WOCTalk: Recent Episodes
WOCN Society
Welcome to WOCTalk, a podcast courtesy of the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society. WOCTalk is your opportunity to learn more about advocacy, education, and research that support the practice and delivery of expert healthcare to individuals with wound, ostomy, and continence care needs.
Resources:
Reducing Ileostomy Postoperative Complications Due to Dehydration: A Quality Improvement Project – JWOCN May/June 2026
Redefining the High-Output Stoma and Its Bearing on Clinical Practice Results of an International Consensus Panel – JWOCN September/October 2025
High-output stoma management: an overview – BJS September 2025
About the Speakers:
Tara Beuscher, DNP, RN, ANP-BC, CWOCN, CFCN, NPD-BC, WOCNF, is certified in Wound, Ostomy, and Continence care and is an Adult Nurse Practitioner. She has an ostomy and wound care clinic practice at the Duke Cancer Center in Durham, North Carolina, where she sees individuals with fecal and urinary diversions for any diagnosis as well as malignant wounds. Dr. Beuscher has worked in a variety of settings including acute, long term acute, home, ambulatory and community settings. Dr. Beuscher also teaches ostomy care to first year medical students and surgical residents. Duke is the first medical school in the country to incorporate ostomy care within the formal curriculum. This model curriculum was featured at the American College of Surgeons Surgical Simulation Summit in March 2026.
Amanda Eltz, DNP, FNP-C, CWOCN, works as a nurse practitioner with the Duke Colorectal division. Prior to this, she served as a Wound, Ostomy, and Continence nurse for 8 years. Her career has mainly focused on the care of ostomy patients, running an outpatient ostomy clinic before moving into her APP role. Her DNP quality improvement project focused on dehydration in the ileostomy patient and was instrumental in improving patient postoperative outcomes in her current role. She has authored and co-authored wound and ostomy related manuscripts. Her favorite pastime is spending time with her granddaughters.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Dr. Loan Lam is the founder of Aetherus Wound and Lymphatics, a specialty edema and wound center dedicated to treatment, research, and education of nonhealing wound and complex edema disorders with associated skin complications. She graduated from Rice University, received her medical degree from Barry University, and completed her podiatric surgical residency at Yale New Haven Health System in New Haven, CT. She is certified in wound, hyperbaric medicine, and lymphedema therapy. She has authored several articles in peer-reviewed journals, presented numerous wound conference research posters, is a principal investigator for multiple clinical research trials, and is a national and international speaker on behalf of several organizations.
Dr. Lam is a member of the American Vein and Lymphatic Society, National Lymphedema Network, Wound Healing Society, Wound Care Collaborative Community, American Professional Wound Care Association, and Academy of Physicians in Wound Healing. She is a long-time volunteer and board member of the American Cancer Society. She also serves on the board of the Save a Leg, Save a Life Foundation. Besides medicine, her wonderful family, multiple pets, and family farm, her other loves include running races and playing amateur hockey.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources:
Learn more about the 3M™ V.A.C.® Peel and Place Dressing
Learn more about the 3M™ Cavilon™ Advanced Skin Protectant
WOCNext 2026 registrants can watch the Symposia Session on-demand through September 15: (S01) Simplifying Clinical Workflow with Novel All-in-One Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) Dressing supported by Solventum
About the Speaker:
Catherine Milne, MSN, APRN, ANP/ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP, WOCNF, is an Advanced Practice WOC Nurse practicing across the continuum in a variety of clinical settings. Focusing on wound and skin outcomes, Cathy conducts clinical research, lectures nationally and internationally, and has published numerous articles and two textbooks. In addition, Cathy is a clinical instructor for the Yale School of Nursing. She served on the AAWC Board and now is President of the newly formed Coalition for At-Risk Skin (CARS). She recently participated in an expert panel developing consensus statements for best practices addressing antimicrobial resistance in wound care.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources:
Read Repositioning Guidelines to Decrease Pressure Injury in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Quality Improvement Project in the July/August 2024 issue of JWOCN and watch the accompanying video abstract.
About the Speaker:
Margaret Birdsong, DNP, CPNP, CWOCN, is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Margaret has been a dedicated member of the Division of Pediatric Surgery since 2000. She has been a Certified Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse (CWOCN) since 2002 and serves as the primary wound care consultant for the pediatric hospital. In 2020, she earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, she works closely with Dr. Isam Nasr in the Colorectal Center, where she is also certified in biofeedback therapy. Margaret has presented nationally on a range of topics, including general pediatric surgery, wound and ostomy care, and pediatric continence management. Her clinical and academic work focuses on improving outcomes and quality of life for pediatric patients with complex surgical and continence needs.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources:
United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA)
Find an ostomy support group near you
Ostomy Awareness Day / World Ostomy Day
The Youth Rally
Friends of Ostomates Worldwide-USA (FOW-USA)
Ostomy 101
About the Speaker:
Eva Philippe, BSN, RN, CWON, graduated as a nurse in 2012 from Saddleback College in CA. She then went on to complete a BSN program through University of Texas, Arlington. She realized her passion and interest in the role wound and ostomy while completing her capstone BSN project on healthcare staff’s impact on patients’ adaptation to ostomy in the early post-op phase. She completed her wound training through University of Washington and ostomy training through Emory University in 2019.
She currently works at Fred Hutch Cancer Care clinic in Seattle, WA. This is an outpatient oncology clinic where she works in the CWON role supporting patients with ostomy needs and a wide variety of wound etiologies (oncological and other). This is a small team of CWONs working in collaboration with over 20 teams of oncology subspecialties as well as surgical teams. Eva also works at Evergreen Healthcare in Washington in both the inpatient setting and outpatient wound and ostomy clinic where she collaborates with a larger team of infectious disease and various providers and nurses to the full scope of the role.
She participates in two local ostomy support groups: North Sound Ostomy Support Group and Greater Eastside Ostomy Support Group. Additionally, Eva has periodically attended Youth Rally since 2019. Eva is passionate about teaching. She has given presentations at the University of Washington nursing conferences and precepted clinical students from various programs.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Abigail Chaffin is a Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Division Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Tulane University. She is also the Program Director of the Tulane University/Ochsner Clinic Plastic Surgery residency program. She currently serves the Medical Director of the MedCentris Wound Healing Institute at Metairie.
Dr. Chaffin is Board-Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is Board-Certified by the American Board of Surgery. She is also Board-Certified by the American Board of Wound Medicine & Surgery, and the American Board of Wound Healing. Dr. Chaffin is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. She is also a Certified Wound Specialist Physician. Due to her clinical and research excellence in wound medicine, she has been honored to be named as a Master of the American Professional Wound Care Association.
Dr. Chaffin is a graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology. She then received M.D. degree at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan. After this, she completed a five-year residency in General Surgery at the Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center program. She then completed a two-year fellowship in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Tulane University, serving as well as Chief Administrative Resident.
Dr. Chaffin has been in practice for over 18 years. She focuses her practice on wound medicine and wound reconstructive surgery, in addition to general reconstructive plastic surgery. She has a particular clinical interest in complex wound surgical reconstruction. She has been honored to receive a Top Doctor award by New Orleans Magazine for the past seven years. As well, she has received the New Orleans Magazine Exceptional Women in Medicine award for the past four years.
Dr. Chaffin has published over 65 peer-reviewed publications in wound medicine and plastic surgery. She is a section editor for the ePlasty journal for the reconstructive surgery section. She also serves as an invited peer-reviewer for the Advances in Skin and Wound Care journal, the Journal of Wound Care, and the International Journal of Tissue Repair. She has served as Primary Investigator or Co-Investigator for numerous clinical trials at Tulane University. She is on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Tissue Repair. She is an internationally and nationally recognized speaker at scientific conferences, and she frequently serves as a course faculty member and speaker for wound medicine scientific meetings including the Boswick Wound and Burn Symposium, the CAMPs Summit, SIITRAL, and the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care. She is a Board Examiner for the American Board of Plastic Surgery. She serves as committee chair for several national plastic surgery societies including the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Southeastern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, and the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons. For ACEPS, she currently serves as Chair of the Research Committee. Dr. Chaffin is currently the Chair of the Assembly of State and Regional Societies for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and she is presently serving as a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Board of Directors.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources:
View the in-person event schedule
View the virtual event schedule
Register for WOCNext through June 2, 2026, at 12 PM ET
Download the WOCNext app to plan your conference experience
Explore the 2026 accepted abstracts
Attending for the first time? Check out the First-Time Attendee Guide
Learn more about keynote speaker Siri Lindley in her documentary, Tri Me: The Siri Lindley Story
About the Speaker:
Brooke Passy, CMP, DES, is the Director of Events and Industry Relations for the WOCN® Society. She has been a part of the WOCN team for almost two decades and has worked in all areas of the meeting planning process. Brooke is a certified CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) and DES (Digital Event Strategist) certification. Brooke's dedication to customer service and execution of events comes from her varied professional background of multiple years working in the food industry and experience in the performing arts. Brooke believes that running an event is just like a show; everyone must do their part and work together to create a seamless experience for the attendee/audience. No matter what, Brooke always knows that "the show must go on!" Brooke is always honing her ability to multitask while working mostly remote and juggling work, her twin children, and a puppy.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by
The Podcast Consultant.
Resources:
Abstract: Pressure Injury Prevention in the Oncology Population
ePoster: Pressure Injury Prevention in the Oncology Population
Wound Treatment Associate (WTA®) Program
Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®)
About the Speaker:
Dr. Lisa Marie Grubb is a wound, ostomy, and continence nurse and nursing leader at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she focuses on improving skin and wound outcomes for complex patient populations. Her work centers on pressure injury prevention, where treatment-related skin changes, immobility, nutrition challenges, and device use can quickly increase risk. With decades of nursing experience and a strong background in quality improvement and clinical education, she partners with bedside teams to translate evidence into practical prevention strategies that fit real-world workflows.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources:
Explore the WOCN® Society Mentor Match Program and sign up as a mentor or mentee
Join the WOC Nurse Week 2026 celebrations and events
About the Speakers:
Derik Alexander, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWOCN, CFCN, has been a member of the WOCN Society for over years. He is a WOC Nurse Practitioner at Dignity Health Medical Group and St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. He currently serves as President-Elect of the WOCN Society.
His educational background includes a Master of Science in Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of Phoenix (2009), as well as completion of the Emory University Wound, Ostomy & Continence Nurse Education program.
Ferne Elsass, MSN, RN, CPN, CWON, WOCNF, is an experienced Clinical Instructor with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital and healthcare industry. She is a skilled pediatric registered nurse with certifications in Pediatrics and Wound and Ostomy care, and has a strong clinical focus on pediatric wound and ostomy services.
Ferne has presented on pediatric wound care locally, nationally, and internationally and is a published content expert in the field. She has also served on the Mid-Atlantic Chapter WOCN board in multiple roles over a 10-year period and currently supports the board as Past President.
Emilee Bartolo, BSN, RN, CWOCN, is a WOC nurse practicing in the outpatient setting at a suburban wound clinic, where she has worked for over 15 years. Prior to this role, she spent 10 years in home health care. She obtained her WOC certification in July 2003.
Emilee is actively involved in the WOCN Society through national and chapter volunteer roles. She previously served as Chair of the Membership Engagement Committee, where she helped develop the Mentor Match Program launched in 2025.
Vashti Livingston, MS, RN, CWOCN, has been a member of the WOCN Society for over 20 years. She has served as a WOC nurse co-facilitator for an ostomy support group for two decades and has worked for 21 years at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in the Urology Ambulatory Division, primarily supporting urological outpatient clients.
She has served two terms as a Director of the WOCN Society and has contributed to numerous committees and projects. Her experience also includes serving as an editor of a peer-reviewed journal and committee member of the International WCET Norma Gill Foundation.
Vashti has presented at 11 international conferences on ostomy care and WOC practice, in addition to numerous local and regional presentations across the U.S. She has precepted and mentored numerous WOC nurses over the past 20 years and remains active in community initiatives promoting bladder and colon cancer awareness.
She co-facilitates an online bladder cancer support group and volunteers with the United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA). She has also served as a clinical expert on two ostomy online forums and as a clinical advisor for ostomy products and services for three major companies. She is currently a speaker for Coloplast’s ostomy division.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources:
Sign up to “Go Back to Your Roots” and use your expertise to inspire current nursing students by sharing your gratifying role as a certified ostomy nurse. You’ll get access to an official toolkit to help you start planting seeds.
Visit the UOAA website at ostomy.org for additional ostomy information.
About the Speakers
Jeanine Gleba, as the Director of Advocacy for the United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA), awareness and advocates for those who have had or who will have ostomy or continent diversion surgery. Jeanine has her Masters degree in Education and over 19 years of experience of grassroots organizing including spearheading the efforts behind the successful passage of a New Jersey law named for her daughter Grace, which benefits thousands of NJ children who have hearing loss. She is an award-winning advocate most recently being honored as the recipient of UOAA’s President Award in 2023. Jeanine believes in giving back to her community and has served in numerous roles including as an elected official: Deputy Mayor/Councilwoman for six years. She currently serves on the Digestive Disease National Coalition as Immediate Past Chairperson, and the NJ Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Advisory Committee as a Public Member. Jeanine is passionate about inspiring others to self-advocate and make a positive change in their own lives, as well as in the lives of others.
Joanne Burgess, BSN, RN, CWOCN, has served in multiple care settings during her career including acute care, outpatient ostomy services, and industry. She has been an active leader within the United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA), serving two years on the Board of Directors and nearly a decade as co-chair of the Advocacy Committee. Joanna helped create the Back to Your Nursing Roots project, a partnering project with the WOCN® Society. Her vision was driven by the national shortage of ostomy nurses and her commitment to inspiring nurses to enter the WOC specialty. She also has played a key role in developing the Ostomy and Continent Diversion Patient Bill of Rights (PBOR). A dual ostomate—living with a urostomy since age three and a colostomy since early adulthood—Joanna brings both clinical expertise and lived experience to her lifelong advocacy for high quality ostomy care and patient empowerment.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources:
Therapeutic wound and skin cleansing: Clinical evidence and recommendations by International Wound Infection Institute (IWII)
About the Speakers:
Dr. Kristina Fawcett, DNP, NP-C, CWS has over two decades of specialized expertise in wound care. She has been a member of the WOCN for over 15 years. Dr. Krissy has been instrumental in developing outpatient programs while advancing evidence-based practices in hospital settings throughout our community. Her experience spans all areas of healthcare, giving her a comprehensive understanding of patient needs across different care environments.
Currently practicing at Valley Wound Care Specialists, Dr. Krissy is passionate about advancing wound care knowledge through education and collaboration. She works closely with industry leaders to evaluate innovative treatment modalities, always with an eye toward comprehensive patient care that addresses both clinical needs and individual treatment goals.
