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. 
That disparity is why we created our Orthopedic Primary Care curriculum, is the only non-degree continuing education program in the United States for nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, phycians and other APPs interested in musculoskeletal care.

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.

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.

We are nationally accredited, so the CE hours earned with us are valid in any state. 🇺🇸

Read more about Orthopedic Primary Care

 Meet your instructors

Course creators A.J. 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. 

In 2023 we were proud to welcome Laura Balassone, RN MSN as our third OPC instructor.

More about Orthopedic Primary Care

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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.

As our course creators A.J. Benham, DNP and Kathleen Geier, DNP wrote in their article in the Journal for Nurse Practitioners (JNP), primary care physicians and nurse practitioners are inadequately prepared to manage musculoskeletal problems, but their skills and confidence improve with focused musculoskeletal training. Training also can reduce unnecessary referrals to specialists.
With the ranks of orthopedic physicians decreasing and the incidence of chronic musculoskeletal conditions on the rise, effective management of these problems in primary care settings may become an increasingly important strategy for preserving access to care while reducing costs and preventing the escalation of debilitating symptoms.

To effectively manage these conditions, NPs must be able to distinguish acute presentations of non-urgent musculoskeletal problems from true orthopedic emergencies and to know when and how to appropriately refer patients to orthopedic specialists.