Wound care education

suebird3 · Jan 25, 2006

Hey there. I work as a Tranplant RN and I am coming across more and more wounds. More and more incisions seem to be dehissing lately. We perform dressing changes on the floor absence of a wound care nurse until we ask for a consultation for one. I fired up a consult request the other day because I think that a majority of all these transplant wounds should be handled in a more sterile environment due to the immunocompromised patients....rather than the non-sterile techniques we perform at bedside.
I'm very interested in advancing my career in wound care. My cousin is a wound care nurse. I would be interested in doing the same thing. I was considering getting my BSN this year. Do you have to be specially certified to be a wound care nurse?

I had been my facility's wound care nurse several years ago, and was an LPN. However, if you want to be credentialed, yes, you need a degree. Are there any Continuing Ed. classes in Wound Care at your local Colleges? That may be a help.

Suebird

nowhappywoundnurse · Feb 19, 2006

You do not necc. have to have a degree. If you are a licensed healthcare provider and you have 5 years experience in wound care, you can sit for the CWS exam. Even LPNs and researchers can take this exam, but so do doctors and the test only has a 60% pass rate and costs $400. But it is a prestigous certification.

cschuess · Feb 21, 2006

I am very interested in getting my certification in wound care. I am a nurse manager in a LTC facility and am presently trying to gear our unit for a wound care wing. It would be nice to obtain the certification. I can't take a week away from home to attend a course. I need something that I can take independently.

nowhappywoundnurse · Feb 21, 2006

There is a review course available that only takes one weekend. 16 hours of intensive prep classes. It is an excellent program. It can be found at www.woundcertificationprepcourse.com :smokin:

cschuess · Feb 21, 2006

I wish that this was something that I could attend!! Would love to get away from snowy central NY, however, as a mother of three little ones it isn't a doable task...anyone know of any course on-line? Thank you for the post and the information! It is most appreciated!!

sharlynn · Feb 27, 2006

Check out Wound Care Education Institute or WCEI. They give a one week course all over the country. At the end of it you take the NAWC exam to become a WCC. This certification is good for five years without a yearly fee. WCS cost a LOT more than my RN renewal yearly! You don't have to have a degree either.

The only drawback is the cost, but most employers paid all or most of it in the class I was in. A tip though, shop around for a cheaper motel than the one the course is given in. I stayed a block away for less than half of the discounted rate they offered and my motel was much quieter, too.

I highly recommend it!

Sharlynn

JumpinJanet · Feb 28, 2006

Hey there. I work as a Tranplant RN and I am coming across more and more wounds. More and more incisions seem to be dehissing lately. We perform dressing changes on the floor absence of a wound care nurse until we ask for a consultation for one. I fired up a consult request the other day because I think that a majority of all these transplant wounds should be handled in a more sterile environment due to the immunocompromised patients....rather than the non-sterile techniques we perform at bedside.
I'm very interested in advancing my career in wound care. My cousin is a wound care nurse. I would be interested in doing the same thing. I was considering getting my BSN this year. Do you have to be specially certified to be a wound care nurse?

Hello there. I attended a program last year offered by the Wound Care Education Insitute and the National Alliance of Wound Care. I am a WCC. They told me it would change my life and it has. You do not have to be certified to work in wound care, but, I highly recommend it as my credentials have earned me a lot of respect from the MD's and other nurses...Not to mention my salary increased dramatically. You do not have to have your BSN to get certified by the NAWC. The course offered by the Wound Care Education Institute was excellent and I would recommend it to anyone interested in wound care, even if you do not meet the requirements for the exam. The web site for the Wound Care Education Institute is www.wcei.net. The web site for the National Alliance of Wound Care is www.nawccb.org. Hope this helps! JJ

LJmalenurse · Sep 22, 2006

Well this forum is getting old. And here I am a new LPN with a knack and drive to do wound care. I work in a LTC here in Georgia. I am looking for whatever training and requirements there are to get a CWCN as an LPN.

lj

Dieselmota · Oct 22, 2006

The following is posted at http://www.aawm.org (American Academy of Wound Management--CWS certifying organization)

The Board Certification Process will change as of October 14, 2006.

Currently, any non-Bachelors Degreed Candidates with five years of documented clinical or research experience in the field of wound care are eligible to sit for the exam. As of January 1, 2007, a Bachelors Degree or higher will be necessary in order to qualify to sit for the National Board Certification Examination for all Wound Management Professionals.

You can read more on the site.

sharlynn · Oct 25, 2006

I checked out becoming a WCS before deciding on taking the WCEI course for WCC. The yearly dues for WCS is $150!