NAON News Leaves Journal Pages in 2004
Executive Board Plans for NAON's Future
I wore a button today. It said, "The world changes so fast, you couldn't stay wrong all the time if you tried." I have had days where I feel like I can't ever be right. Change doesn't leave black-and-white/right-and-wrong areas clearly marked. Work environments are changing! Nurses are changing! NAON is changing! Associations are changing! Priorities are changing everyday! Members of the Executive Board are now working with the Smith, Bucklin staff and examining operations to give the best possible value. It is exciting! The best part is the talented people on the board, the leadership volunteers, and management team members that are supporting this effort. One of the hard parts is examining things, because what we always have done is comfortable.
In October, the Executive Board and a few other association leaders met to look at the strategic plan for NAON. The previous strategic plan has served us well as a guiding document. The new strategic plan will be available on the NAON Web site and in a future issue of NAON News. Please read it carefully; we want it to be a working document. A few decisions have been made as we looked at the budget and other issues.
Dottie Roberts resigned as NAON News editor to pursue other professional activities. Dottie is a good friend and great editor, and she will be missed. We examined the NAON News as one of the prime member benefits and how it should look. We have chosen a new editor, Nancy Mooney. We will no longer have the NAON News pages in the association journal Orthopaedic Nursing. Next, we looked at the contracted positions and decided to move some services into the Smith, Bucklin arena. The Web editor and legislative consultant roles will look different in the future. I am not trying to be vague. The strategic plan and budget will drive the shape of our involvement and the look of those services, and, as of this writing, those pieces are not determined.
This is a member organization and, as president, I want NAON to meet the needs of orthopaedic nurses-now and in the future. I am interested in comments and suggestions, and I would value hearing from the members. We can make this vibrant organization grow if we all work together.
Geri L. Tierney, BSN, RN, ONC
NAON President
Ringel and Schoenly Accept Leadership Roles at Female Athlete Triad Summit II
NAON was represented by Susan Ringel, MSN, RN, ONC, FNP, 2001 Osteoporosis SIG Facilitator, at the Female Athlete Triad Summit II hosted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in Indianapolis in early August. NAON was instrumental in creating the Female Athlete Triad Coalition and hosted the first summit in Chicago in 2002. The coalition was created to support cultures that promote healthy athletic environments, establish public policy, effect change in national and international governing bodies, eliminate unethical and inappropriate dietary treatment approaches of female athletes, provide education about the triad, and determine the scope of the problem through research.
Female athletes who are involved in sports that require intense physical training or endurance and sports where a slim body image is judged to be advantageous are at risk for developing the triad. Recent reports have identified this syndrome in females as young as 9 years of age.
This year's summit featured presentations from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the University of Tennessee (Knoxville), and Jane Gottesman, author of Game Face, a photo essay of the female athlete. Goals established at this summit include:
* Develop coalition Web site to disseminate information about the condition.
* Develop a female athlete triad screening tool to be used by professionals who provide healthcare for the target population.
* Survey sports federations to evaluate their protocols for identification and treatment of female athlete triad.
Other members of the coalition include the Medical Committee of the International Olympic Committee, Academy of Eating Disorders, United States Figure Skating, the American Dietetic Association, the National Athletic Trainers Association, and the American Physical Therapy Association. Representatives of the associations will work throughout the year and meet again next year before the Olympic games.
During the summit, Susan Ringel was appointed Chair of the Advocacy and Political Strategies Subcommittee and Lorry Schoenly, DNSc, RN, NAON Director of Education, was appointed to the Executive Board of the Female Athlete Triad Coalition.
ONCB Connection
ONCB Seeks New Director
ONCB announces an opening for a 3-year term as director beginning in May 2004. Applicants must be energetic, creative ONCs who are committed to promoting orthopaedic certification among their nursing colleagues. Previous involvement in an ONCB committee is a benefit but is not required. Questions? Contact ONCB President Dottie Roberts ([email protected]). Interested ONCs can get an application packet from the national office (888-561-ONCB, [email protected]). The application deadline is February 1, 2004.
ONC Examination Fees to Increase in 2004
With costs of examination maintenance rising, ONCB directors recently decided to implement a modest increase in test fees in 2004. Beginning with the spring test dates, NAON members will pay $220 (up from $205) to take the ONC examination. Nonmembers will pay $320, making it more cost-effective to join NAON and take the examination as an association member. Fees for recertification remain unchanged ($180 NAON members, $260 nonmembers).
