Orthopedics Specialty Practice Group

I have been involved in orthopedics/Musculoskeletal (MSK) since 2011. I knew I wanted this to by my area of practice from the moment I started my NP program. I was a competitive weightlifter when I was younger and have always had an interest in the mechanics of the body and figuring out a way to get people feeling better. It is a great feeling treating patients with MSK problems because there is often a concrete tangible treatment that yields results, sometimes almost immediately. I love to learn new things that can help improve my patients care but I also like to teach what I have learned. I believe any provider can learn and apply the basics of orthopedics and MSK to their primary practice to bring benefit to their patients whether that is by treatment, knowing what to order, or where to send them if needed. I hope I can help facilitate communication and learning in my role as orthopedics co-chair and look forward to our interactions.

Karen M. Myrick, DNP, APRN, FNP, ONP, FAAN, is an Associate Professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Health and Science, Department of Nursing, University of Saint Joseph, West Hartford, Connecticut, and the track coordinator for the Post-Master's Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Certificate program for Nurse Practitioners and Physician. Assistants. She is also a Clinical Associate Professor of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Connecticut. Dr. Myrick also maintains a clinical practice as a nurse practitioner. She has many years of experience teaching and was nominated for an “Excellence in Teaching” award in 2015 and 2017, as well as the recipient of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty’s “Outstanding Researcher of the Year Award.” Dr. Myrick’s research focus is on athletes and sports medicine. The recipient of multiple grants, she works to improve clinical health assessment of her patient population. She is the recipient of the National Association of Orthopedic Nurses (NAON) research grant award this year, 2021. Dr. Myrick's passion for patient care, education and research is evidenced by her development and testing of a newly designed physical examination technique for determining hip labral tears, “The Hip Internal Rotation with Distraction (THIRD) Test.” Dr. Myrick is the author of Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Case Studies for Advanced Practice Nurses, coeditor of Advanced Health Assessment and Differential Diagnosis: Essentials for Clinical Practice, and a senior editor for the interprofessional Journal of Clinical Case Reports. Karen is triathlete, martial artist, and runner. Her personal interests are well-aligned with her expertise in the area and her research.