Matt Lowe, MDiv, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, ONC, sat down onsite at NAON’s 44th Annual Congress in Louisville, Kentucky, with two first-time Congress attendees to discuss their journey in the field of orthopaedic nursing. Kellyann Kosma, DNP, APRN, NP-C, is the advanced practice program manager at Hartford Healthcare Bone & Joint Institute, and she discusses her experience as a podium and poster presenter at Congress. Amanda Hill, BSN, ONC, RN, the total joint registered nurse coordinator at Windy Hill Total Joint Center, talks about the impact that joining NAON has had on her career, enabling her to network while sharing the knowledge and passion of orthopaedic nursing with others.

Matt Lowe, MDiv, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, ONC sat down with Dr. Mary O’Connor to discuss the impact that social determinants and individual behavior choices can have on musculoskeletal disparities in our nation. Mary is an orthopaedic surgeon with over 23 years of experience at Mayo Clinic and Yale University School of Medicine and is Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Vori Health. As the chair of the board of Directors for Movement is Life, a multidisciplinary coalition with a mission to decrease musculoskeletal health disparities among women and underserved individuals, she shares about the success of their community-based program, Operation Change which focuses on early intervention, education, behavior change and advocacy.

Matt Lowe, MDiv, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, ONC sat down with Christen Nelson RN, BN, ONC to discuss the value of patient optimization prior to orthopaedic surgeries. Christen has been an orthopaedic nurse for 15 years and is currently the lead orthopaedic nurse navigator at Yale Newhaven Hospital. She explains the importance of patient optimization to identify modifiable risk factures for complications post-surgery. Christen shares more information and how she has received positive feedback from patients on the optimization and nurse navigation processes.