ONC Liaisons Mark New Year in Promoting Certification
At the Congress board meeting, ONCB directors reevaluated the ONC liaison initiative that began in 2000. At its inception, the ONC liaison's role was envisioned as a grassroots representative in the local community or hospital who would inform nurses of the value of orthopaedics. Liaisons would network with nursing peers to answer questions about certification. They received information packets that included testing sites, study materials lists, and NAON Productions brochures.
Directors decided to recruit additional new volunteers in an effort to reestablish this worthwhile endeavor. Since Congress, 44 people from throughout the country have volunteered to become ONC liaisons. We appreciate their commitment to orthopaedic nursing certification!
If you are interested in becoming a liaison, please contact Director Cynthia Gonzalez ([email protected]).
The Nursing Experience at the Orthopedic Hospital of Oklahoma
One ONC's Perspective
Healthcare and nursing face many challenges in the current environment. However, one hospital in Tulsa, OK, stands out in surmounting these challenges. The Orthopedic Hospital of Oklahoma (OHO) was opened in July 2001 by physicians who were looking for a higher standard of care than is typically found in general hospitals. These doctors recognized that the nursing staff gives the primary care, and they responded in part by establishing the low patient/nurse ratio-typically 5 patients for every nurse on the postoperative unit.
I began working at OHO on the acute postoperative unit in August 2001. It has been such an exciting adventure to help establish nursing guidelines and policies/procedures. The atmosphere at OHO is so helpful and caring. I have never worked at a facility where the physicians have been as open and friendly as they are at OHO. They continually ask me if I enjoy working at OHO and what my opinions are for the nursing needs. It's astounding!
I have been an active participant of the nursing education here. The OHO standards for orthopaedic nursing care are based on NAON guidelines. Last year, three RNs from the acute postop unit passed the ONC examination (myself included). We were so excited about our certifications that our coworkers now want to take the ONC examination. Managers encourage all of our RNs to obtain their ONC credentials so that OHO will set a standard for excellence in orthopaedic nursing at our hospital.
Even the patients notice the difference in our ONC nurses. Recently, one patient who had been cared for by all three ONC nurses on the postop unit sent a letter regarding his care. Here is an excerpt from that letter: "Based upon my 25-year experience and history with surgical orthopedic issues throughout my life, I can assure you that the Orthopedic Hospital of Oklahoma is the best care I have been given...bar none! From the front door valet parking service with professional greeters and guest services to the specialized orthopedic nurses that are on staff there, it is the kind of care that I would highly recommend for my family and friends who are in need of this type of specialized care."
I have been in the process this year of preparing the nurses at OHO to take their ONC examination in 2004. Every department-pain clinic, surgery, PACU, and the postop unit-has nurses interested in obtaining their orthopaedic certification. Because we have so many RNs interested in taking the examination, we have decided to initiate the process for becoming a test site in 2004. We are planning to encourage orthopaedic nurses at the other hospitals in the Tulsa metro area to obtain their ONC credentials by testing with us next spring. In fact, everyone in Oklahoma and surrounding areas is invited! So, I proudly announce that the nurses at the Orthopedic Hospital of Oklahoma have passion in our bones!
Tiffany Sellman, BSN, RN, ONC
Acute Inpatient Unit
Orthopedic Hospital of Oklahoma
NAON Videos and Software Licenses Available for Broadcast Rights
Does your institution broadcast patient education videos on a closed-circuit system? Do you use a computer network to deliver staff education? Several NAON products have been licensed for these uses. It is illegal to use individual-use, personal copies of videos or software on such systems. However, NAON has site license editions-commonly called institutional versions-that make it easy for you to provide orthopaedic patient and staff education over these networks. Contact the national office (800-269-NAON [6266]; [email protected]) for ordering information. NAON Productions with available site licenses include Orthopaedic Nursing Self-Assessment Software (2nd ed.) (#P200-1), Total Hip Replacement: Improving Quality of Life VHS Video (#P234-0), Total Knee Replacement: Improving Quality of Life VHS Video (#P232-0), Arthroscopic Knee Surgery: Return to Action VHS Video (#P244), and Patient Education DVD (#P299).
Stay in Touch Through ONCNet
ONCB uses a free broadcast e-mail format to share important updates with ONCs throughout the country. Messages are sent approximately every 6 weeks to help certified nurses stay on top of new opportunities, such as the preceptor service credit and other ONCB initiatives. If you are not already on the distribution list for ONCNet, contact President Dottie Roberts ([email protected]) to enroll.