ONC® Certification study guide
ONC · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The ONC® (Orthopaedic Nurse Certified) credential is awarded by the Orthopaedic Nurses Certification Board (ONCB), an independent certification body. ONCB describes the ONC certification program as one that "advances the care of the orthopaedic patient and promotes excellence in specialty nursing practice," and states that the exam was "written for nurses by nurses based on analysis of real orthopaedic nurses' practice." The credential is intended for nurses practicing in orthopaedic settings who want to demonstrate specialty knowledge; ONCB notes the ONC credential is recognized by colleagues and employers as a mark of excellence and shows the certificant is "educated, engaged, and committed to providing the highest quality care to your patients." This page does not restate the exam's content outline - candidates should consult ONCB's own Exam Description page for the current blueprint, since ONCB does not publish the detailed domain breakdown on its landing page. Preparation follows the path ONCB lays out: confirm eligibility on the Exam Eligibility page, review fees, register for the exam, then use the Exam Study Resources and ONCB's online exam prep products. ONCB also publishes an Exam Candidate Handbook covering the full exam process, a free Category A CE list (BONEafide) useful for recertification, and scholarship opportunities for exam costs. Topics on this exam: Orthopaedic Nursing Practice. The ONC study guide has 1 section and about 424 words.
01Orthopaedic Nursing Practice
Orthopaedic Nursing Practice is the clinical core of the ONC exam: assessment and monitoring of patients with musculoskeletal injury, surgery, or chronic disease. Items cluster around neurovascular assessment, compartment syndrome, fat embolism, VTE prevention, cast and traction care, and joint-replacement precautions. Perform and document a full neurovascular check (the Ps: pain, pallor, paresthesia, paralysis, pulselessness, plus temperature and capillary refill) on every injured or postoperative limb, and compare with the baseline and the opposite limb. Pain out of proportion to the injury and pain on passive stretch are the earliest signs of compartment syndrome.
424 words, about 2 min