Nursing Topics in Orthopedics, Rheumatology, and Mental Health

Amy B. Harris, MSN, RN, OCNS-C
Orthopaedic Clinical Nurse Specialist
Licensed Advanced Practice Nurse
Maryland and District of Columbia
Consultant / Educator
Clinical Program Coordinator
Rheumatology Division
Children's National Health System (CNHS)
Washington, D.C.

Amy B. Harris, has spent the past 30 years working in a variety of orthopaedic settings, to include level one trauma hospital in-patient units, operating rooms, ambulatory care settings, a rehabilitation hospital, and in out-patient pediatric orthopaedics and rheumatology. Amy's roles within these settings have included those of staff nurse, nurse manager, clinical program coordinator, and clinical nurse specialist.

. As an Advanced Practice Nurse, she has conducted independent fracture and gait clinics. She has demonstrated her expertise, holding certification as an orthopaedic clinical nurse specialist. Her commitment to the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses (NAON) is evident in her participation as a national congress speaker. Amy was co-chair of the first full day APN conference held during NAON congress in 2017.

She currently serves as vice chair of the Orthopaedic Nursing Certification Board (ONCB) Exam Prep Committee. Amy has earned distinction as a presenter of a variety of orthopaedic and rheumatological topics. She has shared her insights nationally at conferences cosponsored by NAON and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. She has also presented orthopaedic nursing certification exam review courses. She is well known for her ability to provide practical information and interesting case studies to healthcare providers.

Valerie R. Vestal, MSN, PMHNP-BC

Valerie is a Board Certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. Her nursing career has yielded a variety of experiences extending from Cardiac Critical Care, Nursing Informatics, and Adjunct Clinical Instructor. She has found her home in Psychiatry.

She received both her undergraduate and graduate degree in Nursing from Winston-Salem State University. She also holds a Post Master in Psychiatric Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of South Alabama School of Nursing. She is also a Lieutenant in the United States Navy Reserve and has deployed to both Kuwait and Germany.

She is passionate about uplifting patients who have a negative self-image and have defined themselves by their illness. She has most recently expressed this through her work as a contributing author in the book Goodness Abounds.

*Tentative course schedule, actual class times may differ.