Kurt Holifield, FNP-C, CWS, is a highly experienced board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner Wound and Ostomy Nurse with more than 20 years of dedicated service in healthcare. Grounded in a passion for compassionate, patient-centered care, Kurt brings a comprehensive clinical background spanning cardiovascular intensive care, specialty hospital settings, subacute and long-term acute care (LTAC), and advanced outpatient wound management. Since joining Valley Wound Care Specialists in February 2024, Kurt serves as a Wound Medicine Advanced Practice Nurse, focused on treating the whole patient — not just the wound. He collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to develop individualized treatment plans for patients with complex chronic conditions. He is proficient in a broad range of advanced wound care modalities and is passionate about advancing the wound medicine specialty.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources:
View the Abstract: Utilizing Four Eyes Methodology to Identify a Risk Window for Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries (HAPI)
View the ePoster: Utilizing Four Eyes Methodology to Identify a Risk Window for Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries (HAPI)
About the Speaker
Sandra Fasing, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN, is an Acute Care WOC Nurse at VHC Health with over 30 years of nursing experience. As a member of a five-person WOC team, she supports both acute care and outpatient ostomy services, playing a pivotal role in the hospital’s "Journey to Zero" pressure injury prevention program. Sandra is also a trailblazer in her organization’s Magnet® research pathway. Sandra serves as a WOCNCB® Board Member.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources:
National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP)
NPIAP eCQM Resources
NPIAP International Guidelines
eCQI Resource Center
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) eCQM Library
WOCN® Society eCQM Navigation Center
WOCNext® 2026 Session on Electronic Clinical Quality Measure HH-PI
About the Speaker
Michelle Deppisch, PT, CWS, FACCWS, is a self-employed wound care consultant. She is a physical therapist and holds certifications as a Clinical Wound Specialist from the American Board of Wound Management and as a Fellow in the American College of Clinical Wound Specialists. Her expertise and dedication extend to various leadership roles within the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (or NPIAP), where she currently serves as President-Elect on the Board of Directors. Michele’s commitment to advancing the pressure injury prevention is further exemplified by her role as the NPIAP Task Force Resource for the Electronic Clinical Quality Measure: Hospital Harm-Pressure injury or HH-PI, secretary for the Prophylactic Dressing Standards Initiative, Co-Chair to Education Committee, and she serves on the Standards Committee She has authored numerous resources for NPIAP, most notably the Root Cause Analysis/OR Toolkit 3.0 and published and presented works for S3I on the clinical relevance of support surface tests.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources:
American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
APTA Specialist Certification
Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology and Wound Management
American Board of Wound Management (ABWM)
About the Speaker
Renee Cordrey, PT, PhD, MSPT, MPH, CWS, FAAWC, found her wound care passion while a physical therapist student. Since then, she has become board certified in wound care and focused her career on that specialty. She has worked in acute care, long term care, outpatient wound clinics, and academia. She is currently a physical therapist with Enhabit Home Health.
She has been very active within the wound care community throughout her career, having served four terms on the Board of Directors of the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC) and in various roles with the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society™ (WOCN®), the American Board of Wound Management (ABWM), the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders, and Health Volunteers Overseas. She was honored with the Distinguished Member award from the AAWC and was included in the inaugural cohort of AAWC Fellows. She has also earned a Masters in Public Health, concentrating on health promotion and health education and completed her PhD examining how stress and locus of control interact with chronic wound healing. She has over 125 presentations and publications on wound-related topics.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)
Resources:
Ostomy & Continent Diversion Patient Bill of Rights
Kindred Box
Ostomy 211
Pouches of Love
Friends of Ostomates Worldwide - USA
UOAA Support Group Finder
WOCN® Society Public Policy & Advocacy information
WOCN Society Chapters
WOCTalk Podcast Ep 137: Policy Changes That Could Impact Your WOC Practice
About the Speaker:
Kathleen Lawrence, MSN, RN, CWOCN, WOCNF, has had a wonderful career path in nursing. Her journey has included acute care, medical surgical nursing, home care, hospice and over 30 years as a wound ostomy and continence nurse practicing the full WOC scope of practice. Her work in WOC nursing has included acute care in-patient, and the development of a comprehensive wound ostomy and continence service for inpatient, outpatient, and contract entities in a rural Vermont setting. Contracts included subacute care, long-term care, pediatric clinics for special needs, home care and hospice. Currently Kate is the Program Director of wound, ostomy and continence services at the VNA and Hospice of the Southwest Region in Vermont. Her role includes delivery of education, clinical care and consultation in home care, hospice, outpatient, long term care and community care facilities.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Interested in advancing your pediatric WOC care knowledge? Click here to view all active courses available for Contact Hours in the WOCN Society’s Continuing Education Center (CEC).
To view a collection of hot topic pediatric articles in the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®), click here.
The Editorial Board of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing invites Authors to submit Manuscripts. Click here for additional information.
Applications are now live for the next class of WOCN Fellows. Learn more and submit a nomination by January 30, 2026.
To view the WOCN Society’s Public Policy hot topics and resources, click here.
About the Speaker
Ferne Elsass is a dedicated Wound and Ostomy Nurse based in Norfolk, VA, bringing over 26 years of experience in pediatric nursing. Her clinical background includes extensive work in neonatal and pediatric intensive care, as well as trauma education. Ferne holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and a master’s degree in nursing from Liberty University. She completed her wound and ostomy certification through the WebWOC program at Metropolitan State University and received local clinical training. For the past three years, Ferne has served as a Clinical Resource Specialist with Smith and Nephew, focusing on the advanced wound care portfolio. Her expertise in pediatric wound and ostomy care has been nationally recognized through published journal articles and two book chapters. Ferne has presented her work both nationally and internationally, contributing significantly to education and advancement in the field. A committed leader in the wound care community, Ferne is the Past President of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society, reflecting her dedication to supporting professional development and best practices across the region. She was inducted as a member of the 2024 Class of WOCN Fellows.
Resources:
American Cancer Society
American College of Surgeons Ostomy Home Skills Program
Corstrata Virtual Ostomy Support Services
Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America
Embracing Ostomy Life
Girls With Guts
JWOCN® articles:
Outcome Criteria for Discharging the Patient With a New Ostomy From Home Health Care
Survey Results on Use of a Convex Pouching System in the Postoperative Period
Preoperative Stoma Site Marking Decreases Stoma and Peristomal Complications
Characteristics of Convex Skin Barriers and Clinical Application
Ostomy101
Ostomy and Continent Diversion Patient Bill of Rights (PBOR)
Ostomy Care Associate (OCA®) Program
Ostomy Connection
Phoenix magazine
Peristomal Skin Assessment Guide
Travel Communication Card
United Ostomy Associations of America
Watch the symposia session from WOCNext® 2025, (S03) Anticipatory Guidance: Elevating Future Ostomy Care
About the Speaker:
Debra Netsch, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CNP, CWOCN-AP, CFCN, has been a WOC nurse for 40 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 29 years. In practicing part time of both, she has realized the need for anticipatory guidance models from primary care needing to be extended into the WOC Nurse practice. As a Co-Director and faculty of WEB WOC, it is natural that educating WOC Nurses on this topic evolves to teaching anticipatory guidance.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Episode Resources
The WOCN DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses with a Bright Future is provided by the WOCN Society, a supportive association of the DAISY Foundation, to recognize a new tri-specialty wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) certified nurse within the first five (5) years of WOC practice who is destined to make a significant contribution to WOC nursing as a compassionate clinician, educator, consultant, researcher, administrator, and professional leader. Nominations are being accepted now through January 9, 2026. To learn more visit wocn.org/DAISY
To learn more about the work of The DAISY Foundation, visit daisyfoundation.org.
Click here to learn more and purchase the 25th Anniversary Edition of the book by DAISY Foundation co-founders, "Shining the Light on All the Right”**.
About The DAISY Foundation
In 1999, Bonnie's stepson Patrick, age 33, developed the auto-immune disease ITP. Bonnie and her husband Mark were at his side when Patrick died after 8 weeks in the hospital. The nursing care they experienced during Pat’s hospitalization compelled them to express their gratitude to nurses everywhere for the clinical skill and especially compassionate care nurses provide every day. This is why The Barnes’s created The DAISY Foundation™ (an acronym for diseases attacking the immune system) and The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses.
Today, The DAISY Award is celebrated in over 7,500 healthcare facilities and nursing schools in 44 countries. Over 260,000 nurses have been honored, having been nominated by their patients, patient families, and colleagues. Each nomination (over 3.5 million to date) tells the story of extraordinary compassion and care provided to a patient. The impact of these stories’ public DAISY Award celebrations on nurses and their organizations is well documented. The DAISY Award provides healthcare leaders the means to highlight all the “right” going on in their organizations, providing great role-modeling opportunities and a way to make tangible the organizations’ mission and values. The program helps drive organizational culture, inspires and motivates extraordinary nursing, nourishes teamwork, enhances nurse engagement, promotes the professional image of nursing, and helps offsets compassion fatigue with compassion satisfaction.
As additional expressions of gratitude to nurses, the Foundation funds grants for nurses doing research and EBP projects and for nurses going on medical missions.
DAISY’s goal is to honor nurses wherever they practice, wherever they are in their careers – across the continuum of care and internationally.
Resources
To listen to Michelle Rice’s previous Ostomy Observations episode from Season 3 titled “Managing Pediatric Ostomy Patients: Practice Pearls”, click here.
To learn more about Youth Rally, a one of a kind camp experience for youth living with conditions of the bowel and/or bladder system, click here.
Camp Boggy Creek makes it possible for children with serious illnesses and their families to experience a free, life-changing camp where safety, respect, love, and joy come together to enrich their physical and behavioral health. To learn more, click here.
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation Camp Oasis gives kids living with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis a space to just be kids. They provide a safe environment where friendships ignite, confidence soars, and epic adventures become life-long memories. Camp Oasis is FUN without the fear of judgment or feeling different. To learn more about Camp Oasis, click here.
Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®) articles referenced in this episode:
Adolescent Perspectives Following Ostomy Surgery: A Grounded Theory Study
Other articles referenced in this episode:
A call for action: Recommendations to improve transition to adult care for youth with complex health care needs
Episode resources:
United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA)
Colorectal Cancer Alliance
Colon Cancer Coalition
About the Speakers:
Daniel “Dry Dock” Shockley is a retired Navy veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. In 2012, at age 51, he was diagnosed with attenuated Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (AFAP) following his first colonoscopy, despite being asymptomatic and having no family history. He underwent a successful total proctocolectomy with a permanent ileostomy immediately after receiving his DNA germline test results.
Since his diagnosis, Daniel has served as an ostomy ambassador for both the United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) and involved with the WOCN® Society in supporting ostomy patient education and advocacy. Drawing on his military experience, he embraces challenges with a mindset of adaptability, resilience, and positivity. Over the past 12 years, he has collaborated with ostomy organizations and patients nationally and internationally, advocating for awareness and reducing stigma associated with ostomies. His efforts include securing Ostomy Awareness Day proclamations and resolutions from local legislative members. His personal mantra: Always Forge Ahead with a Purpose!
Joyce Moss, ADN, BSN, MNM, MSc Wound Healing & Tissue Repair, RN, CWS, CWCN, CWON, is an accomplished wound and ostomy care nurse with over 30 years of experience, including expertise in compression management for edema/lymphedema, pressure injury prevention and treatment, and incontinence management. She has coordinated care across outpatient and inpatient settings and led the development of a wound and ostomy clinic that improved patient access and outcomes.
An exceptional educator, Joyce has trained and mentored nurses, consulted with medical and surgical residents, and delivered lectures and in-services. She provides guidance and support to ostomates and their families, organizes patient education events, and authors support group newsletters. Joyce’s work emphasizes both clinical excellence and compassionate patient-centered care.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
About the Speakers:
Jennifer Rowe, BSN, RN, CWON, Kelsey Swiss, BSN, RN, CWOCN, and Melanie Vinette, BSN, RN, CWON, CMSRN, are part of a six-member WOC nursing team dedicated to providing comprehensive, patient-centered care. Their work spans inpatient and outpatient settings, including an outpatient ostomy clinic and a monthly ostomy support group. The team collaborates closely with colorectal surgeons, general surgeons, and surgical nurse practitioners to coordinate care, provide preoperative education, and mark stomas.
Education is a core focus for their team, delivered through on-the-floor real-time teaching, Med-Surg and NICU academies, shadow experiences with student nurses and new hires, and a nursing assistant academy. They also participate in the hospital’s value analysis committee, introducing new products and implementing cost-effective strategies while ensuring the highest quality of patient care. Their approach emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and mentorship to support both patients and the next generation of nurses.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources
Click here to view and use the Peristomal Skin Assessment Guide for Clinicians and Consumers. You can also bookmark and/or share the following web address with your colleagues and patients: psag.wocn.org.
Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®) articles referenced in this episode:
A Randomized Controlled Trial Determining Variances in Ostomy Skin Conditions and the Economic Impact (ADVOCATE Trial)
Lessons Learned About Peristomal Skin Complications Secondary Analysis of the ADVOCATE Trial
The Incidence of Stoma and Peristomal Complications During the First 3 Months After Ostomy Creation
Peristomal Skin Itch: An Integrative Review
Other articles referenced in this episode:
Peristomal Dermatology
Assessment of itch: more to be learned and improvements to be made
Psychometric validation of the Ostomy Skin Tool 2.0
About the Speaker
Joyce Pittman, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FNP-BC, CWOCN, WOCNF, FAAN
Dr. Pittman is an Associate Professor at University of South Alabama and nurse scientist at USA Health focusing on pressure injuries, health/racial disparities, and ostomy complications. She is a certified Wound, Ostomy, Continence nurse, Adult/Family Nurse Practitioner, WOCN Fellow, past National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP) Vice President, and the 2025-2026 Treasurer of the WOCN® Society.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Episode Resources:
LEAD Guideline (4th Edition)
Mobile Guideline Series
Knowledge-to-Action Framework - Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO)
PAD National Action Plan - American Heart Association
Get With the Guidelines - American Heart Association
2024 LEAD Guideline Executive Summary - Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®)
ECRI Guidelines Trust
World Federation of Vascular Societies
International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF)
WOCNext® Conference Sessions
WOCN Society Document Library: Wound Resources
About the Speaker:
Phyllis Bonham, PhD, MSN, RN, CWOCN, DPNAP, FAAN, brings nearly 60 years of nursing experience, with more than 50 years dedicated to wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) care in clinical, academic, administrative, and research roles. She developed and directed the WOCN® Society–Accredited Wound Care Education Program at MUSC for 17 years and is widely recognized as a speaker, educator, and published author in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks on lower-extremity arterial disease (LEAD) and wound management.
Since 2000, Dr. Bonham has played a leading role on WOCN Society Clinical Guideline Task Forces, contributing to the development and updates of 13 evidence-based guidelines addressing wounds from LEAD, lower extremity venous disease (LEVD), diabetes/neuropathy, and pressure injuries. She has chaired the Wound Guidelines Task Force since 2012 and served as a primary author for the 2024 LEAD guideline update, as well as co-author of multiple executive summaries published in the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®).
Her service to the WOCN Society includes leadership as President-Elect (2007–2009), President (2009–2011), and Past President (2011–2012), as well as roles as Clinical Editor (2011–2017), Co-Section Editor for wound research for JWOCN, and faculty for the Wound Treatment Associate (WTA®) Program Committee.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Episode Resources:
WOCNext Abstract Details
Abstract Author Resources
ePoster Information
Previous Accepted Abstracts
Abstracts in JWOCN® Online Supplement
Interested in an abstract mentor? Email abstracts@wocn.org
About the Speaker:
Donna Bliss, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, WOCNF, is a Professor, Chair of the Adult and Gerontological Health Cooperative, and School of Nursing Foundation Professor of Nursing Research at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, Minneapolis, MN. She has 25 years of funded research and 125+ publications and presentations about assessing, preventing, and managing fecal incontinence and incontinence associated skin damage. She is a forerunner in investigating disparities in skin damage and assessing dark skin. Donna is an active member of the WOCN® Society and is the 202-2026 WOCNext® Abstract Chair. During the WOCNext 2023 event, Donna was awarded the Barbara Braden Future is Bright Award and was also inducted into the inaugural class of the WOCN Fellow Program.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources
Click here to learn about United Ostomy Associates of America (UOAA) National Quality Ostomy Care Campaign, including the Ostomy and Continent Diversion Patient Bill of Rights,.
Click here to view a list of patient resources that the WOCN Society has curated, including services, products, and publications. You can also bookmark and/or share the following web address with your colleagues and patients: IDeserveaWOCNurse.com.
Click here to view and use the Peristomal Skin Assessment Guide for Clinicians and Consumers,. You can also bookmark and/or share the following web address with your colleagues and patients: psag.wocn.org.
Click here to learn more about Janet’s session at WOCNext® 2025, “I Have an Ostomy, Where can I go?: Challenges of Setting Up An Ostomy Clinic,.”
The WOCN Society, in collaboration with the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) and the American Urological Association (AUA), developed the educational resources to assist clinicians in selecting an effective stoma site. Click here to review these resources.
If you're a healthcare professional looking to deepen your knowledge of ostomy care, explore the joint WOCN and ASCRS Ostomy Care Management (OCM) Program—an evidence-based, online education designed to enhance care delivery and improve outcomes for individuals living with an ostomy. Click here to learn more.
Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®) articles referenced in this episode:
Bridging the Gap: Perceived Educational Needs in the Inpatient to Home Care Setting for the Person With a New Ostomy
Lessons Learned About Peristomal Skin Complications Secondary Analysis of the ADVOCATE Trial
Ostomy and Continent Diversion Patient Bill of Rights Research Validation of Standards of Care
Other articles referenced in this episode:
The ostomy leak impact tool: development and validation of a new patient-reported tool to measure the burden of leakage in ostomy device users
Impact of stoma leakage in everyday life: data from the Ostomy Life Study 2019
Factors impairing quality of life for people with an ostomy
About the Speaker
Janet has enjoyed 40 years in WOC Nursing. Although her early nursing career focus was critical care as a certified critical care registered nurse she certified as a CWOCN in 1985. In 1996, she embarked in a private WOC practice, first as a partnership and then as sole proprietor practicing across the continuum with a focus on ostomy care coupled with a passion for patients attaining their desirable quality of life. Janet worked in outpatient ostomy clinics serving different populations and challenges... adding a bit of spice to her practice and recently retired from patient care.
Janet lectures nationally and internationally, has published on Quality of Life of People Living with an Ostomy and co-authored both a home study course on Wound Management & Healing and an educational video on Common Perineal Skin Injuries, and. She participates in Ostomy and Incontinence Associated Dermatitis research and actively participates with WOCN and industry to move ostomy care forward. Her peers awarded her the PCR ET Nurse of the Year Award in 1996, PCR President’s Award in 2000 and PCR* Professional Educational Award in 2004.
PCR stands for the Pacific Coast Region of the WOCN Society, what is now known as the Pacific Coast Chapter of the WOCN Society (or PCC for short). The WOCN Society has 11 chapters throughout the country that support WOCN members at a local level with resources, education, networking opportunities, social gatherings, timely information, and more. For additional information, please visit wocn.org/Chapters*.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Episode Resources:
View the JWOCN® article “Clean Versus Sterile: Management of Chronic Wounds”
View the infographic “Clean Versus Sterile: The Ongoing Debate in Chronic Wound Care”
About the Speaker:
Andrew Storer, PhD, DNP, RN, NP, CWCN-AP, FAANP. Dr. Andrew Storer serves as the Clinical Editor for the WOCN Society where he provides leadership and editorial expertise for the development, revision, and publication of WOCN clinical and professional practice literature. He is board certified in Advanced Practice in Wound Care and triple board certified as a family, emergency and acute care nurse practitioner. He is recognized nationally as a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners for his contributions to nurse practitioner education and practice. He serves as the Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services, Chief Nursing Officer, and Associate Professor of Oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY. At Roswell Park his colleagues and he were awarded the first K-12 grant in the country with a focus on post-doctoral training for PhD prepared nurse scientists to focus on translational research, bridging the gap between laboratory science and bedside intervention. Dr. Storer holds his PhD from the University at Hawaii at Manoa and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Thomas Jefferson University.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided byThe Podcast Consultant.
Episode Resources:
- Learn about the WOCN® DAISY Award
- View Dylan’s practice innovation abstract/ePoster:
PI41 - Stopping the Leak: Evaluating the effectiveness of ostomy education on nursing student’s knowledge, skills, and attitudes
https://wocn.confex.com/wocn/2025am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/14603 - View Dylan’s case series abstract/ePoster:
CS11 - Reduced leakage through the use of light convexity in the immediate post-operative period: a case series
https://wocn.confex.com/wocn/2025am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/14703 - World Council of Enterostomal Therapists (WCET)
- Sigma Theta Tau
- American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
- WOCN® Southeast Chapter
About the Speaker:
Dylan Carpenter, MSN, RN, CWOCN, PCCN, MEDSURG-BC, is a certified Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse (CWOCN) based in Alabama. He earned his BSN from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 2020 and completed his MSN in Nursing Education at the University of North Alabama in 2024. Dylan became a WOC nurse in 2024 and currently provides specialized care in the gastrointestinal surgery, vascular, nephrology, and heart and lung transplant intensive care units at UAB Hospital.
He is actively involved in clinical research, with interests focused on pressure injury prevention and innovations in ostomy care. His work has been presented at local, regional, and national conferences. In addition to his clinical role, Dylan serves as an adjunct clinical instructor, teaching both ADN and BSN students. He is also Vice President of the Central Alabama WOC Nurses Association and a member of the Southeast WOCN Chapter and the National WOCN Society. Outside of work, Dylan enjoys traveling and cheering on the Ole Miss Rebels.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Episode Resources:
Message from the President – featured in the July/August JWOCN®
WOCN Online Communities (the Modern Day Forums, as Chris called them)
Peristomal Skin Assessment Guide for Clinicians
Peristomal Skin Assessment Guide for Consumers
Support Surface Algorithm
Body Worn Absorbent Product Guide
A View From Here: Ostomy Life Coach – featured in the May/June JWOCN®
Minnesota Wild Rice Soup Recipe
About the Speaker:
Christine Berke, MSN, APRN-NP, AGPCNP-BC, CWOCN-AP, has been a nurse for 42 years, a certified WOC nurse for 24 years, and a nurse practitioner for the past 17 years. She has served on the WOCN® Society Board of Directors for nine years and counting, holding roles as Director, Secretary, President-Elect, and now President.
In 2009, Chris established a wound and ostomy clinic at a tertiary, university-affiliated hospital—after helping to launch a smaller clinic in 2008. Since 2003, she has contributed to numerous WOCN Society committees and played a key role in developing the inaugural advanced practice exams for the WOCNCB between 2011 and 2012, continuing to support their rollout and management through 2015.
Chris has authored several articles, primarily focused on friction injuries, and frequently presents at local, regional, and national conferences. Together with her daughter, she also created the “Berke Butt,” a teaching tool that has unexpectedly made its way to locations around the world.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
This podcast is part of the Ostomy Observations Series, a 6-part series included in the “Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow” Program. Both the Ostomy Observations podcast series and the Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow Program are commercially supported through an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated. For more information, visit wocn.org/exceptionaloutcomes. The WOCN® Society does not endorse or support products or services.
About the Speaker:
Karla Lohnes, RN, MClScWH, BScN, NSWOC, WOCC(C), has over 15 years of experience working as Nurse Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence. She has been certified in WOC nursing since 2012. She works in a tertiary care center providing pre-operative teaching and marking, post-operative ostomy teaching and outpatient support in an ostomy clinic.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
View the WOCN Society’s public policy information.
View the WOCN Society’s members-only online Public Policy Community to engage in communications about legislation, regulation or policy development, access to supplies or services for patients, or quality concerns.
If you have questions for Kate or Chris, please email info@wocn.org.
Visit the American Nurses Association Public Policy and Advocacy site for additional information and resources.
Visit the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders site for additional information and resources.
About the Speakers:
Kate Lawrence, MSN, RN, CWOCN, WOCNF, has had a wonderful career path in nursing. Her journey has included acute care, medical surgical nursing, home care, hospice and over 30 years as a wound ostomy and continence nurse practicing the full WOC scope of practice.
Her work in WOC nursing has included acute care in-patient, and the development of a comprehensive wound ostomy and continence service for inpatient, outpatient, and contract entities in a rural Vermont setting. Contracts included subacute care, long-term care, pediatric clinics for special needs, home care and hospice. Currently Kate is the Program Director of wound, ostomy and continence services at the VNA and Hospice of the Southwest Region in Vermont. Her role includes delivery of education, clinical care and consultation in home care, hospice, outpatient, long term care and community care facilities. Kate also serves as the Public Policy Coordinator for the WOCN Society.
Chris Rorick, MPH, serves as a Senior Policy Advisor at Polsinelli, and the Director of Government Relations with the WOCN Society. Chris brings 25 years of experience in both state and federal government service and government relations. His focus is on health care and health science policy representing numerous physicians, nursing, and medical research associations. Prior to joining Polsinelli, Chris served in both the state district office and Washington, D.C. office of a U.S. Congressman from Colorado as well a staff member for several Representatives of the Colorado State Legislature.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
On this inspiring episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Dr. Charleen Singh, Founder and Program Director, and Annie Ocampo, Philippines Liaison, for the International Wound Ostomy Continence Nursing Education Program (IWOCNEP) to explore the growing global reach of the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence (WOC) nursing specialty through IWOCNEP. IWOCNEP is a WOCN Society Accredited WOC Nursing Education Program whose philosophy is to build a supportive and collaborative community that utilizes innovation to disseminate the unique body of wound, ostomy, continence nursing knowledge to improve quality of life across the globe.
Tune in as they discuss the unique challenges, cultural insights, and life-changing outcomes of international WOC education—along with firsthand stories from the field, the importance of collaboration, and how WOC nurses everywhere can support this global initiative.
Episode Resources:
To learn more about the International Wound Ostomy Continence Nursing Education Program (IWOCNEP), click here.
Click here to email IWOCNEP for additional information, ask questions about how to get involved, or to find out if you qualify for a full or partial scholarship.
Lectures for each specialty are offered throughout the year using video technology.
Clinical residency is hosted in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam or Iloilo Philippines.
Minimum requirements for the program include Bachelor's of Science in Nursing and 2 years of medical-surgical nursing.
Interested in becoming a WOC Nurse? To find WOC Nursing Education Programs accredited by the WOCN Society, click here.
About the Speakers:
Charleen Singh, PhD, MBA, MSN/ed, FNP-BC, CWOCN, WOCNF, CNE, RN
Dr. Charleen Singh is the founder and program director of the International WOCNEP a non-profit bringing wound ostomy continence education to nurses in South Asia partnering with the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh and the Central Philippines University. She is the co-founder, co-director of the San Jose State Wound Ostomy program.
She offers more than 25 years of nursing experience which spans across countries, ages, health issues and practice.
Currently she is the program director of the DNP-FNP program at the University of California Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. Education of nurses, future nurses, improving patient outcomes and applying evidence-based practice are a few of her passions.
Annielyn Ocampo, MSN, RN, CWOCN
Annielyn Ocampo, MSN, RN, CWOCN has been a member of the WOCN Society for 20 years. She works as the Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nurse Specialist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Her educational background includes: University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Nebraska – Master of Science in Nursing, Leadership/ Administration Program, May 2017; Emory University, Georgia – Graduate of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Program, September 2006; University of Perpetual Help of Rizal, Philippines – Bachelor of Science in Nursing, March 1992.
Annie is the Philippines Liaison for the International WOCNEP and currently serves as a Director on the WOCN Society’s National Board of Directors.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
About the Speakers:
Dr. Thureiyya K. Rodriguez, DHA, MSN, CWOCN, has over two decades of experience in healthcare and specializes in wound, ostomy, and continence nursing. Dr. Rodriguez’s experience spans beyond inpatient and outpatient nursing. She has an extensive range of knowledge and expertise in staffing methodology and leadership nursing. Dr. Rodriguez’s experience in nursing practice and healthcare administration, combined with her tenure in both federal and private healthcare sectors, equips her to offer comprehensive and tailored solutions. Dr. Rodriguez has peer-reviewed publications in Nursing Made Incredibly Easy and is an active peer reviewer for Wolters-Kluwer: Advances in Skin and Wound Care. She is actively involved in the Northeast Region WOCN (NER WOCN) and National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS). She is the owner of Thureiyya Rodriguez RN, PLLC and North-Browne Consulting Services.
Katie Cesario, MA, RN, CWOCN, became a nurse in 2005 after obtaining her BSN from Pace University. She started her career at Visiting Nurse Service of New York as a public health nurse intern. In 2009, she received her Master’s Degree in Nursing Education from Pace University and soon after took a position as Orientation Nurse Instructor at VNSNY. In 2013, she studied at the Cleveland Clinic to become a Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nurse. In 2015, she took a WOC nurse position at New York Presbyterian, Columbia University Medical Center. In September 2018, she joined the WOC nurse team at NYP, Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. She held the Secretary position for the Metro NY Affiliate of the WOCN Society from January 2021-December 2022. Since 2019, she has served on the skin and wound care advisory board for Coloplast. Presently, she is embarking on a new path in her career by starting her own private nursing business for wound and ostomy patients and their caregivers, Katherine Cesario RN, PLLC. In this new role, she is most excited to combine her background in home care and education with her dedication to help people living with wounds and ostomies.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
In this episode of WOCTalk, we’re joined by Brooke Passy, Director of Meetings for the WOCN® Society, to give you a sneak peek into everything WOCNext® 2025 has to offer. Happening June 1–3, 2025, in sunny Orlando, Florida (with a virtual option, too!), this year’s event features a new streamlined schedule so you can learn more in less time.
Tune in to hear what’s new, including:
- Interactive roundtable education sessions for more collaboration
- A Tuesday morning exhibit hall with breakfast
- Exciting resort perks like pools, water parks, a golf course, spa, and nightly laser shows—plus, you’re just minutes from Disney parks and all that Orlando has to offer
Whether you're attending in person or virtually, WOCNext remains the only event of its kind led by healthcare professionals for healthcare professionals—delivering what’s new, what’s needed, and what’s next in wound, ostomy, continence, and foot and nail care.
On-demand access, evaluations, and Contact Hours will be available through September 15, 2025. Learn more at wocnext.org.
Episode Resources:
Register to attend WOCNext in-person or virtually.
Click here to download the WOCNext app.
Click here for a list of things to do and places to eat in Orlando.
About the Speaker:
Brooke Passy is a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP), Digital Event Strategist (DES), and is the Director of Meetings for the WOCN® Society.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Lisa Orowson has been a certified wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nurse since 2003. With a strong background in acute care, she has spent most of her career working as a CWOCN, caring for patients with ostomies and providing ongoing education to both nursing staff and students. About 13 years ago, what began as a classroom lecture for local nursing students transformed into a hands-on ostomy care lab—an interactive experience that continues today.
Lisa currently serves as a nurse navigator in the Limb Preservation Program, working across both acute and ambulatory care settings. She remains passionate about education and continues to lead both ostomy and basic wound care labs to help shape the next generation of nurses.
Contact Lisa with questions: Lisa.Orowson@hhchealth.org
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources:
Learn about the DAISY Foundation
Read the blog about the WOCN® DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses with a Bright Future
Explore ways to get involved with the WOCN Society
Join the WOC Nurse Week 2025 celebrations
Register for the free WOC Nurse Week 2025 Webinar
Listen to the WOC Nurses Spread Sunshine & Healing playlist on Spotify
Register for WOCNext® 2025
About the Guest:
Vicky Pontieri-Lewis, MS, RN, ACNS-BC-CWOCN, has been a member of the WOCN Society for 31 years. She works as the Clinical Administration/WOC Nurse at RWJ Barnabas Health System. Her educational background includes Master of Science Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 1993; Bachelor of Science, Nursing Wagner College, Staten Island, New York, 1983; Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse Education, Abbott Northwestern School; Of Enterostomal Therapy, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1990; Lean Six Sigma – Greenbelt.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources:
Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee
How To Practice Three Good Things - University of Utah Health
Health and happiness go hand in hand - Harvard Health
The happy secret to better work TEDTalk by Shawn Achor
What Makes You Grateful? by Anne Kubitsky
About the Guests:
Suzanne Lord, BSN, RN, CWOCN, BCMAS, has been a registered nurse for 31 years and Certified Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurse, for the past 13 years. She also holds a board certification in Medical Affairs. Her background has been predominantly in home care, and it was as a visiting nurse she chose to pursue the unique specialty of wound, ostomy, and continence nursing.
she made the leap from caring for mostly an elderly population in the home to leading the skin team at Connecticut Children’s medical center—an acute care pediatric hospital. From there, she moved to a global medical affairs role within the ostomy medical device industry and then into an acute care inpatient role as a Wound and Ostomy Resource nurse at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital, New London Connecticut. She is currently working as a Wound Care Clinical Specialist for Solventum.
She has been an active member of our New England Chapter of the WOCN® Society and currently sits as Co-Chair of the Communication Committee. In the past, she has served on the leadership, education, and Youth Rally committees.
As a side pursuit and counterbalance to the health care arena, Suzanne completed an apprenticeship with a chocolatier and then earned her certificate as a Professional Chocolatier. She now works part-time in a local chocolate shop.
