What is the next step to getting certified?

[boojeboy]

I've been out of clinical practice for about one year and have been working as a telecare RN in support of hospice patients. It is very low stress, the pay is great, and I have guaranteed lunch breaks that I am actually able to make, but I know it is a dead end job that will limit my career.

I have always been very, very interested in wound care and in my past practice provided wound care for leg amputations, bed sores, motor vehicle accidents etc. I actually really enjoy doing wound care, as weird as that may sound to some people.

I'm an RN,BSN by the way, been nursing now for three years.

There is a three day class that is offered on wound care near where I live that I have contemplated taking, but I don't know if it will fulfill the requirements that would allow me to test for certification. Here is a link: Wound Care Nurse Certification Courses | Kane Educational

Also, what about something like this course? Diabetic Skin & Wound Management

Also, another question, the wound care nurses I have known in the past go around and visit patients, rather than work on a floor providing direct patient care and answering call lights. Is that accurate? Bedside nursing is so stressful for me. I knew a wound care nurse at the VA who only went around providing daily visits, assessments and wound care to patients, and that was all she did. That'd be my dream job

Thank you so much for any help and advice. I really appreciate it.

[tamari07]

I've been in wound care for 5 years and more recently ostomy care for 1 year. I received my CWON from Emory University last year. I began my wound care experience fresh from floor nursing 6 years ago. I worked in an outpatient wound care clinic for 5 years, which gave me invaluable experience. I then transitioned to the inpatient side about a year ago after receiving my certification. As an inpatient wound care nurse I am responsible for assessing inpatients, coming up with a wound care plan, working with surgeons, hospitalists, social workers, primary nurses, etc. to come up with a plan of care; there is definitely a case management aspect to it as well. I absolutely love inpatient wound care as I still have hands-on, bedside experience, but am not a full-time floor nurse working 12 hour shifts on a stressful unit. It's the best nursing job in my opinion.

As far as wound certification goes, you must show at least 2-3 years experience of wound care to be eligible to sit for the certification exam. I don't know where you are located, but Emory University in Atlanta has a top-notch program, which is distance-learning based: Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing Education Center | Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing | University | Atlanta GA. You must go to Atlanta for a one week "bridge week" for hands-on, clinical experience, but other than that it's done online. The instructors are amazing and have years and years of wound/ostomy experience.

I HIGHLY recommend starting out in an outpatient clinic to gain a base knowledge of wound care. Wound care is highly specialized with endless dressings, treatments, and no two patients are the same. One patient may respond to a treatment that the other does not. I found that my 5 years of experience in an outpatient clinic gave me the foundation of knowledge I needed to succeed in an inpatient setting and to be able to obtain my certification. In an outpatient setting you basically are following the wound care MD/midlevel's orders for wound care. On the inpatient side you have much more autonomy and really need to have a good understanding of wound care to be able to formulate a plan (at least that's how things are set up where I work).

I am not familiar with the programs that you linked in your post. But honestly, to really grasp and learn wound care it takes on-the-job experience and hands-on knowledge.

Good luck in your endeavors. Wound care is truly a rewarding field. I will also put in a plug for ostomy care as well. I LOVE it and really love my ostomy patients. It's the most rewarding experience in my opinion. Wound and ostomy care tend to go hand in hand. Emory provides certification prep in wound/ostomy/continence, so you can work on both at the same time, which is what I did.

[ddixon7210]

I am lpn for 3 yrs now, recently start working as a treatment nurse and want to get certified, I have basic wound care experience, and would like to take classes in wound care, but most ask for RN, where can I get my certificate for wound care as lpn.

[meggiepie24, BSN]

Eligibility | Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board