AORN is the professional organization of perioperative registered nurses whose mission is to support registered nurses in achieving optimal outcomes for patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures.

AORN defines the term "perioperative nursing" as the practice of nursing directed toward patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures. AORN recognizes the "perioperative nurse" as one who provides, manages, teaches, and/or studies the care of patients undergoing operative or other invasive procedures, in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases of the patient’s surgical experience. Perioperative nurses work on the surgical front lines, so no one is better qualified or has the capacity to advocate for and ensure patient safety in the surgical setting.