An interesting question has been posed of me recently, and when I reflected upon it, I realize now that I’ve been asked this question thousands of times. The question was “Why did you become a Wound Care Certified Nurse?”. Wow, its a good question. The answer has many components to it and many levels of reasoning. I’ll explain…

Many people have become nurses for various reason; they want to change the world, they like the challenge, they like the pay (compared to other jobs they had), their guidance counselor told them the job outlook was good, they knew someone who was a nurse and they thought they looked good in scrubs…Who knows? But for those of us that got into nursing for  a deeper reason or interest, you know what I mean.

My journey began way back in high school when I worked in between my sports as a student athletic trainer. I would work with the other student athletes when they were injured. I thought I would eventually become a Certified Athletic Trainer or Physical Therapist. I did the same in College in off season. I remember working a Cross Country meet and a participant sustained a head injury that caused extensive bleeding and subsequent loss of consciousness. Assisting in the stabilization of this patient and accompanying him to the Emergency Room in a Philadelphia City Hospital, I was exposed to a new world of health care. It just so happened that there were a few male nurses there who I erroneously thought were doctors. It turned out they were nurses. As the dust settled and the opportunity to converse with these nurses played out, I realized that there was something I may be interested in pursuing.

A few years later, my father became ill with lung cancer. His hospitalization was short as we brought him home on Hospice. The hospital staff nurses were awesome to my father. They made him comfortable when we knew there wasn’t much time. They did some cool things and taught me some things that at the time I didn’t know. They helped me understand better what was happening.

Fast forward a few years into my nursing career. For some reason, I was always pulled into helping with changing the bandages of some of the most involved wounds. Back then it seemed there was no method to the madness (treatment orders). I saw it all. Packing dressings with BARD, Milk of Magnesia dressings, Heat Lamps…..the list goes on.  I came to have a reputation for ‘enjoying’ doing the dressing changes and had an interest in doing this type of work. I took pride in seeing the various traumatic and surgical wounds heal as the days, weeks and months passed.

As the career path became work clear and evident, I sought out becoming official and getting specialized training. I attended any and all types of inservices and meetings concerning wound care. Then it hit me. I learned about the Wound Care Education Institute’s Wound and Skin Management Course. Behold, you can become Wound Care Certified in One Week! I said to myself “I’m totally doing this!”

I remember my class like it was yesterday. I had two instructors. Cindy Broadus RN and Scott Batie PT. I sat in the front row to the right and it was awesome! These instructors rocked! They had a plethora of knowledge that they transferred to me that is invaluable.  Later, I came to know the Co-Founders of the Wound Care Education Institute, Nancy Morgan RN and Donna Sardina RN. All of these individuals have so many initials behind their names that would amaze you as to their experience and clout. They are truly amazing people. To date, there are over 9000+ WCCs (Wound Care Certified) Professionals. The number is more close to 10,000. The people at the Wound Care Education Institute are responsible for teaching the teachers and clinical experts out there that are touching the lives of countless names and faces of patients that are cared for in the United States and beyond. Yes Beyond!!! Many of the WCCs are treating patients Internationally in places like Haiti and Ethiopia. I’m certain there are more places  but you get the idea.

Intrinsically, there is something that is of value to be able to physically see and measure improvement of a healing wound.  To know that you have something to do with the resulting healing wound gives extreme satisfaction.  On a superficially level, its like winning a game or knowing the directions to a destination of which you are the one that has that knowledge. When you transfer that knowledge (like WCEI has done for me), and you see the results before your eyes, the reward is priceless. It helps to see the smiles on the faces of the patients we care for, wouldn’t you say?

For me, I am taking it in a bit of a different direction. Although I still see and treat patients in a Hyperbaric Oxygen Wound Clinic setting, I think there is an amazing opportunity to share the knowledge I’ve gained online. Some of you may have attended the Wild On Wounds National Conference the past few years and had the opportunity to catch one of my presentations on Social media and Wound Care.  One of the things we do as Wound Care Nurses (and Professionals) is educate our patients, their family members and colleagues about the wound healing process. The internet provides a medium for a digital version. Through Blog posts such as this one, Audio and Video Podcasts (YouTube and iTunes),  Micoblogs (Twitter), Social Networking (Facebook and LinkedIn) and more, we can converse and add value to our communities by teaching and consuming content that enriches our knowledge and the education of others. Its another way that we can help and extend our wound care education for ourselves and that of the communities we serve.

What about you? Why did you become wound care certified? If you are not certified yet, why would you like to be?

