Dear Editor:

Our son Brian was admitted September 3, 2003, to Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, GA, for an elective spine fusion. As an orthopaedic QA coordinator, I review many hospital records to address state-mandated reportable events and help our hospital's patient representatives reply to complaints toward overall process improvement. Also, my wife is a former OR nurse. Combined, we held many real and imagined fears of adverse events that can occur despite "orthopaedic standard of care met." Now add hundreds of miles from home (New York State) in an unknown hospital, and you can imagine the level of our concern.

When Brian told us that surgery was required, I e-mailed Nancy Mooney, RN, ONC. If you were not already aware, Nancy knows EVERYONE in NAON, and quickly had me connected with Connie Whittington, RN ONC, one of NAON's past presidents. In one e-mail, we had a recommended orthopaedic spine surgeon, and later Connie made sure the "right" anesthesiologist was assigned to Brian's case. On his admission, Connie introduced us as her "nursing colleagues" to key personnel in Piedmont Hospital where she is employed. Not to slight Connie, but we probably would have received the same great care at Piedmont without her sponsorship-it is ranked within the top 100 hospitals in the US and deservedly so. Brian had the best of care from the orthopaedic 4-Central staff and all the "motivation" only orthopaedic nurses know how to administer for a successful postoperative recovery and discharge.

What is "newsworthy" of this story, you ask. You probably will not find this benefit on NAON's Web site or listed within the Orthopaedic Nursing journal. Call it by its tired description of "networking" if you like. It is not secretly held between past presidents or board members. It is undoubtedly there among every member of NAON to do what we do best-help others. If there was a lifetime membership offer, the check would be in the mail!

Alan Quittenton, MS, RN, ONC