"Bumpa, just right click your mouse on the picture and pick print." That was the day I knew the world was ready. If my 71-year-old, never-used-a-computer-in-my-life, techno-phobic father could do it, anyone can. The future of NAON is looking brighter than ever, and we are moving toward that future. The latest statistics say there are 1.5 personal computers per household and 165 million Americans are surfing the internet. This internet access has many benefits, such as instant access to information, education and communication with relatively low cost while it saves resources. NAON has embraced this technology, putting us on the cutting edge.
Thanks to the work of our education director Dr. Jack Yensen, NAON now has online education (http://www.orthoeducation.info/index.php) There is a free sandbox to practice in: the Comprehensive ONC review course, Hip and Spine problems and soon to come AAOS 2006 meeting courses and advance practice review courses. Our new CORE curriculum even has an online component of free chapter quizzes.
Our National office is moving toward paper free by 2010. All forms and information are a click away at the website (http://www.orthonurse.org). You can renew your membership, order products and vote online. Our willingness to serve forms are there[horizontal ellipsis] (by the way it is time to fill those out if you would like to become more involved in NAON), bylaws and policies, candidate packets and now even chapter presidents have the option of receiving their information online. We have Net News and will increase these publications while decreasing the paper NAON News issues.
This year for the first time we will even have the Congress syllabus available online to registrants prior to and after Congress in St. Louis. No longer will you have to lug around that 5 lb. tome. You can download the courses you want to attend and print them before hand if you would like. All participants will get a CD with this information instead. There are plans in the future to have a website redesign that includes web space for all chapters to have a page to advertise their educational events too!!
NAON members are even allowed access to this journal (Orthopaedic Nursing Journal) online, and very soon past editions will be available. (http://www.orthopaedicnursing.com) I think the biggest advantage is that the internet makes the world flat-with our forum and Special Interest group list serves (SIGs) we can talk about practice issues with other orthopedic nurses all over the globe, almost instantly. We can now get research data such as the NAON pin care guidelines out to all nurses quickly. The internet has done wonders for the world and if you are one of those "like my dad" that are leery of it or just don't understand how to do it-ASK-Call the main office, we are happy to walk you through it. Or better yet ask a child or grandchild and open up a future of sharing with them!!
"Success is a continuing thing. It is growth and development. It is achieving one thing and using it as a stepping stone to achieve something else" - -John C. Maxwell