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The New Jersey Wound Care Certification Initiative was developed with the intent of significantly reducing the incidence and severity of pressure ulcers among patients and residents in New Jersey’s hospitals (including IRFs and LTCHs), nursing homes, assisted living facilities, as well as clients of New Jersey’s home health agencies.  The goal of this program is to increase specialized wound care education, skills and certification of nursing staff and to dramatically expand the number of New Jersey nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living facilities and home health agencies that utilize wound care certified professionals in prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers.

A week-long wound care training course with wound care certification examination will be offered at four different locations in the state of New Jersey.

• • St. Barnabas Behavioral Health-Toms River-Southeast   1691 US Highway Route 9 – CN 2025 ,Toms River, NJ 08754
  • St. Barnabas Ambulatory Care Center- Livingston- North  200 South Orange Ave, Livingston , NJ  07039
  • Barry Brown Center – Virtua – Southwest 106 Carnie Blvd, Vorhees , NJ, 08043
  • NJHA- Central  760 Alexander Road , Princeton , NJ, 08543

The course will be given by the Wound Care Education Institute and Wound Care Certification exam and credentials will be offered by the National Alliance of Wound Care®.

Qualified New Jersey nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living facilities and home health agencies will be given the opportunity to send participants.

The initiative is being sponsored by the National Alliance of Wound Care® (NAWC®) in cooperation with the New Jersey Hospital Association’s Institute for Quality & Patient Safety.

Nursing homes whose nurses complete the course and pass the certification exam will be eligible to have $1,000 of the registration fee returned thanks to the generous support of New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services through the nursing home civil monetary penalty fund.

Who can apply?

Licensed New Jersey nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living facilities and home health agencies may submit an application for employees who must meet the following criteria:

• Applicant is a current employee of the facility submitting the application.
• The applicant holds an active, unrestricted New Jersey license as Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse.
• It can be documented that wound care has been a component of the applicant’s job duties for at least 2 years out of the last 5 years.

Only qualified individuals will be allowed to participate in the program.

Qualified applicants who are accepted for participation will be required to attend all four days of the training class, no absences permitted.  Organizations will be responsible for travel and lodging of chosen participants, if necessary.

Instructions

1. Complete the course application.
2. Submit application along with $2597.00 course fee to Wound Care Education Institute. Make checks payable to “Wound Care Education Institute” or complete credit card section on the application.
3. Applicants will receive notification of course acceptance within 2 business days of receiving application. Notifications will be made by phone and/or email.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD APPLICATION

The fund is derived from federal enforcement and is allocated to New Jersey
from the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services.  The purpose of the fund is to improve quality in
nursing homes.

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What do you think the average costs are for treating a lower extremity ulcer? $10,000? $20,000? $30,000? What would you say if the costs were actually averaging $40,000 for the treatment of just one lower extremity ulcer? Hard to believe huh? Take a look at this video below as Donna Sardina RN briefly describes the costs of lower extremity ulcers.

As wound care certified nurses, we are called to care for individuals who have wounds. You can imagine what the costs are to care for these individuals and their wounds. If you are interested in becoming wound care certified, check out http://www.wcei.net for more information on the Wound Care Education Institute’s Wound Care Certification Course.

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Our Skin and Wound Management Course is designed to provide participants with the best practices in wound care, the science behind healing wounds, and the most current standards of practice.  At the end of the course, for those that pursue wound certification the National Alliance of Wound Care® provides the  WCC® exam.  Click here to view our detailed course curriculum.

Become Wound Care Certified with WCEI’s Wound Care Course
Or just simply take the course for your own knowledge and benefit.  Our wound certification course is an informative and empowering week for anyone interested in learning more about healing wounds.

Individuals who are not eligible for wound care certification may also attend the course. Wound-related product sales representatives or other non-clinicians can gain valuable insight into the business and science of wound care, thus giving them an edge over their competition.

Wound Care Certification
WCEI’s Skin and Wound Management Course meets the pre-requisite requirement for the National Alliance of Wound Care® (NAWC®) certification exam. Eligible participants are given the option to take the wound examination onsite.  Please click here to view the requirements for wound care certification.

The Wound Care Certification Exam
The NAWC® Wound Care Certification Examination is administered at the conclusion of the course for those who meet the eligibility requirements to sit for the certification exam. The test is administered by NAWC – the National Alliance of Wound Care.

The Advantages of Wound Care Certification

• Earning a wound specialist certification offers many advantages and benefits including:
• Increased consumer/patient confidence
• Feelings of pride, self-satisfaction and confidence for the certified wound specialist
• Enhanced career opportunities and accelerated career advancement including higher pay levels
• Professional acknowledgement, recognition, and respect

Course Atmosphere
The Skin and Wound Management Course is taught in a fun, relaxed and professional environment.  The classes are upbeat, positive, high energy, and designed specifically for health care professionals.  Classes are interactive to maintain participants’ energy and interest levels; and all of the instructors are dynamic presenters who use lots of visuals, a variety of learning styles, interesting examples and humor as part of their instruction styles.  We promise you won’t be bored.

