The Orthopaedic Nurses Certification Board (ONCB) is pleased to announce the transition of three board members and the appointment of three new board members.
Amy Ketchum, DNP, RN, OCNS-C was selected to serve as President for 2024-2025. Dr. Ketchum has practiced in a variety of orthopedic settings for more than 20 years and has been certified as an Orthopaedic Clinical Nurse Specialist through ONCB since 2013. She is currently a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital located in Franklin Wisconsin and an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Jessica Alger, MSN-INF, RN, ONC was selected to serve as President-Elect for 2024-2025. Ms. Alger is a Registered Nurse from Georgia. She started her career in orthopaedics during her senior practicum in nursing school and later joined the unit as a staff nurse. During her time with the orthopaedic unit, Jessica acted as a charge nurse, served as a quality officer, and helped to precept and mentor new nurses. Later, Jessica accepted the role of Preoperative Nurse Navigator for the Total Joint Replacement program at her hospital and helped to educate patients and define the pre-operative curriculum. In 2019, Jessica completed her Master of Science in Nursing with an emphasis in Nurse Informatics and transitioned to a Clinical Informatics role. Combining a fascination with technology and a passion for orthopaedics, Jessica continues to assist the Total Joint Program from behind the scenes through reports, electronic medical record optimizations and data extraction.
Laura Arkin, MSN, APRN-CNS, ONC, ONC-A, CCNS, FCNS was selected to serve as Secretary-Treasurer for 2024-2025. Ms. Arkin has been dedicated to ONCB since 2011 functioning in various roles including Item Writer, Test Committee Member, Test Committee Chair, and now as a Board Director. Professionally, she is the Director of Quality at Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute where she works with to ensure the best possible care is provided to the orthopedic patients served in Central Florida and beyond. Prior to transitioning to her current role, Laura practiced as the Orthopedic Clinical Nurse Specialist across the Orlando Health system for over 14 years. She coached and mentored nurses, implemented best practices, conducted nursing research, collaborated with the multidisciplinary team, and guided patients in their care. Laura has been tied to orthopedic nursing her whole nursing career and is committed to ensuring patient care is optimal and orthopedic nurses are supported professionally.
Amanda Cullipher, ONP-C, MSN, AGNP-C joins the ONCB Board of Directors as a Director. Amanda has worked in healthcare and orthopedics for over 20 years. She started her career as a surgical technologist before obtaining her RN and ultimately my MSN. Amanda currently serves as the orthopedic trauma and foot and ankle nurse practitioner for Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, a level one trauma Center in Winston-Salem North Carolina. She has worked with this health system as an orthopedic APP since 2017. Her love for her career field and orthopedics is best shown through her commitment to being a team player, precepting students and mentoring coworkers, as well as being on the orthopedic APP compensation committee and the hospital wide APP Shared Governance committee.
Mary Jo Holloran, DNP, ANP-C, ONP-C joins the ONCB Board of Directors as a Director. Mary Jo brings to the board a love of life-long learning. She completed her DNP at Quinnipiac University in 2022 and holds a Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration. Mary Jo has been a Board-certified Nurse Practitioner since 1983, with a special interest in orthopedics. She began her work in the peri-operative field and has worked in the orthopedic field for most of her career. Currently, she is a Senior APP at University of Maryland/St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Towson, MD, where she is a member of the APP Council. Mary Jo is an orthopedic provider at Towson Orthopaedic Associates. In addition, she has mentored NP students through the years, was a clinical instructor in the undergraduate program at Towson University and has presented orthopedic topics both locally and nationally. Mary Jo is also an active peer reviewer for the NP Journal Magazine. She is an active member of AANP, NAON, and NPAM. In 2018 and again in 2023, Mary Jo was awarded the Excellence in Nursing as an Orthopedic Advanced Practice Provider by Baltimore Magazine.
Tiffany White, ONC, AGCNS-BC, CMSRN joins the ONCB Board of Directors as a Director. Tiffany has been a nurse for 15 years, practicing in a variety of specialities but always returned to her first passion- orthopedics. She completed her Advanced Practice degree as a Clinical Nurse Specialist with a special focus on orthopedic nursing and education. She is currently an Enterprise RN and clinical educator in Denver, Colorado.