Career Change to Wound Care

[coolbreezegurl]

Hello All, let me just start out by saying I love this site because there are so many experienced nurses out there willing to give great advice. That being said I would like some input from wound care nurses. I am currently working in critical care and this is all I've ever known. I graduated from nursing school in Dec 2013 and went directly into the Intensive Care Unit (basically thrown to the wolves) and this is where I have been for the past 1.5 years. I just earned my BSN this past May so I am looking for a change to a better environment. The facility I work at is one of those "despicable" hospitals (for anybody who hasn't read that article on this site, its a great read, I identified all too well with the nurse in the illustration). Things are only getting worse, and I am frustrated because I feel I have hit a wall and I am not learning anything new. The physician/nurse communication isn't all that great and there is a huge disrespect for nurses that borders on contempt at times when it comes to some of the physicians who have been there forever. Our facility is about to be purchased by a mystery company yet they keep putting off the announcement as to who is actually purchasing us and I think it is because there are some pending indictments. I just can't keep waiting for this company to get it together. I don't think I hate critical care, I think I just hate working in a place where nurses don't get any support. Our hospital caters to the physicians and patients and could care less if they run their nursing staff into the ground and create unsafe situations for patients (for which the nurse will ultimately be blamed).

I applied for a wound care position at another company with the intention of just doing PRN to get my feet wet and see if I like it. However, after talking with the recruiter for the second time she says they want to interview me for a full-time inpatient position with the understanding that I would eventually get certified in wound care, and they are willing to give me all the training I need (which is why PRN would never work, too much training needed). I have always thought of doing wound care, and of course in an ICU we see some nasty wounds (surgical wounds, pressure ulcers, venous stasis ulcers etc) so I have a tad bit of experience with wounds but nothing on the level of a professional wound care nurse. The job would be 8-4:30 Mon-Fri so it would take up more time (I'm used to working 3 twelves and getting my shifts over with and having several days off in a row). I need to know if what I am being offered is one of those opportunities that only comes once, and if I should jump on it or not. I love medication administration and critical thinking and titrating drips. I think I will miss this aspect of nursing if I go into wound care, yet I enjoy the idea of having more opportunities to educate patients, and develop a plan for how to treat them and monitor their progress. I think it would be very fullfilling. In the ICU I work nights and so I totally miss the patient education aspect most of the time (patient's sleeping, or vented/sedated no visitors around), also I don't have the freedom to discuss the patient with the physician because at night you can't just call them to discuss something none emergent without getting fussed at. I am still trying to get a grasp on my basic clinical skills, still trying to develop that nursing judgment and I just wonder if I am going to forget all that clinical stuff I have worked so hard to develop by switching to strictly wound care. With the schedule they are saying i would have to work I am sure I couldn't even stay on PRN in the ICU.

I would love to hear some input. Especially from someone who has been in my situation. Thanks in advance.

[Turtle in scrubs]

Congrats coolbreezegirl!!! Sounds like things are really falling into place for you. All the best :)

[Allboys3]

Good for you! I passed the wound care exam from the WOCN in March, got a job in wound care at the beginning of August. Right now I am working with an experienced wound care nurse. However, she wants to back down to PT and up me to FT. Leaving me in the same boat you were concerned about except my hours will be 0600-?. The hospital I am at is a long term acute, which on the positive side I get to see wounds really start to heal. The bad side is all the govt "paper work", it has taken about 6 wks for me to even begin to start putting together all the little filing pieces. I will say,the stress is way less at the end of the day now, than I was on the floor.

[coolbreezegurl]

So I started this thread originally and I wanted to give an update. I absolutely love being a WOCN but there are some downsides I think those considering the career should be aware of. First the pros: less stressful than working the floor, an opportunity to build close relationships with docs and other staff due to the high exposure, you really are the lifeline for patients that have anxiety over getting their first ostomy or healing a wound. Cons: salaried positions can really take advantage of your giving spirit, working 5 days a week isn't for everyone, and its easy to forget your other clinical skills when you're not working as a floor nurse anymore Also, I wanted to add beware of going into situations that seem too good to be true. I started off my original post by saying that I had been offered on the job training and certification as a WOCN. Turns out there was a reason for that. I ended up working for a WOCN Manager that is known for being very controlling and unprofessional. I did not know all of this at the time and this was her reason for wanting to "grow her own" WOCN. What ended up happening was that there was constant turnover in our dept, and I was bullied and gaslighted at every turn. I eventually couldn't tolerate it anymore and I had to leave. So I found out the hard way why they were willing to give me so much training, it was because experienced WOCN's didn't want to come to our facility to work because of managment. So if you live in the atlanta area and you are a brand new WOCN just be careful about what job opportunities you consider. You could end up in a situation that is not good at all for your professional development. Talk to other WOCN's who have been around and ask them about the jobs you are applying for. All in all though, becoming a WOCN has been great and I think I found my niche.

[Notorious9]

Thank you so much for this update!! It has been very helpful, especially since I am currently trying to transition into wound care myself! I do have a couple of questions. I have been interested in being a WOCN for a while now but I can't afford to do all the modules that Emory offers at once. My question to you is did your particular program have modules and if so how long did it take to complete them all and what was the cost? I am just coming up on my year of experience as a floor nurse and I would love any advice you have to give!