​Preparing clinicians to diagnose and manage common musculoskeletal conditions in primary care settings

now available: opc online only courses
More than half of US adults report having a musculoskeletal condition – a rate greater than those with chronic circulatory conditions. 

​However, most primary care clinicians lack adequate preparation to effectively treat common ailments such as neck and low back pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and repetitive stress injuries. 
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That disparity is why we created our Orthopedic Primary Care program (OPC) – a suite of Courses that can be taken in any order and begun at any time.  ​

Select from our three Course types:

OPC is designed to fit your time, budget and career goals -- from our single-topic, 10-hour Online Mini Courses to more in-depth Online Full Courses (65 CE hours) and our comprehensive, Blended Learning Courses (80 CE hours each).* 

Online Mini

$65 / 10 Hours each

Online

$300 / 65 Hours each

Blended*

$500 / 80 Hours each
*Blended Learning Courses include in-person Workshops in Oakland, California. These are on hold during the COVID health crisis, but we hope to resume them later in 2021.

Testimonials

Natalie

Nurse Practitioner
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Primary Care

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I took the course when I was just starting out, working in a primary care practice. The course made me more confident with injections, and with having more structure going from diagnosis to treatment. It’s been really useful.

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Lianna

Nurse Practitioner
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Urgent Care, Primary Care

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OPC helped me narrow down my diagnostics and not order unnecessary imaging. It helped me to really try to focus on what is a good physical exam, which is really key to what we can do with our hands and our abilities.  

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Carol

Nurse Practitioner Student
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Primary Care

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This course corresponded with the last six months of my NP program. I'm more confident in assessing issues with the spine, shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee. The course was really valuable for learning what kinds of special tests to identify the problem and to put together a differential diagnosis and treatment.



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Cadelba

Nurse Practitioner
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Family Practice

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This course really helped me with my assessment skills and narrowing down closer ideas for diagnosis. Also, it increased my confidence in treatment options, knowing the steps of each part of treatment and knowing what red flags to watch out for.

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Kathleen

Nurse  Practitioner
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Pain Management

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OPC really helped me with my organization, particularly with different differential diagnoses and physical exams. I can go through the exam quicker and I know what I’m looking for and not just going through the motions. It's also made me more confident with musculoskeletal complaints that I wasn't confident in before, for example hands, wrists, and elbows.

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Your instructors
Course creators AJ Benham, DNP, and Kathleen Geier, DNP, are core faculty for the OPC program, and there are occasional presentations by select content area experts. Between them, Drs. Benham and Geier have more than 60 years of orthopedic practice and teaching experience in a variety of settings including acute care, orthopedic clinics, occupational medicine clinics, and surgery. Drs. Benham and Geier hold certifications as family nurse practitioners and also have been certified by the Orthopedic Nurses Certification Board. 

More about Orthopedic Primary Care

We define Orthopedic Primary Care (OPC) as first-line care for musculoskeletal conditions. This includes prevention, assessment/diagnosis, patient education, conservative care coordination, surgical referral, and chronic disease management.

Enhancing your expertise in the treatment of non-surgical orthopedic conditions will increase your value to both patients and employers by improving your ability to provide expert musculoskeletal care in a variety of clinical settings including family health practices, urgent care clinics, occupational health centers, retail clinics, and geriatric centers.
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Each OPC Course provides you with the latest evidence-based non-surgical, patient-centered approaches to maximizing function, managing pain, preventing further injury, and slowing disease progression for your patients with non-urgent, non-surgical musculoskeletal conditions.
  • Online learning:  Whether in a Mini Course (10 hours) or a full Online Course (65 hours each) or Blended Learning Course (80 hours each), we offer readings, videos, assignments, and evaluations covering MSK conditions specific to the Course topic. 
  • Workshops: Blended Learning students follow each Online Course (65 hours) with hands-on skills coaching in Oakland, Calif. (one 15-hour weekend Workshop per course). We use simulation, case studies, and problem-based learning. Workshops cover specialized exams, X-ray interpretation, treatment plan development, and clinical procedures. 
Registration and cost
Buy your courses easily today via our online shop. Just choose which course or combination of courses you'd like and proceed to Checkout. After you've paid, you'll receive an email purchase confirmation and be invited by email to our online learning platform.
  • Online Mini Courses: $65 per course (10 CE hours, online self study).
  • Online Courses:  $300 per course, or the entire OPC online-only program (four courses) available in a discounted bundle for $1,000.00 (65 CE hours each / 260 CE hours for the full program)
  • Full, blended learning courses (online self-study + weekend Workshops):  $500 per course, or the entire OPC program (four courses)  available in a discounted bundle for $1,750.00. (80 hours each / 320 for the full program)​
​​JOF is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing,
Provider Number 17398, to provide continuing education.