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WCEI is the best choice for training in wound care.   Wound care nurses (including LPNs, RNs and LVNs), Physicians, Physical Therapists and other health care and wound care professionals obtain significant benefits from WCEI’s world-class wound care training.  If your job involves wound care bedside patient care and/or wound management, WCEI’s  wound care training would be a very useful addition to your career.  For more information about getting Wound Care Certified, check out WCEI’s wound care certification course information.

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Yesterday was a preview of  September 10, 2009 and the Pre-Conference Sessions for this year’s Wild on Wounds Conference. Below are some descriptions of the sessions for Friday September 11, 2009. We have some awesome speakers and interesting sessions lined up for you so check them out and get ready for Las Vegas!!!

• Opening Session – Keynote
  David Crowe
  Go “ALL IN” on this one as it is a Sure Bet for a Full
  House as we practice our laughter skills with comedian
  David Crowe. David is the only comedian in history to
  have won both the Seattle and San Francisco International
  Stand-up Comedy Competitions. He won them back-toback,
  within nine months of each other. He spends most
  of his time on the road, headlining the best comedy clubs
  around the United States, Canada and Europe. He recently
  debuted his own one-hour special on ShowTime®, has
  appeared numerous times on Comedy Central® and is a
  favorite on the “Bob and Tom Show” which is syndicated to
  120 markets nationwide. In 1996 he was selected to open
  for President Bill Clinton at the Paramount Theater in Seattle.
• The Buzz Report
  Nancy Morgan, RN, BSN, MBA, ET, CWCN, WCC
  Donna Sardina, RN, MHA, WCC
  This is your source for the latest breaking wound care
  news: What’s new! What’s now! What’s coming up! Donna
  and Nancy, WCEI co-founders, will bring you up to date
  on all things buzzable in wound care – new products,
  guidelines, resources and tools.
• NPUAP Update 2009
  Diane Langemo, PhD, RN, FAAN, NPUAP President
  A detailed overview of the recent and upcoming accomplishments of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel will be
  presented in this session. This will include information on the Shear Initiative: the NPUAP-EPUAP International Pressure
  Ulcer Prevention and Treatment Guidelines, including highlights from the new sections in the guidelines (palliative care, pain,
  critical care) and NPUAP’s ongoing work with the CMS in the area of public policy related to pressure ulcer preventions, care
  and research. There will be time for an interactive audience question and answer period.
• Principles & Practice of Maggot Debridement Therapy Part 1
  Ron Sherman, MD, MSc, DTM&H, Asst. Researcher University of California, Irvine, California
  Pam Mitchell
  Back by popular demand! Welcome back, Dr. Sherman!!! Taught in two sessions, you’ll get the didactic and the practical
  hands on. Learn about the history, biology, indications and contraindications for maggot therapy. Then put all that to use
  when you actually learn the technical aspects of maggot debridement therapy by applying live maggot dressings to mock
  wounds. Seats are limited! Sign up now!
• Wheelchair Boot Camp
  Bill Richlen, PT, WCC, CWS Infinitus, LLC, WCEI Instructor
  When a patient is sitting, the ischial tuberosities are under great pressure forces of around 100 mmHg, making them one of the
  most common areas of pressure ulcer development. Due to improper positioning, the sacrum/coccyx and plantar aspect of the
  foot also become high risk areas. In this session we will discuss the common problems seen in seating, consider the postural concerns
  for the spine and pelvis, and demonstrate how to choose the appropriate cushions and properly fit wheelchairs for your patients.
• The Diagnostic Basis of Wound Healing: The Lab and Beyond . . .
  Don Wollheim, MD, WCC, FAPWCA, IMPLEXUS Wound Care Service, LLC, WCEI Instructor
  Whether faced with diagnostic uncertainty, stalled wound healing or baseline assessment, utilizing scientific investigation can
  help uncover and identify underlying problems that are complicating wound healing. This session will include a comprehensive
  review of diagnostic tests and laboratory values that are critical for assessment and monitoring of wound and skin therapy.
• Principles & Practice of Maggot Debridement Therapy Part 2
  Ron Sherman, MD, MSc, DTM&H, Asst. Researcher University of California, Irvine, California
  Pam Mitchell
  Back by popular demand! Welcome back, Dr. Sherman!!! Taught in two sessions, you’ll get the didactic and the practical
  hands on. Learn about the history, biology, indications and contraindications for maggot therapy. Then put all that to use
  when you actually learn the technical aspects of maggot debridement therapy by applying live maggot dressings to mock
  wounds. Seats are limited! Sign up now!
• Palliative Care Practices for Wounds at End of Life
  Linda M. Hoplamazian, RN, BSN, MHA, WCC
  Wound care professionals can manage wounds at end of life by utilizing evidence-based standards from best practice for
  individualized care delivery. The challenge: Choosing the most effective approach to wound care while meeting the goals for
  providing quality palliative symptom management to the patient approaching end of life. Standardized practice guidelines will be
  presented for management of pressure ulcers and other types of common wounds seen at end of life.
• If It Wasn’t Documented, It Wasn’t Done! Documentation Woes
  Cindy Broadus, RN, BSHA, LNHA, CLNC, CLNI, CHCRM, WCC, 3C Healthcare Consulting, LLC, WCEI Instructor
  The medical record is considered to be the most reliable source for determining what happened. It is a legal document, yet
  not always treated as such. With litigation lurking around the corner for every healthcare professional, we, as Wound Care
  Certified professionals, need to make sure our documentation is complete, concise and correct. Come on it and let’s talk
  about correct terms, techniques, and steps it will take to keep you out of trouble.

