CAQ-Ortho case studies
CAQ-Ortho · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Orthopaedic Surgery CAQ is a Certificate of Added Qualifications offered through NCCPA's specialty certificate program, which NCCPA describes as a way for PAs to "show your advanced expertise in your specialty." It is aimed at Board Certified PAs who already hold the PA-C credential and want documented, specialty-level recognition in orthopaedic surgery rather than a generalist certification. NCCPA states that its certification programs "reflect standards for clinical knowledge, clinical reasoning and other medical skills and professional behaviors required upon entry into practice and throughout the careers of PAs," so the CAQ is designed to sit on top of initial certification, not replace it. The CAQ-Ortho case studies are 5 cases and about 3,634 words.
1Displaced Femoral Neck Fracture in an Elderly Patient on Apixaban
An 84-year-old woman is admitted at 22:00 after a mechanical fall at home. She has a displaced femoral neck fracture (Garden III) and is otherwise hemodynamically stable.
746 words, about 4 min2Gartland III Supracondylar Fracture With a Pulseless Pink Hand
A 6-year-old boy is brought to the emergency department after falling from monkey bars. He holds his right elbow flexed and refuses to move it.
720 words, about 4 min3Equivocal Compartment Pressure After a Tibial Shaft Fracture
A 32-year-old man is 8 hours after a closed tibial shaft fracture from a motorcycle crash. He has a long leg backslab, a morphine PCA, and escalating pain.
740 words, about 4 min4Hot Swollen Native Knee: Septic Arthritis Versus Gout
A 63-year-old man presents with a 2-day history of a swollen, hot right knee. Temperature is 38.7°C and heart rate 104 beats/min.
677 words, about 3 min5Periprosthetic Distal Femur Fracture After Total Knee Arthroplasty
A 79-year-old woman presents 3 weeks after a cemented cruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty with a fall and inability to weight-bear. Radiographs show a comminuted supracondylar distal femur fracture, with a fracture line extending proximally, a well-fixed femoral component with no radiolucent lines, and severe osteopenia.
751 words, about 4 min