chapter President to notify the Council Secretary by letter or email 30 days prior to voting who the voting members for the chapter will be.
  • Substitutions to the original voting members must be

                                   submitted to the Council Secretary by letter or email from                         

                                   the chapter President to grant voting privileges.

  • It is the recommendation of the Georgia Council Board of Directors that the Representative Members be the chapter’s current President and President-Elect.
  • Associate Members
  • An associate member is any AORN chapter member,  member-at-large, or eChapter member who wishes to participate and pays annual dues.
  • Associate members may attend meetings, participate in discussions, but have no voting privileges.
  • Associate members will receive communication and mailings of Council business regardless of meeting attendance.

Section 4.        Dues

  1. Annual membership dues are recommended by the Board of Directors and are subject to ratification by the membership.
  • Dues will be paid annually by December 1st each year.
  • Failure to pay chapter dues will result in a loss of voting privileges.
  • Failure to pay associate member dues will result in removal of the member’s name from the Council roster.

      Article IV

Officers

The offices of this Council are: Chair, Chair-elect, Past Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, three (3) Board Members.  These Officers make up the Board of Directors and will be entitled to one (1) vote.

  1. Chair:  Serves as the official representative of the Georgia Council and presides at all meetings.
  • Chair-Elect:  Observes and assists the Chair in any duties and responsibilities of that official as requested by the Chair.
  • Past-Chair:  Assumes the duties of the Chair if the Chair is unable to serve.
  • Secretary:  Maintains records of the proceedings of all business meetings and affairs of the Council and the Executive Committee.
  • Treasurer:  Monitors the fiscal affairs of the Council, provides reports and interpretation to the membership and the Board of Directors.
  • Board Members:  Consists of three (3) members.  Along with the Officers, it has the power, authority, and responsibility to manage the affairs of the Council, except to modify action of the voting members.

 

Article V

Nominations, Eligibility, Election, Terms of Office

Section 1         Nominations

  1. The Nominating Committee consists of the Chair, Past-chair, and Chair-elect who review all eligibility qualifications of the nominees before placing them on the official slate of candidates. Nominees are required to complete a Willingness-To-Serve (WTS) form to be considered for open Council and Board positions
  • Nominations for open offices and Board positions will open prior to the annual Fall meeting
  • The Nominating Committee will present a slate of candidates to the voting members prior to the Spring meeting via electronic means and presented for a vote at the spring meeting at the AORN conference. Nominations will be accepted from the floor prior to the commencement of the annual vote for eligibility review. All qualified nominees will be included in the final vote.

    Section 2     Eligibility

  1. A nominee for the Board of Directors must meet one of the following three criteria:
  2. Served as a Chapter representative to the Council for one (1) year.
  3. Be an active member from another state council who moves into Georgia and has become an active associate member of our council.
  4. Be an active Chapter member for a minimum of one year who has consented to serve under a mentor who is currently on the Board of Directors.
  5. A nominee for Chair-Elect will work closely with the Chair to be ready to assume their duties at the appropriate time.  The nominee for Chair-Elect must meet the following criteria:
  6. Be an active member of Georgia Council for a minimum of one (1) year. 
  7. Previously served on the Board of Directors for their Georgia chapter, eChapter, Georgia Council and/or AORN.

Section 3         Elections

  1. Elections will be held annually at the spring (AORN Surgical Conference and Expo) meeting.
  2. Elections will be by written ballot.
  3. The secretary, or designee, will count the ballots and report to the chair.
  4. The candidate receiving the most votes will be declared the winner.
  5. The newly elected officers will assume office immediately after the spring (AORN Surgical Conference and Expo) meeting.

Section 4         Terms of Office

  1.       Chair – one (1) year term.
  2.       Chair-elect – one (1) year term. 
  3.       Past-chair – one (1) year term.
  4.       Secretary – shall be elected in the even years for a term of two (2) years
  •       Treasurer – shall be elected in the odd years for a term of two (2) years
  •       Board Members – two shall be elected in the even years and one in the odd years for a two (2) year term.
  •       AORN National Legislative Committee State Coordinator – serves as appointed from national AORN.

 

Section 5:        Vacancies

  1.       Chair:  The Past-Chair immediately assumes office.
  2.       Chair-Elect:  A vacancy in the office of the Chair is filled by a vote

      of the Board of Directors from a slate submitted by the Nominating

      Committee.

  •       Members of the Board of Directors fill all other vacancies.
  •       Any member filling a vacancy for an unexpired term for one (1)  

      year or more is deemed to have served one (1) term.

Section 6:        Removal

Any elected official, regardless of manner of election or appointment, may be removed by the voting members upon two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the members present and voting; whenever in its judgment the best interests of the Council would be served thereby, provided the elected official upon request was offered an opportunity to have an unprejudiced hearing at which the elected official was permitted to defend against the termination.

Article VI

Meetings

  1. The Council will meet two (2) times per year at the following times:
  2. Fall – to coincide with fall seminar
  3. Spring – to coincide with AORN Surgical Conference and Expo
  • The Council Board of Directors will meet in late summer and winter, and as deemed necessary to conduct Council business.
  • Notice of meetings will be sent to chapter representatives and chapter Presidents.
  • Rollcall will be taken at the beginning of each meeting.
  • Special meetings may be called by the Chair or by a quorum of the membership.
  • Quorum: One half (1/2) of the Council representatives plus three (3) officers constitute a quorum for business meetings.
  • Guests
  • Any registered nurse may attend a Council meeting without voting privileges.
  • Officers, representatives, and associate members may invite other individuals to a meeting who have business with the Council. 

Article VII

Committees

  1. The committees of the Council are appointed annually by the Chair.
  • Ad Hoc Committees may be formed at the discretion of the Council Board of Directors.

Article VIII

Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Council is January 1 through December 31. The annual spring meeting will be for outgoing and incoming chapter representatives.

Article IX

Parliamentary Authority

Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, is the parliamentary authority of this Council in all cases not covered in these guidelines.

Article X

Amendments

  1. Amendments to these Bylaws will be sent to all active members of Georgia Council for review via of electronic mail (email).
  • Any discussion or changes to the amendments will be forwarded to the same active members via email.
  • If no discussion or changes are received within 45 days of the original date they were sent, the Bylaws will be approved by acclamation. 

Article XI

Dissolution

If the Council should dissolve, all funds in the treasury will be given to the AORN Foundation or another appropriate educational endeavor determined by the membership majority.