For those of you interested in becoming wound care certified, come to the Wild on Wounds Seminar in Las Vegas and learn from some these outstanding speakers. For details about becoming wound care certified go to WCEI.net.

We have some great sessions and a lot to learn. Come out to Las Vegas and meet up with your colleagues to learn about all of these great topics. Register Here.

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This year’s conference is lining up to be an outstanding one to say the least. Below is the Pre-Conference Session Line Up. Look for Pt 2 tomorrow.

Thursday September 10, 2009 Pre-Conference Sessions

• Nancy Morgan RN, BSN, MBA, CWCN, WCC will start off the conference with Wound Care Business Start-Up, Marketing and Service Performance. If you are considering going into business for yourself, you’ll want to attend this session! Do you want to have a consulting career? This course will have all the basic and essential information you’ll need to get started such as how to’s and what legal structures to consider, fees, and tips on marketing, advertising, building your customer base and developing business plans, forms and much more.

• Sharp Debridement Certificate Program (Sessions 1,2 and 3) by Bill Richlen PT, WCC, CWS, Infinitus LLC, WCEI Instructor and Theresa Ferrante PTA, WCC, Grandview Hospital Dayton, Ohio. This program focuses on comprehensive presentation of wound bed preparation utilizing conservative sharp debridement.The session will include A&P, implications and contraindications, techniques, tools, documentation, legal issues and policy development. Hands-on lab practicum starts with skill performance check-off. All debridement instruments and supplies are provided for the skills lab. Hands on lab practicum continues with skill performance check-off. Attendance at session parts 1, 2 & 3 required. Participants will be awarded a Sharp Debridement Certificate upon completion of the program.

Be sure to make plans early to attend the Wild on Wounds 2009 Seminar in Las Vegas NV. You can register here.

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Here you are reading this blog on WCEI.net about wound care. Whats all the buzz about Social Media anyway? For that matter what is Social Media and how do you use it? In short it is interacting with one another. Being social is part of our very fabric as humans and though we are Professionals, there is a social aspect to our encounters with patients. We learn from one another in social interaction, provide value, deliver goods and services, share emotions and much  more.

Providing wound care is no different. There is interaction with a care giver and a patient who needs the help, guidance and expertise of a wound care certified professional. We teach our patients with each new encounter, how to change dressings or discuss their status and/or prognosis. Sometimes those lessons stick and sometimes they don’t. What happens when the patients leave the clinic or office? What happens to the patients until the next encounter? Is there follow through? What interactive resources exist outside of the encounters we have with our patients?

Tools exist now for us to communicate beyond the clinic , nursing home or hospital. The very internet you are using now to read this blog post is under utilized. We are so connected and have an opportunity to share so much more through these tools. Facebook allows us to connect with friends and colleagues and even our patients. We have the opportunity to share our thoughts, ask questions, share photographs and videos. The potential for learning is nothing short than amazing! For virtually no cost, you can talk with someone on the other side of the country through services like Skype or ooVoo or iChat.

So my question and challenge to you is, How can you utilize these tools, this social media, to better serve your patients for wound care? Telemedicine? Consultation? What about sharing of ideas, pictures and videos on rare cases? We would love to hear how you picture Social Media being utilized by the medical profession and wound care certified nurses.

Come check out the Wound Care Education Institute on Facebook here and add us as a friend. Discuss you wound care situations with us there, or check us out on Twitter.

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