In 2014, Suzanne took a Seminar for health professionals titled “The Habits of Happy People”. This launched her into a year’s long path of independent learning and course work about positive psychology and the science of wellbeing. It is this professional side study that has brought her here today to speak about finding Joy in your WOC work.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
E-ordering options that make it faster and easier for HCPs to order and alter patients’ supplies
UOAA Resources Library
Access to Supplies with Medicare words of Advice from UOAA Advocacy team
The Critical Need to Provide Ostomy Supplies Specific to Patient Need to Improve
LCD-Ostomy Supplies (L33828)
UOAA non-medical switching of ostomy supplies campaign
UOAA’s Roadmap to establish outpatient ostomy services.
About the Guest:
Yelena Brusilovsky is the National Vice President of Sales for Edgepark and has been with the organization for 12 years. In her role, she leads three key teams: the urology and ostomy inside sales team, the diabetes sales team focused on endocrinologists and internal medicine providers, and the market access team responsible for managing Edgepark’s relationships with contracted insurance payers. With extensive experience in healthcare sales and market access, Yelena is committed to improving patient access to essential medical supplies and fostering stronger collaboration between DMEs and healthcare professionals.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Resources
- Wound Treatment Associate (WTA®) Program
- How to become a certification wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nurse
- Ostomy Care Associate (OCA®) Program
About the Guest
Laurie Wooley, MSN, RN, CWCN, COCN, is an experienced inpatient wound and ostomy nurse with a decade of expertise in the field. As a WTA Course Coordinator and Ladder III nurse at AHN-St. Vincent Hospital, she focuses on quality improvement initiatives to reduce hospital-acquired pressure injuries. Holding both a BSN and a master's degree in nursing education, Laurie has earned two national board certifications—Certified Wound Care Nurse (CWCN) and Certified Ostomy Care Nurse (COCN)—through the experiential route.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.
Episode Resources:
WOCN Continuing Education Center
First Social Learning discussions
Bite Sized Learning Courses
Wound Treatment Associate (WTA®) Program
Ostomy Care Associate (OCA®) Program
About the Guests:
Ashlee Garcia, MSN, APRN, AGACNP-BC, CWOCN-AP, CFCN, CLT is the current Chair of the WOCN Society’s Education Committee (2024-2026). She has specialized in WOC nursing since 2012 and became certified in 2013. With a strong background in acute care and long-term acute care settings, Ashlee now manages the WOC program at TMC and runs the outpatient ostomy clinic. Passionate about lifelong learning, she remains actively engaged within the WOCN Society and her local WOC nursing community.
Dr. Tara Beuscher, DNP, RN, GCNS-BC, ANP-BC, CWOCN, CFCN, NPD-BC, NEA-BC has been continuously WOC-certified for over 30 years and has worked across diverse healthcare settings nationwide. Dedicated to innovation and program development, she currently serves as the Accredited Provider Program Director for the WOCN Society. Dr. Beuscher is a chapter author and contributor to the second edition of the WOCN Core Curriculum textbook on wound care and was honored with the 2023 WOCN Society President’s Award.
Episode Resources:
Click here to download the app ‘Palliative Wound Pro’ for Apple devices
Click here to download the app ‘Palliative Wound Pro’ for Android devices
About the Guest:
Anne Walsh, ANP-BC, ACHPN, CWOCN, has been a registered nurse since 1995, beginning her career in home health care. She became certified in wound, ostomy, and continence nursing in 2001 and earned her master’s degree and nurse practitioner certification in 2003. In 2008, Anne achieved advanced certification in hospice and palliative nursing and has since dedicated her career to working as a WOC nurse practitioner in hospice and palliative care.
Recognizing the shortage of wound and palliative care-certified clinicians, Anne developed the “Wound Care Pro” app, a valuable resource for clinicians treating patients with wounds, whether the goal is healing or palliation. Her expertise and innovative approach continue to make a significant impact on patient care and clinician education.
Episode Resources:
Scholarship Information
Application Deadlines:
- Spring Cycle: February 1 – May 1
- Fall Cycle: August 1 – November 1
About the Guests:
Linda Reynolds, BSN, RN, CWOCN, has been a dedicated nurse for nearly four decades and currently serves as the Chair of the WOCN Society Scholarship Committee (2021–2025). A past president of the Pacific Coast Chapter of WOCN, Linda is also a Course Coordinator for the Wound Treatment Associate (WTA) Program. Her commitment to advancing wound, ostomy, and continence nursing was recognized with the 2022 Nurse Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pacific Coast Chapter of WOCN.
Episode Resources:
- The Phoenix magazine, the official publication of United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA)
- OstomyConnection.com
About the Speaker:
JoAnn is a CWOCN® since 1989 and FNP since 1999. She currently is President, Co-Director, and faculty for WEB WOC® Programs in Minneapolis, MN since 2002, educating nurses who are interested in becoming wound, ostomy, and continence care nurse specialists. In addition, JoAnn practices parttime at MercyOne North Iowa Continence clinic and Wound/Vascular Center in Mason City, IA. She is co-author of a chapter in the 2nd Edition of WOCN Core Curriculum: Wound Management, 2022, which discusses wound bed preparation using the expanded TIME framework and other general principles of topical therapy.
Episode Resources:
- World Council of Enterostomal Therapists (WCET®) International Ostomy Guidelines
- WCET® Journal
- Leininger's Culture Care Diversity and Universality: A Worldwide Nursing Theory
- Transcultural Nursing Society (TCNS)
- Journal of Transcultural Nursing
- National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN)
- National Black Nurses Association (NBNA)
- Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN)
About the Speaker:
Cecilia Zamarripa, PhD, RN, CWON, is a Wound, Ostomy, and Continence (WOC) Nurse for 38 years and currently manages the WOC Nursing Department at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Prior to that, Cece practiced WOC Nursing at Baylor University Medical Center Dallas, Texas; Rush University Medical Center; and at the UPMC since 1997.
Cece has been involved as a clinical preceptor for nurses in a WOCNEP and in Nursing Education roles. In 2010, Cece had the privilege of being selected as the Joint Commission Resources Patient Safety Scholar in Residence. Her teaching experience includes RN to BSN program at Slippery Rock University, Community Health Nursing, clinical instructor at Duquesne University, Preceptor for nurses completing their WOC Nursing Education Program, and Course Co-Coordinator for the Wound Treatment Associate (WTA®) and Ostomy Care Associate (OCA®) programs.
Cece is involved in the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society™ (WOCN®) and was a past volunteer for WOCNext Conference Planning Committee. Cece is involved in her professional specialty organization and was a contributing member of the WOCN Peristomal Consensus Panel in November 2020. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, Western PA Area Chapter for National Association of Hispanic Nurses, WOCN Society™, the WCET and a current Director for the WOCN Board.
Episode Resources:
JWOCN article: Assessment and Identification of Skin Disorders in Skin of Color: An Integrative Review
About the Guests:
Kathleen Francis, DNP, FNP-BC, CWOCN, is a registered nurse with over 45 years of diverse experience, including acute care, perioperative, critical care, long-term care, home health care, and wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nursing. Board-certified as a WOC nurse since 2008, she completed her WOC education in 2007 and has been an active member of the WOCN® Society, serving in various volunteer roles within the Society and the Northeast Chapter of the WOCN. Dr. Francis has worked as a CWOCN at VNS, Maimonides Medical Center, and is currently employed at NYU Langone Brooklyn. Her DNP project, completed in 2016, focused on the assessment and identification of skin injuries in individuals with darker skin tones. She has since published her project findings and continues to write and present on this critical topic at conferences. Additionally, she has contributed numerous journal publications and poster presentations to advance the field.
Episode Resources:
JWOCN Article: Use of a Convex Pouching System in the Postoperative Period: A National Consensus
JWOCN Article: Use of Convexity in Pouching: A Comprehensive Review
JWOCN Article: Characteristics of Convex Skin Barriers and Clinical Application: Results of an International Consensus Panel
Collin’s social media: Instagram
About the Guests:
Colin Jarvis is an ileostomy advocate who’s been living with an ostomy for over 10 years following a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. During his junior year at UC Berkeley, Collin was captain of the track and field and cross-country teams, with dreams of becoming a professional athlete. However, the sudden onset of his illness quickly progressed, and within eight months, he underwent ostomy surgery after his large intestine deteriorated beyond repair. Now, Collin embraces his experience, sharing insights to help others navigate life with an ostomy.
Tammy Lichtman, BSN, RN, CWON, is a seasoned CWON with 15 years of experience, including roles as Regional Wound and Ostomy Director for home health in Florida and owner of her own consulting business. Her background includes surgical nursing at the Cleveland Clinic and leadership positions at AdventHealth, where she managed the wound/ostomy program across multiple campuses.
Episode Resources:
- WOCN Society Pediatrics Community and Ostomy Community for members only
- JWOCN® evidence-based articles on pediatric care
- Pediatric Ostomy Support Group (POGS) by the United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA)
- Youth Rally, Pull-thru Network, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, Girls with Guts, Shadow Buddies Foundation
About the Speaker:
Michelle Rice, MSN, RN, CWOCN, has been a WOC nurse since 1999 and currently practices at Duke University Hospital. Michelle’s primary population is pediatrics and focuses on wound care and ostomy care.
Episode Resources:
Ostomy Care Management (OCM) Program
The Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society™ (WOCN®) Society
The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS)
About the Guests:
Jan Colwell, APRN, CWOCN, FAAN, is an advanced practice nurse certified in wound ostomy and continence care. She most recently practiced at the University of Chicago Medicine providing care to patients with ostomies. She is a past president of the WOCN Society and Friends of Ostomates Worldwide USA, and has contributed to ostomy patient care by editing several ostomy care text books, participated in ostomy research projects, authored multiple ostomy based articles and is the co-section editor of the ostomy section of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®).
Bethany Malone, MD, is a board-certified colon and rectal surgeon based in Fort Worth, TX. She practices broad-based colorectal surgery including screening colonoscopies and treats benign anorectal conditions, hemorrhoids, fecal incontinence, colon cancer, rectal cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Malone is an active member of the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, and the International Society of University Colon and Rectal Surgeons.
Jenny Speranza, MD, attended the Rochester Institute of Technology, graduating in 1994 with her B.S. degree, Magna Cum Laude. She earned her M.D. from the School of Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo (1999). Dr Speranza finished her surgical residency in 2004 from the State University of New York at Buffalo Consortium. In 2005, she completed a Colon and Rectal fellowship at the University of Miami. Prior to arriving at the University of Rochester, Dr. Speranza was on staff at the Cleveland Clinic Florida where she was an attending surgeon in the department of Colon and Rectal Surgery. Dr. Speranza is a member of American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, and serves on two committees of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic surgeons.
Episode Resources:
For resources mentioned in this episode, visit the links below.
- WOCNext® 2024 presentation, “Don’t Just ‘Go with the Flow’! Practice Update for the Management of High Output Fecal Ostomies” - available for on-demand viewing for registered attendee
- WOCN members-only communities for online networking threads and professional discussions
About the Speaker:
Tammy Lichtman, BSN, RN, CWON, is a seasoned CWON with 15 years of experience, including roles as Regional Wound and Ostomy Director for home health in Florida and owner of her own consulting business. Her background includes surgical nursing at the Cleveland Clinic and leadership positions at AdventHealth, where she managed the wound/ostomy program across multiple campuses.
Episode Resources:
For resources mention in this article, visit the links below:
Maura’s Abstract & ePoster: Skin Care Champion Program at a South Jersey Teaching Hospital's Progressive Care Unit
Alicia’s Abstract & ePoster: An Educational Intervention Differentiating Between Pressure Injuries and End-of-Life Wounds
WOCNext 2024 Pictures
WOCNext website
About the Guests:
Alicia Perez Varela has been a registered nurse since 2017 and earned her wound care certification in 2021. She attended WOCNext® for the first time in 2024. Alicia currently works at an outpatient advanced wound care and hyperbaric clinic and is also a member of the inpatient wound care team.
Maura Callahan has been a bedside nurse for 8 years, with experience in Long Term Care, Home Care, and Acute Care in the Progressive Care Unit as a Charge Nurse and Training Preceptor. She is passionate about Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Care and completed the Rutgers University-Camden Wound Ostomy Continence Nursing Education Program. This training has enabled her to support various units with care and education for patients, families, and caregivers. Maura is actively involved in her facility’s Skin, Wound Assessment Team, leads the Skin Care Champion Program, and recently joined the Hospital System's Pressure Injury Reduction Council.
Episode Resources:
For resources mention in this article, visit the links below
Abstract: “Going With the Flow” to Develop a Robust External Female Catheter Implementation Process
ePoster: Going With the Flow” to Develop a Robust External Female Catheter Implementation Process
Article: Implementation of an external female urinary catheter strategy on prevention of skin breakdown in acute care: A quality improvement study
Wound Treatment Associate (WTA) Program
Ostomy Care Associate (OCA) Program
WOC Nursing Education Programs accredited by the WOCN Society
About the Speakers:
Cecilia Zamarripa, PhD, RN, CWON, is a Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) Nurse for 38 years and currently manages the WOC Nursing Department at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Prior to that, Cece practiced WOC Nursing at Baylor University Medical Center Dallas, Texas; Rush University Medical Center; and at the UPMC since 1997.
Cece has been involved as a clinical preceptor for nurses in a WOCNEP and in Nursing Education roles. In 2010, Cece had the privilege of being selected as the Joint Commission Resources Patient Safety Scholar in Residence. Her teaching experience includes RN to BSN program at Slippery Rock University, Community Health Nursing, clinical instructor at Duquesne University, Preceptor for nurses completing their WOC Nursing Education Program, and Course Co-Coordinator for the Wound Treatment Associate (WTA®) and Ostomy Care Associate (OCA®) programs.
Cece is involved in the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society™ (WOCN®) and was a past volunteer for WOCNext Conference Planning Committee. Cece is involved in her professional specialty organization and was a contributing member of the WOCN Peristomal Consensus Panel in November 2020. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, Western PA Area Chapter for National Association of Hispanic Nurses, WOCN Society™, the WCET and a current Director for the WOCN Board.
Alexandra Craig, BSN, RN, WTA-C is a clinical research coordinator (CRC) for the UPMC Presbyterian WOC Nursing Department. During Alex’s time in the department, she has been instrumental in to help develop the projects and prepared documents for research study protocols. Her research experience includes a Support Surfaces RCT, Ostomy Barrier leakage retrospective study and numerous wound care quality projects. She is passionate about learning; research and the nursing science provides the evidence to improve patient care outcomes. She is currently enrolled in her MSN program and plans to attend a WOC Nursing Education Program (WOCNEP) soon after.
Episode Resources:
For resources mentioned in this episode, visit the links below:
Local Coverage Determination (LCD) for Ostomy Supplies document L33828 located on cms.gov
UOAA Support Group Finder
About the Speaker:
Stephanie Yates MSN, RN, ANP-BC, CWOCN, WOCNF, is a master’s prepared Nurse Practitioner and consultant, educated at UNC - Chapel Hill, and Duke University. She received WOC nursing education at Emory University. Stephanie practiced for many years in acute care, home health, long term care and at the Duke Wound Management Clinic and Duke Cancer Center. She is a Past President of the WOCN® Society and she led or participated on three consensus conferences related to MARSI. She co-authored several journal articles on MARSI as well as co-edited the second edition of the WOCN Core Curriculum-Wound Care. She has lectured on wound care topics locally, regionally, and nationally. She was recently inducted as a Fellow in the WOCN Society.
Episode Resources:
Connect with Janice on the WOCN Community platform.
Post ostomy clinic questions in the ostomy community and/or professional practice community.
About the Speakers:
Janice Erbe Gorski, DNP, APNP, FNP-BC, CWON-AP, is an ostomy nurse practitioner who is employed at the Medical College of Wisconsin as a lead Ostomy APP. She is responsible for the development of the ostomy program and works in both the inpatient and outpatient clinic settings. In her role, Janice opened a nurse practitioner led ostomy clinic which has dramatically grown to support two dedicated ostomy nurse practitioners.
