The Canadian Orthopaedic Certification Exam: For RN's Who Have the Right Stuff!

Nursing certification is for nurses who are eager to learn and grow and demonstrate a high standard of knowledge in their chosen specialty. The next Canadian Orthopaedic Certification Exam will be written on April 17^th 2010, sponsored by CNA. The exam features multiple-choice questions and has been designed for nurses with two years of orthopaedic experience. Questions span the specialties of orthopaedics including: arthroplasty, rehabilitation, paediatrics, sports medicine, spine, oncology, perioperative, ambulatory care and trauma.

If you are an RN with 2 years of experience who loves to learn, you can do this! Register today and join your friends and colleagues in a study group.

For more information on the exam log on to www.cna-aiic.ca
For application flyer: 2009 Certification (English) .2009 Certification (Français)
Application deadline: October 16^th 2009

Looking for Mentors

Have you written the NAON Orthopaedic Certification Exam or one of the Canadian Nurses Association Specialty Certification Examinations?

The Canadian Orthopaedic Nurses Association is looking for members who have experience writing certification exams to allow their names to be published on the CNA website as mentors for nurses preparing to write the CNA Orthopaedic Nurses Certification exam. The role of the mentor is to share their experiences with preparing for writing the exam, discuss the mentees concerns and provide encouragement when required.

Guidelines for Certification Study Groups

Thinking about starting a study group to get ready for the April 2006 Orthopaedic Certification Exam? The following are a compilation of guidelines for study groups suggested to the author by nurses who participated in study groups to prepare for their CNA Specialty Certification Examinations.

• Schedule meetings regularly from beginning to exam time.
• Establish expectations of study group members regarding participation and contribution to the group.
• Establish meetings format i.e. topic presentation, sharing of group experiences related to topic, sharing of references/summary sheet, questions period related to topic.
• Identify study topic from the Orthopaedic Competencies document available on the CNA website.
• Assign group member’s topics to be presented at study group meetings.
• Schedule review time prior to the exam.
• Utilize questions found in the CNA Study Guide & NAON Core Curriculum text to practice for test.
• Identify and celebrate achieving milestones i.e. each set of competencies completed
• Most important of all, make meetings fun! Lots of laughter and food are important.