CAQ-Ortho study guide
CAQ-Ortho · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
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. Content coverage follows the specialty: orthopaedic assessment and imaging interpretation, fracture and soft-tissue injury management, operative and nonoperative treatment decisions, arthroplasty and sports medicine concepts, pediatric orthopaedics, complications, and rehabilitation. NCCPA maintains a dedicated Specialty CAQ Resources page and a Specialty CAQ FAQs page, and both should be your first stop for the current blueprint, eligibility rules, application steps, and scheduling windows, because those details are revised periodically. Preparation strategy: build a study plan around the published blueprint rather than a textbook's table of contents, weight time toward high-yield trauma and joint reconstruction material, review imaging and implant terminology, and finish with timed mixed-topic practice that mirrors clinical decision-making rather than isolated recall. Note: this page is independent study material and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NCCPA. Topics on this exam: Orthopaedic Surgery. The CAQ-Ortho study guide has 1 section and about 381 words.
01Orthopaedic Surgery: Prioritization, Assessment, and Definitive Care
The Orthopaedic Surgery domain tests whether you can apply a systematic, safety-first approach to musculoskeletal problems across trauma, degenerative joint disease, sports injury, pediatric deformity, spine, hand, foot and ankle, and oncology. Questions reward prioritization, accurate neurovascular assessment, and evidence-based definitive management rather than pattern recognition alone. Resuscitation precedes reconstruction: in a polytrauma patient, complete the primary survey and treat life-threatening hemorrhage before limb fixation. Every injured limb gets a neurovascular examination, assessment of the joint above and below, and immobilization; document findings before and after reduction.
381 words, about 2 minMore study resources for CAQ-Ortho
- Practice questionsA 24-year-old man sustains a closed tibial shaft fracture after a fall.
- FlashcardsCompartment syndrome early sign. The earliest reliable sign is pain out of proportion to the injury that worsens with passive stretch of the muscles in the affected compartment.
- Cheat sheetCompartment syndrome: the earliest and most reliable clinical sign is pain out of proportion to injury, worsened by passive stretch of the compartment muscles; pulselessness and paralysis are late findings.
- Key termsSalter-Harris classification. A five-type system describing fractures that involve the growth plate, based on which regions of bone and physis are crossed; higher grades carry greater risk of growth disturbance.
- Study planMap the full CAQ-Ortho blueprint into a one-page checklist that lists every orthopaedic subtopic you must cover and rate your current confidence on each from 1 to 5.
- Common mistakesOrthopaedic questions often present a classic-sounding presentation with one discordant detail (wrong age, wrong location, normal inflammatory markers).
- Exam-day guideBring the original, unexpired ID in the exact name used on your registration.