Take Your Orthopaedic Unit to the Next Level

In this episode, NAON talks with Zach Perpetua, MSN, RN, CMSRN, CNL and Michelle Parks, BSN, RN, ONC from UPMC Passavant on their journey to obtain an Orthopaedic Center of Excellence designation. UPMC has established a center of excellence in several specific specialties, including for total joint replacement in July of 2019 and renewed in 2020.

The UPMC Orthopaedic Unit began their journey in 2017 with 2 ONCs and a commitment to increasing more staff certified nurses. It is well documented in literature that certified nurses improve patient outcomes and quality of care. Certification also provides an avenue for nursing professional development and leadership roles within their organizations. The UPMC Passavant Hospital Foundation provided grant money to support the unit in their staff ONC certification process, including the expense of study materials, ONC exam costs, NAON memberships for each certificant, and coordination of study group sessions.  Through this support, all of the UPMC nurses that joined the initiative received certification.