What Do Orthopaedic Nurses Do? Implications of the Role Delineation Study for Certification

The Orthopaedic Nurses Certification Board (ONCB) conducts a role delineation study (RDS) every 5 years. Results identify tasks performed by orthopaedic registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists, and musculoskeletal health conditions commonly seen by patients under their care. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to define current practice patterns among orthopaedic nurses and validate content for future certification examinations. METHOD: An online survey methodology was used to identify task and knowledge statements that represented orthopaedic nursing practice. FINDINGS: Of 5,634 e-mails sent, 1,194 valid responses were returned (response rate 22.7%). This is consistent with results of the Orthopaedic Nurses Certification Board's 2007 RDS (23.3% response rate) and is considered acceptable for an RDS. CONCLUSION: Survey results were analyzed with assistance of psychometric staff at Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc., and used to review and revise examination specifications for the 3 certification programs. New specifications were implemented with March 2012 testing.