Nursing Topics in Orthopedics, Rheumatology, and Mental Health

Amy B. Harris, MSN, APN, OCNS-C, spent 30 years working in a variety of orthopaedic settings to include level one trauma hospital in-patient units, ambulatory care settings, a rehabilitation hospital, operating rooms, and in out-patient pediatric orthopaedics and rheumatology. Amy's roles within these settings have included those of staff nurse, nurse manager, and clinical nurse specialist. 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 through her participation as a national congress speaker. She is on the test committee for the Orthopaedic Nursing Certification Board (ONCB) and has served as an item-writer for the ONCB's certification exams. Amy served on NAON's education committee, and she was co-chair of NAON's first full day APN conference.

As a Rheumatology Nurse Coordinator for the past 9 years, Amy expanded her expertise in the field of rheumatology. She is an active member of the Rheumatology Nurses Society (RNS). Amy has earned distinction as a sought-after presenter on a variety of topics related to the care of patients with orthopaedic and rheumatologic conditions. She has shared her insights nationally at conferences co-sponsored by NAON and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. She has also presented orthopaedic certification exam review courses around the country. Amy is well known for her energized teaching style and ability to provide practical information and interesting case studies to health care providers from varied disciplines.

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.