LPN's in wound care?

Specialties Wound

Updated:   Published

hello,

I'm very interested in being a wound nurse. I just graduated with LPN. I'm wondering if I have to be an RN to be a wound nurse or if I can do it as a LPN? and if I can what are the steps to take and I also would like to know how it is as a wound care nurse. Is it the type of job where you go from place to place and make your own schedule or are you just employed by one company as their primary wound care nurse? also anything else I should know would be great!

Thanks!

I just want to reiterate on something mommy.19 stated earlier about the WCC. It is not correct that you only take a week course in wound care and then sit for the national exam. You have to have 2-5 years experience. There are over 15,000 WCC's now and only 3,000 CWS certified. I can tell a WCC immediately from a CWS. WCC have more hands on. This is why I chose the WCC versus the CWS. Just my opinion.

I was the FIRST LPN WCC in the United States in 2003. I have been an LPN since 2000 and I am here to tell you that I have went all the way to the top in my career as an LPN. I started 3 years long term care as a facility wound nurse, 10 years in the wound care center/hyperbaric medicine hospital setting. I am now a Corporate Wound Care Specialist Instructor and Clinical Coordinator for a leading advanced wound care company in the long term care setting training Physicians. I am living the dream.

I just want to reiterate on something mommy.19 stated earlier about the WCC. It is not correct that you only take a week course in wound care and then sit for the national exam. You have to have 2-5 years experience. There are over 15000 WCC's now and only 3,000 CWS certified. I can tell a WCC immediately from a CWS. WCC have more hands on. This is why I chose the WCC versus the CWS. Just my opinion. I was the FIRST LPN WCC in the United States in 2003. I have been an LPN since 2000 and I am here to tell you that I have went all the way to the top in my career as an LPN. I started 3 years long term care as a facility wound nurse, 10 years in the wound care center/hyperbaric medicine hospital setting. I am now a Corporate Wound Care Specialist Instructor and Clinical Coordinator for a leading advanced wound care company in the long term care setting training Physicians. I am living the dream.[/quote']

Simply because less people are CWSs would actually tend to indicate that there are more requirements to become a CWS versus a WCC. My biggest problem with the WCC credential is that it is a week long practicum in which students are taught toward an exam. And if you will read the requirements a little more closely, there is an option to complete 120 clinical hours in wound care after taking the WCC course, followed by taking the exam, so 2 years experience is not a requirement.

I have audited to WCC course, and while it is absolutely excellent education, I don't believe it should confer mastery of a specialty. This is, of course, one person's opinion. I do however hold three board certifications in wound and foot care from two certifying bodies. I think anyone wanting to dedicate their career and life to a specialty should start where they can but strive for the gold standard and most highly heralded board certifications in their specialty. This doesn't mean that a nurse without certification would necessarily be without any wound care knowledge, but we certify for a reason. We want our patients, colleagues, and others to know we have gone above and beyond to prove our mastery of wound care and show that we will strive to stay informed to best care for our patients.

It's great that you have found your passion, not many in this life will.

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I just want to reiterate on something mommy.19 stated earlier about the WCC. It is not correct that you only take a week course in wound care and then sit for the national exam. You have to have 2-5 years experience. There are over 15,000 WCC's now and only 3,000 CWS certified. I can tell a WCC immediately from a CWS. WCC have more hands on. This is why I chose the WCC versus the CWS. Just my opinion.

I was the FIRST LPN WCC in the United States in 2003. I have been an LPN since 2000 and I am here to tell you that I have went all the way to the top in my career as an LPN. I started 3 years long term care as a facility wound nurse, 10 years in the wound care center/hyperbaric medicine hospital setting. I am now a Corporate Wound Care Specialist Instructor and Clinical Coordinator for a leading advanced wound care company in the long term care setting training Physicians. I am living the dream.

Nurse4wounds I totally agree with you

A lot of people are obsessed with letters behind their names, thinking that will get them to the top. I'm not saying continuing education and degrees are not required for advancement, but you are where you are because of the quality care you give and the reputation you have in the community. You go girl!

Specializes in HBOT, wound care.

First of all Congrats to all the new grad's wanting to do wound care, Im a LPN have been for 4 years and doing wound care and loving it. I work in a out patient clinic, base Hospital. Kinda walked into the job and they have sent me to training and to HBOT training. Love what I do and my patients. The only down fall I work Monday thur Friday so no real chance to go back to school for my RN. :(.

First of all Congrats to all the new grad's wanting to do wound care Im a LPN have been for 4 years and doing wound care and loving it. I work in a out patient clinic, base Hospital. Kinda walked into the job and they have sent me to training and to HBOT training. Love what I do and my patients. The only down fall I work Monday thur Friday so no real chance to go back to school for my RN. :(.[/quote']

There any many LPN-RN programs that offer mostly online courses and very flexible clinicals, you can do it! Wound clinics are the best places to see tons of different types of wounds and gain valuable experience, and it sounds like you work for a great place that is willing to invest in you-- they already have. Never say never! :)

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I inherited the position as the wound care nurse in the long term care facility where I work after working the floor for a year :) -lpn My suggestion if you work in a LTC on the floor is to keep yourself involved in the treatments and wound care as much as possible. Ask if you can work with the treatment nurse once in a while.

Specializes in CWON - Certified Wound and Ostomy Nurse.

We are all sensitive when it comes certification and letters after our names however I agree w/ the statement made by mommy.19. I was a supervisor and sent a LPN of mine to the one week course where he took an exam at the end of a week and came home w/ three letters after his name. You can have great LPN wound care nurses and not so great RN wound care nurses. In the end it boils down to the person and their willingness to strive and learn everything they can to be an "expert". BUT, you have to agree you definitely have to question your abilities and knowledge base if you are completing a one week program versus a program that takes a year to complete. Granted the one week person may have experience as mentioned above but who is to say the person completing the one year training and exams didn't have experience beforehand as well? It's important to always keep abreast of new technologies and to have an understanding of physiology. Wound care is definitely not stagnant!

I agree with all of you, and thank you for sharing your opinions. I think what it all boils down to is what type of experience and passion we have for healing wounds. I don't care about the alphabet soup. All I know is that I always give 100% quality care to my patients. Thank you for what you do!!!

Specializes in Wound Care , Foot Care,and Geriatrics.

Wounds, wound healing, and lack of healing are wonderful opportunities to sink our teeth into more education, etiologies, and the extrinsic and intrinsic factors that accompany wounds. After 2 years in the " wound realm" I find that this knowledge and skills are utilized in many areas of nursing care. Considering that there are Master's Degree in wound science out there ( I work with an R.N with this degree) I know that wounds are a continuous dynamic learning curve!

Definitely able to be a wound care or treatment nurse. I am a new grad LPN with previous wound care experience from ALF facilities where I was shift supervisor and the "go to" wound person that the staff and visiting nurses came to. I was offered a position for treatment nurse at my new job and absolutely love it. My LTC has over 150 residents on 3 floors and 5 units. Lots to learn from, and learning new things everyday.

What's the website for the wound care certification.

Where did you go online, I'm not sure so many advertising for wound care, been a nurse 3yrs, and recently start as a treatment nurse for my facility and so far I love it better than being on med cart less stress. Wound care classes are little bit more than I can afford. Lead me to right website. Please

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