• Treating skin reactions
• Preventing skin breakdown
• Treating and managing vascular ulcers, pressure ulcers and diabetic ulcers
• Initiating preventative measures
• Providing comprehensive wound management, including reducing causative factors, controlling odor, assessing nutritional needs, and providing and applying topical therapies
• Educating the patient, the patients family, and any other support persons on care techniques
• Assessing and treating draining wounds and fistulae
• Designing pouch systems for draining wounds and fistulae
• Implementing preventative actions to reduce the incidences of pressure ulcers and vascular ulcers
• Providing instruction on proper wound dressing
• Educating the patient, the patients family, and other support persons on ulcer prevention and treatmentWOCs nurses specializes in ostomy care are skilled to provide inpatient and outpatient care, as well as pre- and post-operative education, support and counseling for individuals who undergo surgery for colostomies, ileostomies, or urostomies. Their scope of practice often includes:

Ostomy Care

• Providing self-care, diet, and lifestyle education and support
• Preventing peristomal/stomal complications
• Providing rehabilitative care
• Assessing stoma site marking so as to decrease long-term complications and encourage pouching system adherence
• Reviewing and modifying pouch system problems
• Addressing and preventing peristomal skin complicationsWOC nurses specializes in urinary and fecal incontinence often work in an inpatient acute setting. The WOCN will provide a wide range of services that address causative factors, restorative strategies, and lifestyle/quality of life issues. Their scope of practice often includes:

Incontinence Care

• Selecting and recommending collection devices or undergarments
• Providing instruction on pelvic muscles exercises
• Counseling the patient, the patients family, and other support persons on hygiene and skin care
• Providing instruction on self-catheterization
• Identifying contributing factors and suggesting dietary and environmental modificationsWOC nurses will have advanced training in nursing, along with post-graduate or post-baccalaureate certificates in wound, ostomy, and continence care through educational programs that can be completed through a combination of home study and on-site experience.

Job Type: Full-time