Janice became certified as a wound ostomy nurse in 2008 and received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice in 2020. She is active with the Wound Ostomy Continence Nursing Society at both the Chapter and National levels. She is the current president of the North Central Chapter. Additionally, she serves on the United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) Education Committee.
Episode Resources:
Journey of WOC Nursing through the Decades
Youth Rally
United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA)
Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation
Kristin's blog: Gutless Wonder Woman
About the Speakers:
Paula Erwin-Toth, MSN, RN, CWOCN, CNS, FAAN, has over 30 years of experience in wound, ostomy and continence care. She is a well-known author, lecturer and patient advocate who is dedicated to improving the care of people with wounds, ostomies and incontinence in the US and abroad. Paula completed her basic nursing education in 1978 at the Akron City Hospital’s Idabelle Firestone School of Nursing, she received her (WOC)ET education at the Cleveland Clinic’s RB Turnbull, Jr. School of Enterostomal Therapy in 1982; her BSN and MSN were awarded in 1986 and 1990, respectively, by the University of Akron in Ohio. Paula served as the Director of WOCN Nursing Education at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1990-2012 and served as Director Emerita of that program. In 2012, Paula received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the WOCN Society. In 2013, Paula was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Paula is also President and CEO of PETprojects, a firm specializing in wound, ostomy, and continence care, education and advocacy. Recently at WOCNext 2024, Paula received the President’s Recognition Award from the WOCN Society.
Kristin Knipp, LPN, is a Care Coordinator for the Center for Swallowing & Esophageal Disorders at the Cleveland Clinic. She has been a Youth Rally nurse and counselor for 30+ years. She is a Past President of United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA). She served as Education and Support Coordinator and Development Coordinator for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Northeast Ohio. She also served as a Sales manager for Ostomy Secrets. Kristin serves in various other volunteer support and advocacy roles. She is a nurse, an ostomate, and a patient advocate.
Episode Resources:
For resources mentioned in this episode, including organizations where you can donate unused ostomy supplies, visit the links below:
Friends of Ostomates Worldwide-USA (FOW)
Friends of Ostomates Worldwide (Canada) (FOWC)
United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) Support Group finder
American Cancer Society
USC Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
About the Speaker:
Janice Colwell, APRN, CWOCN, FAAN, is an advanced practice nurse certified in wound ostomy and continence care. She most recently practiced at the University of Chicago Medicine providing care to patients with ostomies. She is a past president of the WOCN Society and Friends of Ostomates Worldwide USA, and has contributed to ostomy patient care by editing several ostomy care textbooks, participating in ostomy research projects, authoring multiple ostomy-based articles, and is the co-section editor of the ostomy section of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN).
Episode Resources:
Visit the Chapter page on the WOCN website for more information on the restructure, including FAQs and additional resources.
Connect with your local WOCN peers through the online Chapter Communities.
View this infographic about the WOCN Society’s history.
About the Speakers:
Derik Alexander, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWOCN, CFCN, has been a dedicated member of the WOCN Society for 23 years. He is the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse Practitioner at Dignity Health Medical Group and St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. He holds a Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of Phoenix (2009), and completed his Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse Education at Emory University.
Mandy Spitzer, MBA, RN, CWOCN, CFCN, is a Certified Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse, as well as a Certified Foot Care Nurse. An active WOCN Society member, Mandy has served on the South Central Chapter's Board of Directors in various roles, including President (January 2023 – present), President-elect (2021 – 2022), and Communications Officer (2017 – 2020). She is currently the Medical Education Manager for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy at Smith and Nephew.
Nicole Kindel, BSN, RN, CWOCN, is an Acute Care Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse with 18 years of certification as a WOC nurse. Over the past 15 years, she has held every position on the North West Chapter Board of Directors.
Episode Resources:
Click here for information on the WOCN-accredited nursing education programs.
Click here to view Preceptor FAQs about becoming a WOC nurse preceptor, how to get started with new students, information about roles and responsibilities, and more.
Click here to search the Preceptor Directory to find a WOC preceptor in your area.
Click here to view information on WOCN Society membership options.
Click here to view the WOCN Society annual scholarship information.
About the Speakers:
Lori Borja, MSN, RN, CWOCN, CFCN, has been a certified WOC nurse for over 24 years, with experience in all care settings. She ran a nurse-led outpatient ostomy clinic where she conducted pre-op teaching, stoma-site marking, post-op care, and managed stomal and peristomal complications. Lori has extensive experience in program development and nursing education in the clinical setting. She has been a Clinical Instructor at the Emory University WOC Nursing Education Program since 2014 and the Program Director since 2019.
Kelly Jaszarowski, MSN, RN, CNS, ANP, CWOCN, WOCNF, earned her BSN degree in 1989 from Sangamon State University (now known as the University of Illinois Springfield) and her MSN in 1997 with a specialization in adult primary health care. She became a CETN (now known as a CWOCN) in 1990. With over 30 years of nursing experience and more than 30 years as a CWOCN, Kelly has precepted both nursing and WOC nursing students.
Kelly has practiced in various settings, including acute care, home healthcare, extended care, assisted living, and outpatient facilities. Currently, she is an independent WOC consultant with mid-level provider status in local facilities and serves as a legal nurse consultant. She has taught nursing and WOC nursing, lectured locally and nationally, and been published. Kelly has also been active in numerous professional organizations, serving on the Board of the WOCN and the Mideast Chapter. She is a Past President of both the Mideast Chapter and the WOCN Society. Kelly has been an educator with the Cleveland Clinic - R. B. Turnbull, Jr. MD WOC Nursing Education Program for over 10 years and is the current Program Director.
Debra Netsch, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CWOCN-AP, CFCN, has been a WOC nurse for over 38 years, with 26 of those years also as a Nurse Practitioner. She has taught with the WEB WOC® Nursing Education Program for over 23 years and is Co-Director and the ANCC Approved Provider Program Director. Debra has published numerous clinically relevant textbook chapters and articles. She has a passion for ostomy care and teaching.
Episode Resources:
Click here to find a UOAA Affiliated Ostomy Support Group near you. People who have or will have surgery, caregivers, family, friends and medical professionals are invited to attend and benefit from lifelong learning and emotional support.
Click here to access the article, The Role of the WOC Nurse in an Ostomy Support Group by Stephanie Mowdy, BSN, RN, C, CETN. Click “Download” on the left-hand side to get the PDF version of the original article that was published in the JWOCN® in 1998.
Click here to access the article Starting and Maintaining a Hospital‐Based Ostomy Support Group by Heidi Huddleston Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, published in the JWOCN in 2010.
Click here to access the WOCN members-only online Ostomy Community
Click here to access the WOCN members-only Professional Practice Community
About the Speakers:
Vashti Livingston, MS, RN, CWOCN, has been a member of the WOCN Society for 20 years. Vashti has been a WOC nurse co facilitator for an ostomy support group for 20 years. She currently works as a Certified WOC Nurse Ambulatory Urology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center NYC. Her educational background includes Emory University WOCNEP (2001); MS in Adult Health Nursing (2005); BSN (1990) and BS Biology (1984).
Stacy Krakower, BSN, RN, CWON, has over 20 years of direct patient care working in the acute, long term, ambulatory and home care settings. Stacy completed her training in wound and ostomy nursing from the Emory University Wound and Ostomy Certification Program and has been certified wound and ostomy nurse for the past six years. Since 2019, Stacy has had the privilege of being one of the leaders of the Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center's Ostomy Support Group. She has helped grow this group over the years as it successfully pivoted from an in person support group to a virtual group. She is passionate about her role as a leader of such an important group as she feels that knowledge is acquired over time and support groups can offer the ostomy community life long learning, support and friendship.
Rebecca Poleshuck, MSN, FNP-BC, CWOCN, presently practices as a Wound Ostomy and Continence Specialist and Colorectal Surgery Nurse Practitioner, with special certification in wound, ostomy and continence care. She has practiced in the field of nursing for over 19 years, providing care to pressure injury patients, and developing comprehensive educational programs for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and patient care assistants. As a wound care expert at an academic medical center, she routinely diagnoses and treats patients with pressure injuries based on the etiology and stage of the wound. She received a BS in Nursing from Hunter-Belleveue School of Nursing and certification as a Family Nurse practitioner from SUNY Downstate. She is currently employed at Mt. Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in New York as a nurse practitioner, wound, ostomy and continence specialist. Rebecca is Co-chair of the WOC Nurse Mount Sinai Health System Steering Committee for Hospital Acquired Pressure Injury prevention and provide a consultation service for wounds, ostomies and fistulas in the acute care setting as well as in a nurse practitioner run outpatient clinic for patients with recent ostomies and patients with long term concerns. She has also developed prevention strategies for patients at risk for pressure injuries in unit based quality improvement projects as well as developing a wound and ostomy continuing education program for Mount Sinai Beth Israel School of Nursing. Rebecca has created a staff development program for Registered Nurses and Patient Care Associates to prevent pressure injuries, moisture associated dermatitis, the care of lower extremity wounds and ostomies. She also created a staff development program for nurse practitioners for care of oncological wounds. Rebecca sits on Mount Sinai systemwide committees for pressure injury prevention and for credentialling of advanced practice providers.
Click here for details about the WOC N Roll Welcome Party at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 8. Purchase a ticket ahead of time through the WOCNext registration site.
Click here to listen to the WOCTalk episode with Destination Cleveland for insider tips on what to see and do in Cleveland.
Click here for a comprehensive list of things to do and places to eat in Cleveland.
Register to attend WOCNext in-person.
Register to attend WOCNext virtually.
Click here to download the WOCNext app.
About the Speaker:
Brooke Passy is a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP), Digital Event Strategist (DES), and is the Director of Meetings for the WOCN® Society.
Click here to access the WOCN Society’s online Continuing Education Center (CEC)
Click here to search the newest online courses
Click here to view the new certification review courses
Click here to access the WOCN Society’s free online Clinical Resources
If you missed WOCN® Wound Education Day 2023, click here to purchase the on-demand sessions
If you missed WOCN® Pharmacology Day 2023, click here to purchase the on-demand sessions
About the Speaker:
Meghan Smith, MSN, AGACNP, CWOCN, is a nurse practitioner in the Department of Surgery at Henry Ford Health in Detroit where she has implemented a WOC nurse mentoring program. She has been a nurse for 20 years and a certified wound ostomy continence nurse for 16 years. She has had previous presentations on ostomy care, pressure injury prevention, staff education and mentoring. She serves as the current chair of the WOCN Education Committee. When she's not empowering others to make a bigger impact on what's most important, Debbie can be found boycotting winter and chasing sunshine from Pennsylvania to Florida each year with her husband, Tom.
Click here to learn more about the Opening Keynote session, Getting Clarity: Identifying Your Strengths to Shape Your Impact
Click here to learn more about WOCNext
About the Speaker:
Debbie Peterson is a dynamic speaker and consultant who helps her audiences and clients make a bigger impact in their careers, businesses, and lives. Through her speaking and consulting business, Debbie travels the country, empowering professionals with the tools and strategies to go all in on who they are, what they do, and how they consistently show up to make a bigger impact in their leadership and life!
As a result of Debbie's programming, participants consistently report increased focus, momentum, and motivation to translate their vision into action. Her expertise is further showcased in the 'Getting to Clarity' Podcast, where Debbie offers invaluable insights and practical strategies to help busy leaders create more success in their leadership with less sacrifice in their lives.
In addition to her speaking and consulting business, Debbie is an accomplished author with her book Clarity: How Smart Professionals Create Career Success on Their Terms. She is a professional member of the National Speakers Association and proudly earned the Certified Speaking Professional Designation in 2023, an achievement earned by 17% of professional speakers worldwide. She is also a certified trainer of NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP) and a student of Huna.
When she's not empowering others to make a bigger impact on what's most important, Debbie can be found boycotting winter and chasing sunshine from Pennsylvania to Florida each year with her husband, Tom.
Click here to view the article Skin failure: A historical perspective published in the American Nurse Journal.
Click here to view the article Skin Failure: An Emerging Concept published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (JAMDA)
Click here to view the article Skin Fails Too: Acute, Chronic, and End-Stage Skin Failure published in Advances in Skin & Wound Care
About the Speakers:
Mario C. Giannettino is a partner in the law office of Kaufman Borgeest & Ryan, LLP in the firm's Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home and Long Care and General Litigation practice groups. Throughout his career, Mario has represented a wide range of healthcare professionals and providers, including residential healthcare and assisted living facilities, physicians, physician’s assistants, hospitals, and home healthcare agencies. In addition to defending suit from inception and through discovery, Mario also serves as a trial attorney. In addition to his litigation experience, Mario provides a broad spectrum of services to healthcare clients, including staff training, in-servicing, counseling on risk assessment issues, and assisting them in navigating privacy and security issues under both HIPAA and the HITECH Act.
Mario regularly publishes and speaks nationally on matters relating to all aspects of healthcare defense. During his career, he has been a featured author in The Risk Management Quarterly, McKnight’s and various other publications. Mario frequently speaks nationally at healthcare events and workshops and has presented on issues such as the impact of artificial intelligence on healthcare, the CMS Five-Star Rating System, the proliferation of arbitration agreements in healthcare and many other topical concerns. In addition to being licensed to practice law in both New York State and Connecticut, Mario serves as supervisory/monitoring counsel for residential health care facilities nationwide.
Heidi Cross is a certified Wound and Ostomy Nurse, as well as a nurse practitioner from the Syracuse NY area. She has worked in acute care and is a wound consultant for long term care facilities, currently working for the University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital and CNY Physicians of Central New York. She has been published in multiple wound and ostomy journals and is a member of the WOCN® Society and the American Association of Wound Care, among other organizations. She has extensively reviewed legal cases related to wound care for both defense as well as plaintiff attorneys and comes with a wealth of experience and information related to litigation and wound care.
Click here for everything you need to know about places to visit and things to see in Cleveland, including access to the Cleveland Experience Passports.
Click here to learn about exhibits and tours at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Purchase a ticket for the WOCNext 2024 WOC n Roll Welcome Party taking place at the Rock Hall on Saturday, June 8.
Click here to book a Cleveland walking tour.
Click here to book a Cleveland food tour.
Click here to book a water tour on the Good Time III, and click here to book a water tour on the Lady Caroline.
Click here to learn about Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway trails.
Click here to learn about the Westside Market.
Click here to learn about University Circle which includes the free Cleveland Museum of Art, historical landmarks, parks and gardens, and more.
Click here to learn about the Cleveland Botanical Garden.
Click here to learn about Edgewater Park & Beach located on Lake Erie.
Click here to learn about the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH.
Click here to learn about Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, OH.
About the Speaker:
Nick Urig is a Senior Communications Manager for Destination Cleveland and leads the leisure and meetings/conventions public relations initiatives.
Click here to view Vickee’s WOCN® Member Spotlight blog.
About the Speaker:
Victoria (Vickee) Ramik, MS, APRN, ACNS-BC, CCRN, CWOCN, has been a nurse for four decades, predominately as a bedside nurse and clinical nurse specialist in critical care. In 2010, she became tri-specialty certified in wound, ostomy, and continence care. Vickee retired from nursing in 2023 and does not have formal plan yet, but she will miss taking care of her patients.
Click here to view the abstract for the poster “Put the toes in head to toe assessment”
Click here to view the interactive ePoster for “Put the toes in head to toe assessment”
About the Speaker:
Ivy Razmus, PhD, RN, CWOCN, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Detroit Mercy where she is currently teaching in the BSN Nursing program. Her research focuses on pressure injury prevention for pediatric patients including neonatal patients. She has experience as a Manager of Pediatric populations both neonatal and pediatric intensive care; as a quality analyst within a health system focusing on nursing sensitive quality indicators and root cause analysis; and as a CWOCN in the acute, critical and outpatient settings in the adult population.
Suzanne Keep, PhD, RN, FNAP, has a Masters in Community Health Nursing from Wayne State University. Suzanne has been teaching community health nursing for pre-licensure, BSN completion, and Master’s level nursing students for over 35 years. She mentored students for foot care for several years and incorporated it into the community health practicum for senior year students. She has provided footcare at a variety of community sites including a transitional house for men who have been incarcerated, the Salvation Army, city own lower income housing, and homeless shelters.
