The bones of orthopaedic nurse education: A collaborative approach to practice development

This article describes how an orthopaedic education programme was developed in Scotland and will look towards the future for this innovative course. The background to the project is introduced and shows how a scoping exercise provided the necessary evidence to show that a higher level orthopaedic qualification was needed. The collaborative partnership between the clinical and academic workforce was of paramount importance in the development of the course and continues to be an essential relationship. The course curriculum is described and the course evaluations to date are commented on. This work seeks to confirm that the way forward for orthopaedic nurses is to have a professionally recognised and academically accredited qualification.