I am very excited to lead the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses (NAON) into its 27th year and would like to share my vision for "Energizing the Future" of NAON. I chose this theme because it is only with our combined energy that we can move our association forward. I am very cognizant of how we got where we are today and proud of all the energy that so many people have expended for us, including our past presidents, board members, management staff, and especially member volunteers, sponsors and card-carrying members. I am thankful to all of you and to those who helped me get here.
I am here as NAON's 27th President because of my parents, Bill and Trudy Tervo, my sister Erin, my children Becca and Shawn, my best friend in life, Walt Leclair, and mostly because of the nurturing mentorship of Dr. Arthur Pappas, an open minded forward thinking boss who said, "little one, go out and see what needs to be done-and do it." He has been instrumental in my professional growth and still advises me today.
Every member offers special talents and energy that we are thankful for. The growth in the membership over the past year makes me want to thank all the members who continue to support the mission of NAON by maintaining membership and recruiting colleagues. More thanks to the members who participate at congress, often having to rearrange their schedules and to those who were willing to share the latest information by networking with orthopedic nurses from all over the United States and the world. My heartfelt appreciation to those of you who gave your extraordinary energy to work in chapters, on committees and task forces, conduct and publish research, educate, obtain sponsorships, or join in the leadership of our association. There is a need to channel this energy to move NAON forward. I want to share my vision of NAON's news headlines:
[black right pointing small triangle] Membership doubles in 1 year!!
[black right pointing small triangle] 75% of NAON members achieve certification by 2010.
[black right pointing small triangle] NAON Foundation grows as each NAON member gives $10.
How will we reach these goals-only with our combined energy!! Let us start with membership. I became a member of NAON because a member of the Worcester chapter, Sally Lux invited me to a meeting. I would guess that it is the same for you; someone must have told you about NAON. If Each One Reaches One, boom!! we double our membership. I can hardly believe there are orthopedic centers of excellence with only 17% of their nurses belonging to their professional association; we need to do something about this!! Talk NAON up, put our logo out there, mentor students, invite fellow nurses to meetings, share an article from the journal with them, disseminate our research findings, and post application forms or Web site links at places of employment. Together we can increase the membership.
Certification is testimony to orthopedic excellence and professional advancement. I would love to see all registered nurses certified, regardless of the practice level and all ONCs belong to our professional organization. We celebrate the brightest and the best with discounts on NAON education products for ONCs. We can encourage certification in our areas of work, conduct study groups, and provide scholarships.
Finally, we need to support the work of the NAON Foundation. If each person donates just $10 annually to the Foundation, it can be self-sustaining, and if we encourage group donations, we will be able to award more research grants and congress and educational scholarships.
This vision and three focus areas are presented to move our association forward toward our mission, "to advance the quality of musculoskeletal healthcare by promoting excellence in research, education, and nursing practice." Only with your help and our combined efforts can we Energize the Future of NAON!!