You really need to go on to a RN program, Betty. Wound care isn't just changing dressings, it's assessing the wound AND the contributing factors, the patient's ability to manage their care and their...
For a clean surgical wound, you want the wound bed to remain moist (not wet); if it dries out, it's not going to heal. Wet-to-dry drsgs mean just that--moist gauze that's allowed to dry out so that...
Good for you, chrissylou! I'm more than happy for anyone to bounce ideas & questions off me. My one great message is that a wound is just a part of a whole person; all that person's physical...
Emmjay, your professional background sounds excellent to proceed. Chrissy Lou, I know, I agree, the WOCN route is difficult, and I certainly agree, we need many more nurses knowledgable in wound care...
Slough tissue is that white-ish (or grey-ish) looking glunk you see adhering to an otherwise pink-to-red wound bed. After a week with a transparent dressing over eschar, you'll see it connecting the...
If the patient's nutritional status isn't adequate for healing, it is not going to heal. Period. Nutrition is that important. Don't beat yourself up, the "host" has to support healing, or it's not...
OMG, is this still going on??? I've been retired since 2008, and the wet to dry was being contested even when I went back to school and became a CWOCN in 1995! NO, NO, NO, NO--- NO WET TO DRY...
Sorry to see I've discovered this forum until now, so my post will not be pertinent to that specific patient. However, the use of liquid adhesives is probably universal with experienced VAC...
Physicians have no concept of what allowed nursing practice is--yes, really! The physician must do this unless your personal/professional credentials along with your State board of nursing AND your...
I retired two yrs ago, but had been a CWOCN since 1995. At my last position as a CWOCN at a community hospital in the Portland OR area, I was making $38+/hr. Keep in mind, wages/salaries are higher on...
I've been a CWOCN since 1995, and while ostomies constituted only about 25% of my practice, I found that overall, that has given me the greatest professional satisfaction as far as making a really...
Certification through WOCN educational endeavor is the Gold Standard. Period. But please consider: before doing ANY specialty course work, you first need to become an expert nursing generalist, which...
You definitely need at least five years of med-surg practice before going for certification. This is because the CWON must consider age, prognosis, cognition, ALL body systems, comorbidities,...
This is why certified wound specialists are needed. You need to look at the bigger picture: what's the patient's over-all condition and prognosis? The plan depends completely on that. For example,...