Episode Resources:
Click here to view the article “Impact of Co-occurring Cancer-Related and Wound-Specific Symptoms on Functional Performance Among Patients With Advanced Cancer and Malignant Fungating Wounds” published in the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN) Nov/Dec 2023 issue.
Click here to learn about the Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN®) certification.
Click here to learn about the Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (ACHPN®) certification.
Click here to learn about the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence CWOCN® certification.
Click here to view the face sheet “How Does a Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurse Fit into your Palliative/Hospice Care Team?” published in 2013.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Charles Tilley is an Adult Primary Care and Pain and Palliative Nurse Practitioner with a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and a post-master’s certificate in Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing. He brings 33 years of clinical, administrative, and education experience to the profession, currently in the role of Assistant Director of Graduate Simulation at NYU Meyers. Dr. Tilley’s most recent clinical work was as Hospice Attending, WOC Nurse, and Nurse Scientist at Calvary Hospital. His research interests include palliative oncology, palliative wound care, symptom science, and simulation outcomes. He has received grants from both the American Cancer Society and The Calvary Fund to study the symptom experience of patients with advanced cancer and malignant fungating wounds.
Episode Resources:
Click here to learn more about the WOCN Fellow Program
Click here to apply for the 2024 WOCN Fellow Class until March 4, 2024, at 11:59 PM ET
Click here to access the WOCN members-only online Communities
Click here to read Dr. Buscemi’s WOCN member spotlight blog
Click here to read Dr. Pieper’s WOCN member spotlight blog
About the Speaker:
Dr. Pieper, PhD, RN, CWOCN, ACNS-BC, FAAN, WOCNF, completed her WOC education at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital in 1989. She held a joint academic-clinical position, Wayne State University, College of Nursing, Detroit, MI, and the Detroit Medical Center. In 1991, her clinical career and her research became focused on wound care especially in persons who injected street drugs. She received NIH funding, gave many presentations, and published many papers in refereed journals. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Trinidad and Tobago, 2020. She is a Professor Emerita.
Dr. Buscemi, PhD, APRN, CWCN, WOCNF, is board certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner by the ANCC and board certified as a Wound Care Nurse with the WOCNCB. He has over 34 years of experience as a Nurse and more than 20 years as an APRN. He is a current member of the WOCN and has published in their journal. He is also an editorial reviewer for the JWOCN. He is a member of the AANP and sits on the editorial board for the JAANP. He also in on the editorial board for Wound Management. He has presented at regional, national, and international wound care conferences. He participates in interdisciplinary research with the Biomedical Engineering Dept. at FIU. He is a Fellow of the WOCN where he was inducted into their inaugural class.
Click here to view the WOC Nursing Education Programs (WOCNEPs) accredited by the WOCN Society.
Click here to listen to the WOCTalk podcast episode High Output Ileostomy Management
Click here to view the webinar Pharmacological Management of the Individual with a High Output Stoma
Click here to view the webinar Nutrition and Hydration Management of the Individual with a High Output Stoma
Click here to view the WOCNext® 2019 session High Output Ostomies: New Evidence and Best Practice
Click here to view the WOCNext® 2021 session Know about the Flow: Pathophysiology, Monitoring and Management of Patients with High-Output Ileostomies
Click here to view the article Empowering New Ostomy Patients Through a Novel Inpatient Group Education Class: A Quality Improvement Project published in the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®) in the July/August 2022 issue.
Click here to view the free, online Peristomal Skin Assessment Guide for Clinicians and Consumers
If you have questions for Kelly or Rose regarding this topic, please email info@wocn.org.
About the Speakers:
Kelly Jaszarowski, MSN, RN, CNS, ANP, CWOCN, is Program Director at the R.B. Turnbull Jr MD WOC Nursing Education Program. Kelly acquired her BSN degree in 1989 from Sangamon State University (now known as University of Illinois Springfield) and earned her MSN in 1997 with a specialization in adult primary health care. She became a CETN (now known as a CWOCN) in 1990. She has more than 30 years’ experience in nursing and over 30 years as a CWOCN. Kelly has practiced in a variety of settings including acute care, HHC, extended care, assisted living, and outpatient. She is currently an independent WOC consultant with mid-level provider status in local facilities as well as a legal nurse consultant. She also has taught nursing and WOC nursing, spoken/lectured locally and nationally, been published, been active in numerous professional organizations, including serving on the Board of the WOCN and the Mideast Region. She is a Past President of the Mid-East Region and the WOCN.
Dr. Rose Murphree is an Assistant Professor with Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing (NHWSN) and teaches pre-licensure and post-licensure programs. Rose earned her ADN (1980) and BSN (1983) at Mobile University, her MSN (Public Health Nursing Leadership, 2011) at Emory University’s School of Nursing, her DNP (2014) at Augusta University, and recently completed the Post-Graduate Certificate NP Program (AGPCNP, 2022) at NHWSN, too. She is tri-specialty certified in wound, ostomy, and continence nursing as well as foot and nail care. Her experience in nursing (1980-date) includes acute, outpatient, hospice, pediatrics, adults, and geriatrics—locally and internationally. She has done podium and poster presentations locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. She was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2021. She has been a WOC Nurse since 1987, and has extensive experience with persons with ostomy, wound, and continence issues.
Episode Resources:
Click here to find a United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) local support group throughout the United States
Click here to download the handout from the session “Hopeless, Helpless, and Out of Gas: Mental Health and Well Being with Ostomy Surgery”
Click here to view the WOCN Society’s Regions and Affiliates contacts and conference information
Click here to view the online Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®)
About the Speakers:
Janice Beitz, PhD, RN, CS, CWOCN-AP, WOCNF, FAAN, is a Professor of Nursing for the School of Nursing-Camden at Rutgers University. A native of Philadelphia, Dr. Beitz has over 50 years of nursing experience in acute, sub-acute, and outpatient care settings. She is a graduate of the Germantown Hospital School of Nursing and La Salle, Villanova, and Temple Universities. She is board certified as an adult clinical specialist in medical-surgical nursing, as a nurse of the operating room, as an advanced practice wound, ostomy, continence nurse, and as an adult nurse practitioner. She has taught nursing students at baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral levels. She has consulted as a WOC Advanced Practice Nurse Specialist for the Cooper Health System. She is the Director of the Rutgers University Camden WOCNEP. She has conducted funded research on Content Validation of Pressure Injury Prevention Algorithms and Prioritizing Management Approaches to Stomal and Peristomal Complications. Dr. Beitz is currently conducting funded research on academic workplace bullying and validation of wound care topical therapy algorithms. Dr. Beitz is on the editorial and manuscript reviewer boards of multiple wound care and educational journals.
Dr. Beitz received the WOC Nurse of Distinction and President’s Awards of the Northeast Region of the WOCN Society and, in April 2012, was awarded the Masters of Wound Care Award of the American Professional Wound Care Association. In October 2013, she was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. In 2014, she was selected a Walter Rand Institute Faculty Fellow to study the health problems of Southern New Jersey with a focus on diabetes. In 2015, she was inducted into the National League For Nursing Academy of Nursing Education Fellows. In 2018, she was inducted as a Fellow of the National Academies of Practice for Nursing. She was awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence at Rutgers University Camden. 2023, Dr. Beitz was inducted as a Fellow into the WOCN Society’s inaugural WOCN Fellows Program. Currently, she is Deputy Editor of the Journal of WOC Nursing.
Lynn Mohr, PhD, APRN, PCNS-BC, CPN, FCNS, is an Associate Professor/Department Chair, Women, Children, Family Nursing at Rush University College of Nursing and serves as Program Director of the Pediatric and Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Programs. Dr. Mohr holds a PhD in Nursing Science from Rush University, MS from the University of Kansa, BS from South Dakota State, and a diploma in nursing from St. Luke’s School of Nursing. She has been a certified pediatric clinical nurse specialist for over 20 years. Dr. Mohr research emphasis is on the adolescent experience with wound, ostomy and continence issues and speaks and publishes on those topics both professionally and the lay public. She has written several opinion pieces on pediatric care issues some of which have appeared in the Washington Post. She led a team in the Coloplast publication "Teen Life with an Ostomy" and is currently part of group working with the United Ostomy Association of America in developing a website aimed at children/adolescents with ostomies and their families.
Dr. Mohr is an elected Fellow in the Illinois Institute of Medicine, Overseas Fellow in the Royal Academy of Medicine, London England, and a Fellow of the Clinical Nurse Specialist Institute. Dr. Mohr is the past National President of the Society of Pediatric Nursing.
Episode Resources:
Click here to view the abstract “Beautiful Tiny Stomas: Neonatal Ostomy Models”
Click here to view the interactive ePoster for “Beautiful Tiny Stomas: Neonatal Ostomy Models”
About the Speaker:
Nikki Bruster has been a nurse for 13 years, and a wound/ostomy nurse for more than 7 years. Nikki is currently pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Nikki’s nursing background includes pediatric and neonatal bedside and flight, Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), and now wound, ostomy, and continence! Nikki has presented posters at multiple WOCNext® conferences. Her most recent poster “Beautiful Tiny Stomas: Neonatal Ostomy Models”, presented at WOCNext 2023, showed how to make quick, affordable ostomy models for educational purposes. Nikki has also published articles with the Oklahoma Nurses Association (ONA).
Click here to view the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society Core Curriculum: Ostomy Management Core, 2nd Edition
Click here to view handout on how to treat ileostomy blockage from the United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA)
Click here to view all the WOCN-accredited WOC Nursing Education Programs (WOCNEPs)
About the Speaker:
JoAnn is a CWOCN since 1989 and FNP since 1999. She currently is President, Co-Director, and faculty for WEB WOC® Programs in Minneapolis, MN since 2002, educating nurses who are interested in becoming wound, ostomy, and continence care nurse specialists. In addition, JoAnn practices parttime at MercyOne North Iowa Continence clinic and Wound/Vascular Center in Mason City, IA.
She is co-author of a chapter in the 2nd Edition of WOCN Core Curriculum: Wound Management, 2022, which discusses wound bed preparation using the expanded TIME framework and other general principles of topical therapy.
Click here to review a case study “Intraoperative Use of Soft Convexity”
Click here to see the Hollister CeraPlusTM Product Portfolio
If you have convexity-related questions for Rosemary, feel free to send an email to rosemary.Hill@vch.ca
About the Speaker:
Rosemary Hill, BSN, CWOCN, WOCC(C), has been a nurse for over 35 years and is the recipient of the Award of Excellence in Practice from the Association of Registered Nurses of British Columbia. She works at Lions Gate Hospital as a Nurse Specialized in Wound Ostomy and Continence (NSWOC). Her past volunteer activities include President of NSWOC from 2016-2018. Rosemary participates as a member on the British Columbia provincial Skin and Wound committee, continues to chair the Provincial Ostomy committee, and is an expert speaker at national and international events. Most recently volunteer activities have taken her to Argentina where she worked to provide wound education.
Signup to get notified when the NEW certification review courses launch!
Browse 70+ CE courses on the WOCN Society’s Continuing Education Center (CEC).
Click here to visit the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Certification Board (WOCNCB®) website for the certification exam information and resources
Subscribe to the weekly WOCNow weekly e-newsletter updates for information on additional education opportunities.
About the Speaker:
Meghan C. Smith has been a member of the WOCN Society for 13 years. She is a nurse practitioner for the Department of Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI. Her educational background includes BSN from Madonna University; WOC Certification from Emory University; MSN, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Madonna University.
Visit ostomy.org to learn about the United Ostomy Associations of America
Click here to find a nearby UOAA Affiliated Support Group throughout the United States
Click here to learn about the Emory University Wound, Ostomy, And Continence Nursing Education Center
Click here to learn about the Cleveland Clinic - R.B. Turnbull, Jr. Md WOC Nursing Education Program
Facebook support groups:
- The Real Ostomy Support Group
- Stoma & Ostomy Support Group
- Ladies Ileostomy Group
- Double Baggers Ostomy Support Group
- Central Mass Ostomy Support Group
Visit ostomycanada.ca to learn about the Ostomy Canada Society
Journal articles:
- Click here to view articles related to patient support groups published in the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN)
- Click here to view the article on starting and maintaining hospital-based ostomy support groups
Visit youthrally.org to learn about The Youth Rally
Click here for a variety of patient resources
Access the free tool Peristomal Skin Assessment Guide for Consumers
About the Speaker:
Stephanie Yates holds a BSN from UNC-Chapel Hill and an MSN from Duke University with a primary focus in adult oncology. She later completed a Post Masters certificate as an adult nurse practitioner. Her WOC nursing training was completed at Emory in 1981. Practicing as a WOC nurse for over 35 years, ostomy patients have always been a large part of her practice. She has lectured on ostomy related topics in a variety of settings and was recently lead author in the revision of the PSAG tool and resulting manuscript.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Kristin Smith, MSN, RN, CWCN, CNML, for a deep dive into the world of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for wound healing. Kristin discusses in detail different therapy treatments, hyperbaric chamber types, understanding dive medicine, common patient populations, contraindications, safety procedures, patient concerns, and so much more!
Episode Resources:
Learn more about the National Board of Diving & Hyperbaric Medical Technology
Learn more about the American Board of Wound Healing
Learn more about the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society
About the Speaker:
Kristin Smith, MSN, RN, CWCN, CNML, has been in wound care and Hyperbaric Oxygen for over 15 years. Kristin started as a staff nurse in the Hyperbaric, Wound Care Clinic in Houston, Texas. She was an ICU/ED nurse before she started her journey in wound care. She has taken the 40-hour Hyperbaric team training as well as the Safety Director course. Kristin was previously the manager of the Memorial Hermann Center for Hyperbaric and Wound Care for over seven years. Kristin is now the manager of Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Georgia, where she oversees two wound and Hyperbaric centers and inpatient wound care for five acute care hospitals including a level trauma center.
Episode Resources:
Click here to view Andrea’s poster “Decreasing Device Related Pressure Injuries from High Velocity Nasal Insufflation Device” from WOCNext 2023
Click here to view the Interventions Post Catheter Removal (iPCaRe) free algorithm
Click here to learn more about the Wound Treatment Associate (WTA®) Program
Click here to learn more about the Ostomy Care Associate (OCA®) Program
About the Speakers:
Andrea Grove, BSN, RN, CWOCN, has been a registered nurse for just shy of a decade and a has been a certified wound, ostomy, and continence nurse for three years. Andrea is the recipient of the 2023 Barbara Braden Future Is Bright Award.
Click here to visit the World Council of Enterostomal Therapists® (WCET) website
Click here to visit the International Ostomy Association (IOA) website
Click here to find a WOC nurse in your area
About the Speaker:
Mary Mahoney, MSN, RN, CWOCN, CFCN, has been a nurse for more than 35 years and certified WOC nurse for over 25 years with experience in acute, outpatient, and home care. Her current clinical practice is based at UnityPoint at Home in Iowa, where she works with a team of WOC nurses to provide consultation for patients and education to clinicians in homecare and hospice in a large healthcare system using telehealth technology. She is adjunct professor at WEB WOC Nursing Education Program. She has served on numerous WOCN Society committees in the Iowa Affiliate and at the National level. She is past board member and President of the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Certification Board (WOCNCB®). She has authored posters for WOCNext, the WOCN Society’s national conference, and articles for the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®).
This episode is related to the WOCNext® 2024 Call for Abstracts, which is accepting abstract submissions through November 1, 2023, at 11:00 AM ET. Visit wocnext.org/abstracts for the complete information.
Episode Resources:
Visit wocnext.org/abstracts for complete guidelines, an overview of the review process, scoring, formats, and more.
If you are interested in the WOCNext Abstract Mentorship assistance, please send an email to abstacts@wocn.org and indicate what area in which you are seeking assistance: 1) development of content, 2) turning content into a poster, 3) distilling the story, or 4) something else.
If you are interested in becoming a Mentor for WOCNext Abstract assistance and have had abstracts accepted in the past, email abstracts@wocn.org.
If you are interested in becoming an abstract reviewer, keep an eye out for Volunteer opportunities with the WOCN Society.
Click here to view scientific and clinical abstracts from WOCNext 2023 published in an online supplement of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®).
