DENVER, Colo. and DUBLIN, Ireland - March 28, 2014 - In a move aimed at giving nursing professionals the tools they need to address rapidly changing practices and cost structures, the AORN Foundation is teaming with Covidien on an initiative that will provide nurse leaders with a core set of financial and management tools to complement their clinical expertise.

The new AORN Emerging Leaders educational initiative will comprise five day-long seminars focusing on leadership development and financial concepts necessary for managing the overall performance of perioperative services.

"The AORN Foundation is pleased to partner with Covidien on this exciting opportunity to prepare our rising leaders for the new demands of the health care landscape," said Linda Groah, MSN, RN, CNOR, NEA-BC, FAAN, Executive Director, AORN Foundation, Executive Director/CEO of AORN.
"Nurses are on the frontlines of care, and increasingly find themselves at the intersection of improving patient outcomes in a lower cost environment," said Matt Gattuso, president of health systems at Covidien and an AORN Foundation board member. "Covidien is committed to increasing access to quality health care for all, and we believe that improving the financial and managerial skills and abilities of nurse leaders will be a win-win for patient care."

The first in the five-part series - "Building New Leaders: Critical Skills" - will take place alongside the AORN Surgical Conference & Expo 2014 in Chicago, and will be led by leadership and management expert Bruce Tulgan. The four additional Emerging Leader sessions will be led by Pamela Hunt, MSN, RN a nationally recognized speaker on financial management, leadership and nursing management. Those sessions are scheduled for Tampa (June 7), Los Angeles (June 20), Chicago (June 28) and Philadelphia (September 13).

For more information, please visit www.aorn.org/cnl.

About AORN
AORN is a non-profit membership association that represents the interests of more than 160,000 perioperative nurses by providing nursing education, standards, and clinical practice resources to enable optimal outcomes for patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures. For more information, visit http://www.aorn.org/.

About Covidien
Covidien is a leading global healthcare products company that creates innovative medical solutions for better patient outcomes and delivers value through clinical leadership and excellence.  Covidien develops, manufactures and sells a diverse range of industry-leading medical device and supply products. With 2013 revenue of $10.2 billion, Covidien has more than 38,000 employees worldwide in more than 70 countries, and its products are sold in over 150 countries. Please visit www.covidien.com to learn more about our business.

Covidien
Peter Lucht, 508-452-4168
Vice President, External Communications
peter.lucht@covidien.com

AORN
Gayle Davis, 303-755-6304 ext. 225
Director, Corporate Communications, PR & Media Relations
gdavis@aorn.org
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