August 2016 • Volume 9, No. 8
From the Editor
This month the Summer Olympics games in Rio have given the world some relief from troubling headlines elsewhere. The thrill of witnessing some of the world’s top athletes performing brilliant feats–up close and personal–is one of the pleasures of modern life.
But athletes are prone to injury, either from acute trauma or cumulative trauma (overuse). There are plenty of Olympic stories that may not be so rosy but are of medical interest. In this issue we look at injuries that have befallen Olympians this year in three of the most common areas: shoulder, foot/ankle, and knee.
This month’s all-new crossword puzzle combines sports injury facts and Olympics trivia.
In the Spotlight is a new member we have just welcomed to NIFA’s staff: Kimberly Jones, RN, BSN, CNOR, RNFA, Director of Perioperative Programs.
Read on for RNFA jobs we’ve collected for you and links to our favorite resources.
Enjoy!
Shoulders
Separated Shoulder/AC Joint
Kerri Walsh Jennings, from Las Gatos, CA, is a three-time gold medalist for beach volleyball. She returned to the Olympics this month having recently undergone her fifth shoulder surgery.
– Read more about AC joint injury
– Watch an AC joint reconstruction video
Labral Tear of the Shoulder
After Kassidy Cook of Houston, TX, missedqualifying for the 2012 Olympics by just one spot, she tore the labrum in her shoulder and eventually had two surgeries that resulted in eight metal “anchors” being left in her shoulder. Between those surgeries and another one to mend a torn meniscus in her right knee in 2014, she missed a lot of training time. Yet she went on to make it onto the U.S. team for the Rio games.
– Read more about labral tears
– Watch a labral tear repair video
Ankles
Achilles’ Tendon
Sam Mikulak, from Newport Beach, CA, is the winner of three straight U.S. all-around titles for men’s gymnastics and was a competitor in the 2012 Olympics. But a partially torn Achilles’ tendon prevented him from participating in the World Championships in October 2015. Surgery and PRP (platelet rich plasma) injections were part of the recipe that enabled Sam to make it onto his second U.S. Olympic team.
– Read more about Achilles’ tendon surgery
– Watch an video showing an Achilles’ tendon reconstruction
Knees
ACL Reconstruction
John Orozco, from New York City, NY, made it onto the U.S. Gymnastics Team for the 2016 Olympics despite having suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee in 2012 and a torn Achilles’ tendon in 2015. Unfortunately, three weeks into training he suffered the same knee injury as in 2012, and he had to leave the team.
– Read about advances in ACL surgery
– Watch a video showing an ACL reconstruction using the patellar tendon
Perioperative Puzzle: Olympics & Sports Injury Surgery
Test your knowledge of the Olympics and three of the most common sports injuries with this month’s crossword puzzle.
When you’re ready to check your answers, follow this link to see how well you did. Good luck!
In The Spotlight: Kimberly Jones
We are delighted to welcome a new member to the staff at NIFA headquarters: Kimberly Jones, RN, BSN, CNOR, RNFA, who joins us as Director of Perioperative and RNFA College Programs.
Kim is herself a graduate of NIFA’s RNFA program (2008) and was profiled in our April 2010 issue. She and her husband made the move to Colorado last month with their Jack Russell terrier, Zero.
She has spent most of her career working in orthopedic surgery in central Illinois, where she most recently worked as an RNFA and specialty coordinator for orthopedics and neurosurgery at a community hospital.
From 2012 to 2015 she experienced travel nursing, working in locales as diverse as Green Bay, WI; Tucson, AZ; and Maui, HI where she spent nine months. Those positions enabled her to broaden her experience to include C-section surgery and laparoscopic surgery. Kimberly also has ICU and ER experience as well as experience in home health administration.
“I’ve always been especially interested in helping new nurses learn how to prepare to work in the OR,” she says. “So when the folks at NIFA called me about the program director opportunity, that’s what excited me.”
It’s no wonder she is excited. In addition to overseeing the RNFA program (college division), Kim will be in on the ground level of implementing a brand new program, to be announced in the next month or two, that will be of great benefit to nurses and ORs around the country. Kimberly is also excited to continue her own education and will begin pursuit of her MSN-Ed this September, with completion anticipated within two years!
Jobs
Click here for the RNFA job postings we’ve collected for you this month.
NIFA – Office Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00am – 4:00pm
Practice Resources
Here are several of the most-in-demand sites for our students, prospective students and grads:
ACS Surgery News: Specialty News and Commentaries, Videos and More
AORN Legislative Map: What’s Happening in My State
RNFA Scope of Practice by State (PDF)
ACS List of Cases that Require an Assistant at Surgery, 2016 (PDF)
AORN Perioperative Bookstore
Perioperative Nurse Links (state nursing boards & professional associations
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this newsletter are strictly those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of NIFA. NIFA does not give any express or implied warranty as to the accuracy of statements made by our contributors and does not accept any liability for error or omission. It is the responsibility of all perioperative personnel to work within and adhere to their facility bylaws and individual scope of practice.