Wound care

Specialties Home Health

Published

Hi, I've been an RN Case Manager for Home Based Primary Care for 2 years now. Looking for career advice. My passion for wound care motivated me to become a nurse and get my BSN. Our home care program does not deal with stage 3 and above wounds due to increased nurse visit frequency. I would love to get my WOCN online through Emory but I'm debating whether to get my MSN first. While researching this, I've come across many wound care nurses who all have MSN credentials next to their name. I've also been told since I don't have acute care experience, I will not get hired as a wound care nurse. Help! Any advice appreciated! Should I get my MSN now, ( not married yet, no kids), if so which specialty track to better market myself. After MSN, I should get my WOCN? Or should I move away from home care, transfer to Ned surf for more acute care experience dealing with more complicated wounds? Thanks!

Jackie

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I can't answer to which path to take but the simplest thing in the meantime would be to work for a home health agency that provides comprehensive wound care. You're going to need the work hours anyway to get your WOCN.

I've never heard of an of an agency that limited the type of wounds to treat.

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Specializes in Home Care, Primary care NP, QI, Nsg Adm.

I am caring for a client with a Stage IV Ischial pressure ulcer who requires a wound vac. My agency is not happy about the amount of care he requires and you do take a beating financially if a patient requires an excessive number of visits, as well as supplies that may or may not be reimbursed. It seems the 'big players' refer to us when they either cannot accept new home care cases do to staffing or do not want to either take the financial hit or believe the complexity of care may result in re-admissions or other problems that may lower their quality scores. I'm also interested in pursuing wound care and am looking for live training in seminars, skill labs or now thinking to see if I can spend a few hours a week in a wound clinic. Even if I don't get certified, the knowledge/experience is a great thing to have, especially for the care of patients in their homes.

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Interesting, I haven't heard a peep about our company wanting to avoid wound vac patients. We do quite a lot of complex wounds.

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