Click here for information on creating an ePoster, including the interactive video/audio features.
Click here to review the ePoster Guidelines.
Watch a short Bite Size Learning CE course on the step-by-step process for submitting an abstract.
View a PowerPoint presentation that details new elements and everything you need to know about the submission process.
Check out this blog to help you get ready to submit an abstract.
About the Speakers:
Carole Bauer, MSN, RN, ANP-BC, OCN, CWOCN, employed by the Beaumont Health System, is a Wound and Ostomy Nurse Practitioner where she opened the first outpatient ostomy clinic in the health system. Carole has a passion for WOC nursing and in particular ostomy patients. She has worked to successfully lobby Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan for changes in their allowed supplies for the ostomy patient when the supply limits did not meet the needs of the subscribers. As a champion for WOC nursing, she is an active member of the WOCN Society. She most recently served as a co-author of the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing: Scope and Standards of WOC Practice, 2nd Edition, for which she was awarded the WOCN Society President’s Award. She is the current Chair of the WOCNext® Abstract Review Committee.
Donna Bliss, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, WOCNF, is a Professor, Chair of the Adult and Gerontological Health Cooperative, and School of Nursing Foundation Professor of Nursing Research at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, Minneapolis, MN. She has 25 years of funded research and >120 publications and presentations about assessing, preventing, and managing fecal incontinence and incontinence associated skin damage. She is a forerunner in investigating disparities in skin damage and assessing dark skin. Donna is an active member of the WOCN Society and is currently the incoming Abstract Chair for the WOCNext conference. During WOCNext 2023, Donna was awarded the Barbara Braden Future is Bright Award and was also inducted into the inaugural class of the WOCN Fellow Program.
This special podcast is part of the Ostomy Observations Series, a 6-part series included in the "Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow" Program. During this episode, we sit down with Janice Beitz, PhD, RN, CS, CNOR, CWOCNAP, CRNP, ANEF, FNAP, FAAN, WOCNF, to discuss ostomy gas production and management, dietary management, gas pain, and additional tips.
Both the Ostomy Observations podcast series and the Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow Program are commercially supported through an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated. For additional information, please visit wocn.org/exceptionaloutcomes. The WOCN® Society does not endorse or support products or services.
Episode Resources:
Click here to browse the Cleveland Clinic Health Library for various ostomy-related articles
Click here to read an article on living with an ostomy and gas-causing foods
Click here to visit the WOCN® Society’s Patient Resources page
About the Speaker:
Janice Beitz, PhD, RN, CS, CNOR, CWOCNAP, CRNP, ANEF, FNAP, FAAN, WOCNF, is Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing-Camden, Rutgers University. A native of Philadelphia, Dr. Beitz has over 50 years of nursing experience in acute, sub-acute, and outpatient care settings. She is a graduate of the Germantown Hospital School of Nursing and La Salle, Villanova, and Temple Universities. She is board certified as an adult clinical specialist in medical-surgical nursing, as a nurse of the operating room, as an advanced practice wound, ostomy, continence nurse, and as an adult nurse practitioner. She has taught nursing students at baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral levels. She has consulted as a WOC Advanced Practice Nurse Specialist for the Cooper Health System. She is the Director of the Rutgers University Camden WOCNEP. She has conducted funded research on Content Validation of Pressure Injury Prevention Algorithms and Prioritizing Management Approaches to Stomal and Peristomal Complications. Dr. Beitz is currently conducting funded research on academic workplace bullying and validation of wound care topical therapy algorithms. Dr. Beitz is on the editorial and manuscript reviewer boards of multiple wound care and educational journals. Dr. Beitz received the WOC Nurse of Distinction and President’s Awards of the Northeast Region of the WOCN Society and, in April 2012, was awarded the Masters of Wound Care Award of the American Professional Wound Care Association. In October 2013, she was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. In 2014, she was selected a Walter Rand Institute Faculty Fellow to study the health problems of Southern New Jersey with a focus on diabetes. In 2015, she was inducted into the National League For Nursing Academy of Nursing Education Fellows. In 2018, she was inducted as a Fellow of the National Academies of Practice for Nursing. She was awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence at Rutgers University Camden. Currently, she is Deputy Editor of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®).
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Nicolien Wilder, BSN, RN, CWCN, CFCN, to discuss the ins and outs of starting and running a foot and nail care nursing practice to offer medical routine foot care to seniors at home.
Episode Resources:
Click here to visit the Heart and Sole Foot and Nail Care website
Click here to visit the SCORE website that offers free business advice from experienced mentors
Click here to visit the American Foot Care Nurses Association
About the Speaker:
Nicolien Wilder, BSN, RN, CWCN, CFCN, has been a nurse since 1986, mostly working in different acute rehabilitation hospitals as a Certified Rehabilitation Nurse. She has also managed a skin and wound care program as a Certified Wound Care Nurse in this setting. She experienced first-hand the rise of seniors who needed foot care services. She saw how the effects of improper foot care can lead to increased pain and discomfort with walking, lower extremity infections, and even amputations. Nicolien became certified as a Foot and Nail Care Nurse in 2014. In 2022, Nicolien started Heart and Sole Foot and Nail Care to offer medical routine foot care to seniors at home.
This special podcast is part of the Ostomy Observations Series, a 6-part series included in the "Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow" Program. During this episode, we sit down with Dorothy Doughty, MN, RN, CWOCN, CFCN, FAAN, to discuss the ostomy nurse’s role in offering patients counseling for sexual function after ostomy surgery, helping patients maintain intimacy, and addressing common sex and intimacy concerns for heterosexual and LGBTQ+ patients.
Both the Ostomy Observations podcast series and the Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow Program are commercially supported through an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated. For additional information, please visit: wocn.org/exceptionaloutcomes. The WOCN® Society does not endorse or support products or services.
Episode Resources:
Click here to visit the United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) website.
About the Speaker:
Dorothy Doughty has been a wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nurse since 1980 and has worked primarily in the acute care setting. She was Director of the Emory University WOC Nursing Education Program for 30 years and is currently working as a WOC nursing instructor. She is past President of the WOCN® Society and has multiple presentations and publications in the field of WOC nursing.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Jill Cox, PhD, RN, APN-C, CWOCN, FAAN and Rachele Durango, MSN, RN, APN-C, CWOCN, two of the authors of the article titled, “Predictors of Hospital Readmission in Patients Undergoing Creation of an Intestinal Ostomy” published in the May/June 2023 issue of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®), the official journal of the WOCN® Society.
The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of 30- and 60-day hospital readmission in patients undergoing ileostomy or colostomy creation.
To learn more about the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN), the official journal of the WOCN Society, click here.
Episode Resources:
Click here to read the JWOCN article titled, Predictors of Hospital Readmission in Patients Undergoing Creation of an Intestinal Ostomy
About the Speakers:
Jill Cox, PhD, RN, APN-C, CWOCN, FAAN, has as been a WOC nurse for 30 years in the acute care setting, caring for patients with all types of wounds and ostomies. In addition, she has presented educational programs focused on the care of patients with ostomies, and wounds and have conducted primary clinical research on these topics. Jill have spoken nationally and regionally on topics related to WOC practice.
Rachele Durango, MSN, RN, APN-C, CWOCN, graduated from Ramapo College of NJ with a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing in 2010 and began working as a Registered Nurse at a suburban teaching hospital in Northern NJ. Rachele, graduated from William Paterson University of NJ with a Master's of Science in Nursing in 2017 and became certified as an Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. After graduation, went on to specialize in wound, ostomy, and continence care, completing the WEB WOC Program and became a Certified Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse in 2018. Rachele currently work full-time at a suburban teaching hospital in Northern NJ as a Certified Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse Practitioner.
Click here for all the latest Public Policy and Advocacy updates and documents
Click here for information on the Lymphedema Treatment Act
Click here to learn more about the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders (The Alliance
Click here to learn about the Ostomy and Continent Diversion Patient Bill of Rights
Click here to learn about the WOCN Society’s Voter Voice platform
Click here to see the Public Policy Hot Topics
Click here to visit the WOCN members-only Public Policy Community discussion
Click here to visit the America Nurses Association (ANA) Advocacy page
Click here to see the CMS Coronavirus waivers and flexibilities
Click here to learn more about the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS)
Click here to learn more about the United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA)
About the Speakers:
Kate Lawrence, MSN, RN, CWOCN, has had a lifelong love of nursing. Her career has included acute care, medical surgical nursing, home care, hospice, and over 30 years as a wound, ostomy, continence (WOC) nurse delivering the full scope of practice. Her work in WOC nursing includes the development of a comprehensive wound ostomy and continence nursing service for inpatient, outpatient, and contract entities in a rural Vermont hospital setting.
Currently, she is the Program Director of wound, ostomy, continence services at VNA and Hospice of the Southwest Region in Vermont. Her role includes delivery of education and consultation in home care, outpatient, long term, and community care facilities. Kate has held many leadership roles for the WOCN Society and is one of the past presidents of the Society. Currently, Kate is the WOCN Society’s Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator.
Chris Rorick, MPA, serves as a Senior Policy Advisor at Polsinelli, and the Director of Government Relations with the WOCN Society. Chris brings 25 years of experience in both state and federal government service and government relations. His focus is on health care and health science policy representing numerous physicians, nursing, and medical research associations. Prior to joining Polsinelli, Chris served in both the state district office and Washington, D.C. office of a U.S. Congressman from Colorado as well a staff member for several Representatives of the Colorado State Legislature.
WOCNext 2023 will take place from June 4-7, 2023, both in Las Vegas and virtually. WOCNext is the ONLY educational event of the year hosted by healthcare professionals for healthcare professionals that delivers what’s new, what’s needed, and what’s next in wound, ostomy, continence, and foot and nail care. Whether you plan to attend in-person or virtually, if you are a first-time attendee or a conference veteran, there is something for everyone.
Both in-person and virtual attendees will have access to the event’s on-demand recordings for most of the content, including the including the ability to evaluate sessions and receive credits, through December 31, 2023.
Episode Resources:
Click here to learn more about the Opening Keynote session Bring Your Soul To work
Click here to listen to Ryan’s podcast Champion Your Culture
About the Speaker:
Ryan McCarty is an author, international renowned speaker, and the co-founder of Culture of Good, Inc.
After creating and implementing a wildly successful Culture of Good movement at the largest Verizon Authorized Wireless Retailer, in which he spearheaded community investments worth $6 million for those in need, Ryan recognized the need to share the Culture of Good with other successful organizations and their leadership.
Ryan’s work has been featured in Huffington Post, Inc.com, People, Forbes and more. With more than 20 years of leadership experience in the ministry and nonprofit industry, Ryan has a meaningful passion for inspiring employees and customers, igniting positive change in the world, and impacting companies’ bottom lines. He teaches how to unleash results in the workplace and world by inspiring employees to bring their soul to work every day.
WOCNext 2023 will take place from June 4-7, 2023, both in Las Vegas and virtually. WOCNext is the ONLY educational event of the year hosted by healthcare professionals for healthcare professionals that delivers what’s new, what’s needed, and what’s next in wound, ostomy, continence, and foot and nail care. Whether you plan to attend in-person or virtually, if you are a first-time attendee or a conference veteran, there is something for everyone.
Both in-person and virtual attendees will have access to the event’s on-demand recordings for most of the content, including the including the ability to evaluate sessions and receive credits, through December 31, 2023.
Episode Resources:
Visit wocnext.org to check out all of the event information
Click here to register online
Click here to reserve a hotel room in the WOCNext block
Check out the Linq Promenade—a section of shops, restaurants, and entertainment near the WOCNext event space and hotel block
Click here for information on the First-Time Attendee Meet & Greet
Click here for information on the Welcome Networking Reception
Click here to view the Symposia sessions
Click here to view the Hands-on Workshops
Log in to the WOCNext MyConnect platform to make appointments with exhibitors and message with exhibitors
Click here to view the Exhibit Hall Floorplan
About the Speaker:
Brooke Passy is a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP), Digital Event Strategist (DES), and the Director of Meetings for the WOCN® Society.
To learn more about The Value of the WOC Nurse: A WOCN® Quality Improvement Project, click here.
To view the Value of the WOC Nurse resource page, click here.
To begin showcasing your value on the WOC Nurse Value Dashboard, click here.
Members of the WOCN Society may download the WOC Nursing Salary & Productivity Survey here.
About the Speakers:
Joyce Pittman, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FNPBC, CWOCN, FAAN is the Chair of the WOCN Quality Indicators Task Force and an Associate Professor for the College of Nursing at the University of South Alabama Health Sciences.
Jen Hurley, CHCP, CPHQ, is a support staff member of WOCN® where she serves as a Continuing Education & Accreditation Services consultant.
Visit the SALSAL Foundation website at thesalsal.org
The SALSAL Scholarship information can be found here
Information about the SALSAL White Sock Campaign can be found here
Information about SALSAL Patient Assistance can be found here
View the SALSAL Resources here
About the Speakers:
Dr. Desmond Bell is the Founder and President of “The Save A Leg, Save A Life” Foundation, a multi-disciplinary non-profit organization dedicated to the reduction in lower extremity amputations and improving wound healing outcomes through education, evidence-based methodology and community outreach.
He also serves as Chief Medical Officer of Omeza, an evidence-based medical technology company and consumer healthcare products company initially focused on healing chronic wounds and preventing their recurrence.
In 2020, he joined MD Coaches as an Executive Physician Coach, serving as a peer to peer mentor. Dr. Bell was awarded the Frist Humanitarian Award by Specialty Hospital Jacksonville for 2009 and Memorial Hospital Jacksonville in 2018. He is a Board-Certified Wound Specialist (CWS) having served on the Board of Directors of the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care, the American Board of Wound Management for 6 years as well as on the Board of the American Board of Wound Management Foundation.
He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and is a member of the CLI Global Society. Dr. Bell has published numerous articles primarily pertaining to wound management and lower extremity amputation prevention and has served as an Editorial Board Member for the publication “Today’s Wound Clinic” since its inception. He is nationally recognized speaker, with regular faculty roles at AMP, ASCENT and Modern Wound Care Management.
Episode Resources:
The WOCN® Society Community platform provides an online support network for questions, inquiries, and professional networking – Join the Continence Community to view discussions, post, and reply to others
The Community platform is a WOCN members-only benefit. You must be logged in with your WOCN membership username and password to view access the online discussions.
Click here to view and download the poster “The WOC Nurse Role in Post-Operative K-Pouch Care” created and presented by Erin and Vanessa
Click here to visit the Quality of Life Association website
Click here to visit the K-Pouch Korner online forum provided by The J-Pouch Group
Click here to view and download the United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) Ostomate Bill of Rights resources page
Click here to visit the Patient Resources section of the WOCN Society’s website
Click here to purchase the Core Curriculum Ostomy Management, 2nd Edition
About the Speakers:
Vanessa Marra, BSN, RN, CWOCN, has 10 years of nursing experience and has held a WOC Nurse certification for 5 years. Vanessa has expertise with Continent Ileostomy Patient care.
Erin Testerman-Mitra, BSN, RN, CWOCN has 13 years of nursing experience and has held a WOC Nurse certification for 10 years. Erin has expertise with continent ileostomy patient care. Erin served as Secretary, Vice President, and President of the WOCN® Society’s Metro NY Affiliate, and currently sits on the Society’s national Membership Engagement Committee.
Episode Resources:
To learn more about the Better Health Ostomy Peer Support Program, click here.
To refer your patient to Better Health, visit trybetter.com.
About the Speaker:
Emily Gray, MSN, CRNP, CEN, is a nurse practitioner and ostomate who directs the Peer Support program at Better Health. After realizing that ostomates have far more to learn than just pouch changes and basic troubleshooting, she became a peer coach. Now Emily and her team work to provide a holistic approach to patient care that includes product expertise, patient education, and emotional support to help ostomates adjust to their new normal and to reduce the burden on clinical staff.
