Health encompasses the whole being and is influenced by one’s environment;

Individuals and communities should be proactive and responsible for achieving optimal health;

ORNAC’s motto, Promoting Excellence, demonstrates a commitment to meeting the needs of its members and society;

Perioperative nursing is a dynamic process that is guided by theoretical knowledge, ethical principles, research, specialized clinical skills, and caring practice;

Perioperative nursing practices respond to complex and changing clinical patient needs during the crucial intraoperative period;

Perioperative nursing changes and evolves in response to societal and technological change, and it is the responsibility of each practicing nurse to ensure competence through continuing education to meet these changes;

Standards of nursing practice, as well as collegial and interdisciplinary collaboration, enhance perioperative nursing practice;

ORNAC is committed to promoting perioperative nursing education as a component of the basic nursing curriculum;

People have a right to high-quality health care that promotes informed and responsible decision-making;

The implementation of standards and guidelines contributes to the continued improvement of safe patient care and the evolving evidence-based practices of perioperative nursing in Canada;

Standards and guidelines assist in attaining and maintaining competence in the provision of quality perioperative patient care;

Standards and guidelines define safety measures for patients and the health care team;

Standards and guidelines provide a baseline and tool for measurement when evaluating perioperative best practices;

Standards and guidelines provide a consistent reference base for programs such as orientation, in-service, continuing education, research, and formal perioperative post-basic education program; and

Standards and guidelines are the fundamentals upon which perioperative registered nurse managers and educators provide structure and resources to create a collaborative environment for the health care team;