Patients who go through an operation depend on perioperative nurses practical knowledge. This knowledge is a combination of theoretical, ethical and personal understanding. Perioperative nurses work to guarantee their patients best possible safety and security during the operation.

NORNA, Nordic Operating Room Nurses Association, was founded in 1993. It is a Nordic organization for the operating room nurses in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

NORNA is a professional organization that aims at taking care of the operating room nurses interests within perioperative nursing. The association wants to promote operating room nurses professional skills so that their professionalism is based on scientific knowledge, skilled and tested practice.

NORNA board of directors consists of two members from each Nordic country and each country alternates as the chairmanship, the chairmans term is two years. There are two meetings each year, one working meeting and a resolution meeting. All the Nordic operating room nurses professional associations are members of NORNA.