OR Leadership Essentials: Finance & Operations 2026

OR Leadership Essentials: Finance & Operations 2026 is organized by Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) and will be held from May 05 - 28, 2026.

OR Finance & Operations Session Details:
Mastering Perioperative and Procedural Staffing
Session 1 - Tuesday, May 5, 2-3:30pm ET
Session 2 - Thursday, May 7, 2-3:30pm ET

Description:
Participate in an in-depth analysis of staffing in the perioperative areas, learn how to calculate staffing need, and obtain tools to assist you in developing a staffing plan for your department’s specific needs. 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify workforce data points and learn where to find benchmark data for comparison.
• Demonstrate how to calculate FTE need, including staffing mix and benefit time.
• Analyze the impact that non-productive time creates in your department.
• Calculate additional staffing needs to allow for lunch breaks and call replacement coverage.

Understanding and Improving Perioperative and Procedural Productivity
Session 3 - Tuesday, May 12, 2-3:30pm ET
Session 4 - Thursday, May 14, 2-3:30pm ET

Description:
This session takes a close look at productivity calculations within perioperative services, possible reasons for not meeting targets, and how to respond to correct variations in meeting performance metrics.  

Learning Objectives:

• Define the components necessary to calculate a productivity target.
• Calculate the productivity percentile of a surgical and pre/post-surgical department.
• Analyze and respond to causes of variation in productivity target performance.

Revenue and Expense Management
Session 5 - Tuesday, May 19, 2-3:30pm ET
Session 6 - Thursday, May 21, 2-3:30pm ET

Description:
Refine your understanding of organizational measurements for financial success and how you impact them in your leadership role. You’ll gain tactics and useful tools for successful management of capital and operational budgets in perioperative services.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the measurements used to describe the financial health of an organization.
• Identify what is needed to create a capital purchase justification and where to find the information.
• Identify causes for variation in budgeted verses actual spending.
• Analyze actions to take to keep spending within budget.

Making the Business Case for Workforce and Patient Safety
Session 7 - Tuesday, May 26, 2-3:30pm ET
Session 8 - Thursday, May 28, 2-3:30pm ET

Description:
Fine-tune your knowledge of return-on-investment calculations and timelines while gaining tools to articulate how your projects translate into enhanced patient safety. This session includes several examples of linking quality patient care to cost savings in the clinical setting. 

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to assess revenue and expense projections for a new product or service.
• Demonstrate how to perform a break-even analysis and calculate a return-on-investment timeline.
• Contrast the difference between tangible and intangible costs of errors and the impact of each.   
• Choose quality metrics which may be impacted by a process change.
• Articulate how providing quality care and creating cost avoidance can be demonstrated in a business case for quality and patient safety.