Is this your year to recertify? Part of your recertification requirement is to have 1,000 hours of practice in orthopaedics for ONC and 1,500 hours for advanced practice credentials. These hours do not need to be at the bedside or even on the orthopaedic unit. If you are currently a unit manager and you have patients with musculoskeletal conditions on your unit, you are touching patients with orthopaedic problems.
Are you in charge of education? Be sure to include in your educational offerings topics on various orthopaedic topics. Are you teaching safe patient handling to your staff (see the NAON website for more information on this topic)? Not only are you helping patients get better care but you also are protecting your staff and helping prevent injuries to them. All nurses need to know safe patient handling practices even if they are not on the orthopaedic unit.
We have certificants working in a wide variety of settings. From teaching in a university to working in an orthopaedic surgeon's office, they are all touching patients with orthopaedic challenges. Your work hours can include working in a rehabilitation center as long as your patients are recovering from musculoskeletal conditions. Home health nurses often see patients with an orthopaedic diagnosis; that counts as practice hours.
Are you now in charge of community education/programs from your hospital? Include some programs on osteoporosis prevention/safety, "Movement is Life" (see http://www.movementislifecaucus.com for more information about them), or other general orthopaedic topics.
Are you working in an urgent care clinic as a nurse practitioner? I will wager you see people with ankle sprains (one of the most common orthopaedic sports injuries!), wrist fractures, and knee injuries. That qualifies! Are you working in a clinical nurse specialist role? Anytime you problem solve about orthopaedics, you are touching an orthopaedic patient.
Because of your orthopaedic credential, you are seen as an expert. Your credential shows you are educated and committed to high-quality care. You can be an expert on the pediatric unit or the intensive care unit, in the emergency department, or in the medical unit. Orthopaedic patients are present in all these areas.
Orthopaedic nurses are everywhere. Just because you are no longer on the orthopaedic unit doesn't mean that you don't practice orthopaedics. You may not be the primary patient caregiver, but your knowledge of the necessity of movement and maintaining strength and balance can be used with most or all patients. Be creative. Talk to us at ONCB if you have questions about what qualifies for orthopaedic practice hours.
Orthopaedic nurses are everywhere!