An orthopedic nurse specializes in caring for patients with musculoskeletal diseases, injuries and other medical conditions. They can work with people undergoing joint replacement surgery or living with osteoporosis, among other disorders. Your career pathway toward ortho nursing could begin with an ABSN program.
Are you thinking about pursuing a career in nursing? There is a wide range of nursing specialties and areas of focus to choose from. Some nurses specialize according to patient population, such as adult-gerontology, while others specialize by practice area, such as orthopedics.
Orthopedic nursing can be an excellent choice for those interested in working with patients dealing with a wide range of injuries and conditions, both acute and chronic. Let’s look at what you can expect from an orthopedic nursing career.
What Does an Orthopedic Nurse Do?
An orthopedic nurse, often called an “ortho nurse,” is a registered nurse (RN) who specializes in caring for patients with musculoskeletal diseases, injuries and other medical conditions.
An ortho nurse can handle a wide range of patient care tasks, including:
- Patient assessments
- Wound care
- Casting
- Patient and family caregiver education
- Pre-operative and post-operative patient care
- Assistance during surgery
- Pain management
- Care during rehabilitation
The Role of an Orthopedic Nurse in Patient Care
An orthopedic nursing professional plays a vital role in patient care. They provide patient care across the continuum, from assessment to treatment to follow-up. An ortho nurse may work with patients suffering from medical conditions such as:
- Bone fractures
- Arthritis
- Bone tumors
- Osteoporosis
- Neuromuscular disease
- Fibromyalgia
- Bursitis
- Chronic joint pain
Ortho nursing involves working with patients at various stages of their treatment journey. For example, an ortho nurse might help patients prepare for surgery, such as joint replacement or spinal fusion, and work with patients recovering from those types of procedures.
Ortho Nursing vs. General Nursing: Key Differences
How does orthopedic nursing differ from other nursing specialties? First, ortho nurses can care for patients across the lifespan, from babies and children to older adults. Some nursing specialties, such as pediatrics and adult gerontology, have a more limited patient population.
Next, some nursing specialties are limited to particular medical conditions. For instance, dialysis nurses care for patients with kidney problems requiring dialysis treatment. In contrast, ortho nurses care for patients with acute and chronic diseases, injuries and other musculoskeletal conditions.
Skills and Qualities of a Successful Ortho Nurse
Like other nursing specialties, orthopedic nurses require a diverse skill set. An aspiring ortho nurse can benefit from having skills and qualities such as:
- Communication skills
- Patient education
- Pain management
- Diagnostic tests
- Attention to detail
- Medication administration
- Preparing patients for surgery
- Rehabilitation
- Compassion and empathy
- Teamwork
How to Become an Orthopedic Nurse: A Step-by-Step Guide
While some ortho nurses’ career pathways may deviate from this somewhat, the following are the general requirements.
Earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree
If becoming an orthopedic nurse seems like the right choice, your first step is earning your nursing degree. A traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program typically takes four years of full-time study. At Notre Dame of Maryland University, however, earning your BSN in as few as 15 months is possible through our Accelerated 2nd Degree BSN program. You may be eligible if you have completed a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field.
Our ABSN program will provide everything you need to become a practice-ready nurse. It includes:
- Coursework: Choose from online or in-person coursework to learn nursing theories.
- Onsite labs: Work through nursing skills and simulation labs to develop core nursing skills and acquire clinical judgment.
- Clinical rotations: Gain hands-on, practical experience in clinical rotations. You’ll be placed at area health care facilities to practice providing patient care and handling other nursing tasks under the supervision of nursing instructors and preceptors.
What do nursing schools look for in applicants? Get the breakdown of the qualities and requirements nursing schools ask of their students.
Pass the NCLEX-RN
After graduating from nursing school, the next step is to pass the NCLEX-RN exam. The NCLEX is a rigorous licensure exam that requires you to demonstrate in-depth nursing knowledge and solid clinical judgment. After passing the NCLEX, you can obtain your state nursing license.
Although the exam is challenging, if you become a student at Notre Dame, you will have access to Academic Success Coaches. You can work with your coach one-on-one to develop stronger test-taking skills.
Gain Clinical Experience
Once you’re a licensed RN, you can immediately start looking for orthopedic nursing positions. Hospitals, outpatient surgery centers, rehabilitation clinics, long-term care facilities and home health agencies are common employers for ortho nurses.
If you don’t find an ortho-specific nursing role, consider looking for an opening as a medical-surgical nurse. You can gain invaluable clinical experience working with a range of patients while continuing to look for an ortho position.
Orthopedic Nurse Certifications: What You Need to Know
After you’ve gained some clinical experience as an orthopedic nurse, you might feel ready to pursue a specialty certification. The Orthopaedic Nurses Certification Board (ONCB) offers a few certification options, such as the ONC, ONP-C and ONC-A certifications. To qualify, you must meet the minimum number of hours of clinical work experience in your specialty and other eligibility criteria, such as education.
Although seeking certification isn’t necessarily a requirement for ortho nurses, doing so may open more job opportunities and room for career advancement.
Orthopedic Nurse Salary and Job Outlook
The current and future job market and earnings potential for nurses is promising.
How Much Do Orthopedic Nurses Make?
What’s a typical orthopedic nurse salary? Like all nurses, ortho nurses tend to be well-compensated for their expertise. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not track salary data for different nursing specialties. According to the BLS, the median annual salary for all types of RNs was $86,070 as of May 2023.
Career Opportunities in Orthopedic Nursing: Job Outlook
Similarly, job projection data from the BLS is unavailable for different nursing specialties, but all types of RNs are expected to be in demand for the foreseeable future. The BLS projects the job growth rate for RNs to be 6% from 2023 to 2033, faster than average, indicating that health care employers expect to hire about 197,200 new nurses during this period.
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Is Orthopedic Nursing Right for You?
Is becoming an orthopedic nurse the right choice for you? Only you can decide, but it’s best to consider all aspects of the career:
Challenges of Ortho Nursing
Like any nursing specialty, orthopedics offers specific challenges. It might be difficult for new nurses to recognize signs of complex complications and conditions, such as sepsis and compartment syndrome. You might also have trouble with treatment adherence, the ability and willingness of patients to follow care instructions, particularly with post-surgical patients after they’ve been discharged and with patients suffering from chronic health conditions.
Rewards of Orthopedic Nursing
Becoming an ortho nurse also offers many potential benefits. You might find that you enjoy:
- Being able to help people regain better mobility and quality of life
- Helping patients become pain-free
- The ability to work with a wide range of patient populations and conditions
- Ideal work/life balance
- Opportunities for professional growth
As an ortho nurse, you can also choose a specialty in a subfield of orthopedics. For instance, you might specialize in joint replacement surgery, podiatry, sports medicine or trauma.
Ready to Pursue a Career in Ortho Nursing?
No matter what nursing specialty you aspire to, you can begin your journey at Notre Dame of Maryland University. Our values-based ABSN program offers a rigorous curriculum designed to prepare you for specialized areas like orthopedic nursing and others.
Choose from online or in-person coursework and receive one-on-one support from our Academic Success Coaches. With our accelerated timeline, you could graduate in as few as 15 months and confidently sit for the NCLEX.
Contact an admissions advisor today to begin your nursing journey at Notre Dame.