About the Speakers:
Colleen Drolshagen, BSN, RN, APRN, CWOCN, is a board-certified wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nurse with over 35 years of experience caring for individuals with these specific needs. She has worked in both acute care and outpatient settings. She has enjoyed many opportunities to speak internationally and to volunteer within her professional organizations. Colleen served on the Wound, Ostomy Continence Certification Board (WOCNCB®) exam committee, served as chair of that committee and is currently on the WOCNCB exam preparation committee. Colleen has also served as Director for the WOCN® Society. Colleen served on the National Conference Planning committee and was also selected as chair for that committee and served 4 years. Currently, Colleen is in the global research department as Principal Clinical Scientist at Hollister. This transition has allowed her to continue her passion of assisting individuals with ostomy and continence needs but now on a global level. She contributes to science-driven information that supports positive outcomes to enhance their quality of life.
Mandy Spitzer, MBA, RN, CWOCN, CFCN, has been a Registered Nurse for 14 years with a focus on wound, ostomy, and continence nursing for the past 11 years. Prior to joining Smith+Nephew, Mandy practiced at a Level-One Trauma Center where she gained experience addressing chronic wounds, complex surgical wounds, ostomies, and guiding the WOC practice and staff education for the institution. She currently serves as President for the South Central Region of the WOCN Society and is an active member of the WOCN Society. Mandy now serves as Senior Global Clinical Strategy Manager supporting real world evidence generation for Smith+Nephew's Advanced Wound Care portfolio.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Mary Jo Conley, BSN, RN, CWOCN, to discuss the implementation of a WOC nurse council that consolidates policy and practice across a large hospital network. Mary Jo goes into detail of how the idea of the council was born, the structure of the council, projects, challenges, and so much more. She addresses how the council serves as a great forum for networking, questions, feedback, and support for new WOC nurses and various departments. She also offers advice for nurses who want to start out on this path. The topic of WOC nurse councils has received a lot of engagement in the WOCN Communities, a WOCN Society members-only online platform for professional networking and questions.
About the Speaker:
Mary Jo Conley, BSN, RN, CWOCN has been a member of the WOCN Society for more than 30 years. She has recent experience leading a WOC nurse council comprised of WOC nurses from 10 facilities within a hospital network to consolidate policy and practice across the network. Mary Jo currently serves on the WOCN Society’s Board of Directors. She has also been involved in various WOCN Society committees and task forces.
Resources:
Mentioned in this episode - Visit community.wocn.org to access the WOCN Community platform, or access it on the WOCN website under the Members-Only dropdown menu.
Mentioned in this episode - Click here to read the JWOCN article “Development and Implementation of a Simple Wound Care Guideline for Minor Skin Lesions”
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Sara Coverstone, RN, MA, CHC, CWON, Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer, for an inside look into the role of healthcare compliance and privacy. Sara breaks down the difference between corporate compliance vs. risk management, common compliance misconceptions, important areas that WOC nurses and clinicians should be aware of, and she offers strategies for WOC nurses to promote positive compliance and ways to enhance knowledge of corporate compliance.
About the Speakers:
Sara Coverstone has worked in an integrated health system for more than fifteen years, serving as a Certified Wound and Ostomy Nurse (CWON) for eight of those years. She has had roles in the clinical practice department of post-acute care providing oversight to the wound care team, wound protocols and processes, wound education, and the medical supply program. She now serves as the Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer, addressing rules and regulations for the health system. Sara has facilitated wound training both to the health system and to long-term care facilities in the community with the WOCN® Society’s Wound Treatment Associate (WTA) Program. She served as a member of the national WTA Advisory Committee from 2016-2020. She currently serves as the Chair of the WOC Extender Advisory Committee, the newly combined WTA and OCA Program committee.
Resources:
Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)
American Health Law Association (AHLA)
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Renee Malandrino, MSN, RN, CWOCN, Margaret Goldberg, MSN, RN, CWOCN, and Lisa Peacey, BSN, RN, NSWOC, three of the authors of the WOCNext® 2022 ePoster, “Patient Reported Outcomes on Living with an Ostomy: Reporting on Three Years of Data.” Renee, Margaret, and Lisa discuss the Observational Study of Ostomy Consumers (OSO™) registry, the registry collection tools, and their thoughts on the current OSO registry survey results.
The OSO registry provides an opportunity to collect prospective, observational, patient-reported outcomes data and explore the experiences of living with an ostomy over a 5-year period. This information will aid in directing future research to support or challenge current knowledge and therefore guide future clinical practice, clinical research, and new product innovations.
This podcast episode is supported by an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated. The WOCN® Society does not endorse specific products and services.
Episode Resources:
Click here to read the Wound Management & Prevention Original Research article, “Methods and Initial Findings of the Observational Study of Ostomy Consumers Registry”
Click here to visit the online Hollister Product selector
Click here to view the WOCNext 2022 abstract, “Patient Reported Outcomes on Living with an Ostomy: Reporting on Three Years of Data.”
Click here to view the interactive ePoster and author video from WOCNext 2022
Click here to view all WOCNext 2022 accepted abstracts and ePosters
Click here to view the Peristomal Skin Assessment Guide for Clinicians
Click here to view the Peristomal Skin Assessment Guide for Consumers (English)
Click here to view the Peristomal Skin Assessment Guide for Consumers (Spanish)
This special podcast is part of the Ostomy Observations Series, a brand-new 6-part series that is included in the "Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow" Program and is commercially supported through an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated.
On this final series episode, we talk with Jan Colwell, APRN, CWOCN, FAAN, to discuss colostomy irrigation management and best practices.
This podcast is part of the OstomyObservations Podcast Series, a brand-new 6-part series that is included in the "Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow" Program. Both the podcast series and the Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow Program are commercially supported through an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated. For additional information, please visit: wocn.org/exceptionaloutcomes. The WOCN® Society does not endorse or support products or services.
Episode Resources:
Read the JWOCN® Evidence-Based Report Card Does Colostomy Irrigation Affect Functional Outcomes and Quality of Life in Persons With a Colostomy?
Read the JWOCN® article Colostomy Irrigation: Current Knowledge and Practice of WOC Nurses
Learn about the Ostomy Care Association (OCA) Program
Speaker Bio:
Jan Colwell, APRN, CWOCN, FAAN, has practiced as a wound and ostomy nurse for over 40 years. Most recently Jas has been the lead ostomy advanced practice nurse in an outpatient ostomy clinic. In her role as an ostomy nurse, Jan has had the opportunity to educate patients on colostomy irrigation and has been part of a research team that has examined the perceptions of ostomy nurses on irrigation. Jan has made many contributions to the field including serving as Past President of WOCN®, Editor and contributor to two ostomy care text books, Ostomy section Editor for the JWOCN®, Principal Investigator on several ostomy related research projects, Author on numerous publications in peer reviewed journals, member of the Task Force to update the WOCN Ostomy Guidelines, and has presented multiple oral presentations on ostomy care nationally and internationally.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Mary Ann Whaley, BSN, RN, CWON, CFCN, and Stephanie Stokes, BSN, CWOCN, CFCN, to discuss their facility’s new inpatient foot and nail care program. Services include basic foot assessment, foot/nail cleaning, toenail trimming, callus removing, moisturizing, and more. They also discuss the potential to turn this into a billable service and expand the lower extremity assessments.
About the Speakers:
Mary Ann Whaley became certified in wound care in 1999 through the WOCNCB. In 2005, I obtained my Certified Wound Specialist (CWS). In 2015, Mary Ann became certified in wound, ostomy, and foot. Her practice includes assessment and treatment of lower extremity wounds in patients with diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and other comorbidities. Toenail trimming is a service that she has recently been providing to inpatients with excessively long toenails, nails impinging on adjacent toes, and for nails that are inhibiting ambulation.
Stephanie Stokes, BSN, CWOCN, CFCN, has been a certified wound, ostomy, continence, and foot care nurse since 2012. Her work as a CWOCN and CFCN includes but is not limited to experience with lower extremity and foot assessments and identification/treatment of wounds located on the feet and lower extremities. The addition of toenail trimming for patients in her facility with chronic comorbidities such as diabetes, vascular insufficiency, and diseased toenails is a new service she has been able to provide based on identified patient needs.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Laurie McNichol, MSN, RN, CNS, GNP, CWOCN, CWON-AP, FAAN and Mikel Gray, PhD, FNP, PNP, CUNP, CCCN, FAANP, FAAN. Laurie and Mikel share their ongoing work with the ICD-10-CM Codes and what to know about the new ICD-10 CM Codes for Irritant Contact Dermatitis Resource Center.
This podcast episode and the ICD-10 CM Codes for Irritant Contact Dermatitis Resource Center are supported by an educational grant from 3M. The WOCN® Society does not endorse specific products and services.
Episode Resources:
Click here to view the ICD-10 CM Codes for Irritant Contact Dermatitis Resource Center
About the Speakers:
Laurie McNichol works full time as a Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Advanced Practice Nurse in Greensboro, NC. Her career as a WOC Nurse has focused on the prevention and treatment of pressure injuries, the care of the ostomy patient with a focus on the prevention of peristomal skin complications, incontinence-associated dermatitis and medical adhesive related skin injuries. She co-edited the first and second editions of the core curriculum textbook on wound care. Ms. McNichol has published and lectured widely and was a primary contributor to each of the WOCN Society’s six electronic decision support tools.
Dr. Gray is a Nurse Practitioner and Professor in the Department of Urology and School of Nursing at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Dr. Gray earned his Master’s degree as a pediatric nurse practitioner from the University of Virginia in 1981, and certificate as a family nurse practitioner in 2000. He earned a PhD in lower urinary tract physiology from the University of Florida, in 1990. Dr. Gray is licensed as a family and pediatric nurse practitioner and holds additional certification as a urologic nurse practitioner. He is Editor-in Chief of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing and a Board Member of the Society's Center for Clinical Investigation. He has lectured both nationally and internationally on topics related to urologic nursing, wound, ostomy and continence nursing and evidence-based practice. A fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, Dr. Gray is past president of both the Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates and Certification board for Urologic Nurses and Associates.
This special podcast is part of the Ostomy Observations Series, a brand-new 6-part series that is included in the "Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow" Program and is commercially supported through an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated.
On this month’s episode we sit down with Stephanie Yates, MSN, RN, ANP-BC, CWOCN, and Janet Stoia Davis, RN, CWOCN, FCN, to discuss sex and sexual function with people living with ostomies.
Stephanie Yates holds a BSN from UNC-Chapel Hill and an MSN from Duke University with a primary focus in adult oncology. She later completed a Post Masters certificate as an adult nurse practitioner. Her WOC nursing training was completed at Emory in 1981. Practicing for over 40 years, ostomy patients have always been a large part of her practice.Active with her local UOAA chapter since 1981, she serves as program chair and professional advisor. In her current professional position, she sees patients throughout the Duke Cancer Center, in all stages of treatment and survival. Over half of her clinical time involves ostomy patients, either pre-op, immediately post-op or at any point following ostomy surgery.
Janet Stoia Davis has been a CWOCN since 1985 and has practiced in a variety of settings over the past 36 years. She is currently in private WOC nurse practice with a focus on ostomy care and runs outpatient ostomy clinics serving different populations. She is the current chair of the National Conference Planning Committee for the WOCN® Society. She has done numerous presentations on ostomy care and worked on publications on ostomy quality of life and wound management.
This podcast is part of the OstomyObservations Podcast Series, a brand-new 6-part series that is included in the "Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow" Program. Both the podcast series and the Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow Program are commercially supported through an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated. For additional information, please visit: wocn.org/exceptionaloutcomes. The WOCN® Society does not endorse or support products or services.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Jerri Drain, BSN, RN, CWON and Monica Timko-Progar, BSN, RN, ET, CWS®, FACCWS, two of the authors of the WOCNext® 2022 ePoster, “Implementation of an Evidence-based, Content Validated, Standardized Support Surface Algorithm Tool in Home Health Care: A Quality Improvement Project.” Jerri and Monica share with us the initiatives that caused them to develop the quality improvement project, the process of implementing and managing the use of the algorithm, and the overall success of the project.
Episode Resources:
Click here to view the abstract “Implementation of an Evidence-based, Content Validated, Standardized Support Surface Algorithm Tool in Home Health Care: A Quality Improvement Project”
Click here to view the interactive ePoster from WOCNext 2022.
Click here to view the WOCN Support Surface Algorithm
Click here to view all WOCNext 2022 accepted abstracts and ePosters.
About the Speakers:
Jerri Drain, MBA, BSN, RN, has been a registered nurse for 25 years and a CWON for almost 20 years. She has 25 years of experience in home care. She has an MBA in Health Care Administration. She has worked in her role as Wound Care Director at Amedisys Home Health care for 17+ years, focusing on numerous Quality Improvement Initiations in the areas of wound and ostomy care.
Monica Timko-Progar, BSN, RN, ET, CWS, FACCWS, has been in the Home Health Care industry since 1985. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, she has served in a variety of roles and positions in home health and hospice care starting as a field clinician. In 1993, she completed advanced training as a Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse. Since that time, she has practiced in her area of expertise providing consultative services and education until functioning as the Corporate AVP of Wound Care Excellence at Amedisys Home Health and Hospice Care. She received her Certified Wound Specialist credentials in 2008 and is a Fellow of the American College of Certified Wound Specialists. She is a member of the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society™ (WOCN®), the American Board of Wound Management, and the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care. She has served as a board member for the American College of Clinical Wound Specialists serving in the role of treasurer and also Chairperson of the vendor committee. She has also participated as a Key Opinion Leader for ConvaTec ostomy division and is a charter member of the Coalition for at-risk skin (CARS) that recently constructed 21 consensus statements for at-risk skin with a subsequent article to be published. Monica is the author of several articles and has had poster presentations at both the WOCN Society and the Symposium for the Advancement of Wound Care (SAWC) conferences. She was a guest speaker at the WOCN annual conference in Nashville, TN in June 2014, and at the WOCNext® annual conference in Ft. Worth, TX in 2022. Monica and her Amedisys wound care colleagues were recently awarded the Clinical Practice Manuscript award by the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®), recognizing their contribution to clinical care, for their quality improvement project entitled; “Implementation of an Evidenced Based Content Validation Standardized Ostomy Algorithm Tool in Home Health Care”.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with MaryAnne Lewis, BSN, RN, BSN, CWOCN as she shares insights into her experience transitioning from adult to pediatric wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) care. Mary discusses how she went from adult to pediatric care, what surprised her the most with the transition, and the biggest similarities and differences between the two patient populations.
Episode Resources:
Click here to access the WOCN Clinical Tools.
About the Speaker:
MaryAnne Lewis, BSN, RN, BSN, CWOCN, has been a practicing nurse for almost 40 years. Most of her career has been dedicated to wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nursing with a focus on the adult and pediatric patient populations.
This special podcast is part of the Ostomy Observations Series, a brand-new 6-part series that is included in the "Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow" Program and is commercially supported through an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated.
On this month’s episode we sit down with Michelle Rice, MSN, RN, CWOCN to speak about the topic, “Do It Myself - Promoting Independence in Pediatric Ostomy Care”
Michelle Rice, MSN, RN, CWOCN, has been a WOC nurse since 1999 and currently practices at Duke University Hospital. Michelle's primary population is pediatrics and focuses on wound care and ostomy care.
This podcast is part of the OstomyObservations Podcast Series, a brand-new 6-part series that is included in the "Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow" Program. Both the podcast series and the Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow Program are commercially supported through an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated. For additional information, please visit:wocn.org/exceptionaloutcomes. The WOCN® Society does not endorse or support products or services.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we talk with Holly Hovan, MSN, APRN, GERO-BC, CWOCN-AP, presenting author of the poster titled, “Implementing and Sustaining a Nurse Driven Skin Tear Protocol in Long-Term Care” presented at WOCNext® 2022. Holly shares insights about this nurse-led protocol to prevent and treat skin tears.
Episode Resources:
View the abstract for the poster “Implementing and Sustaining a Nurse Driven Skin Tear Protocol in Long-Term Care” or view the interactive ePoster
View all accepted abstracts and ePosters from WOCNext 2022
Learn more about the Wound Treatment Associate (WTA) Program
About the Speaker:
Holly Hovan is an advanced practice wound, ostomy, and continence nurse at the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System in Cleveland, OH. Holly specializes in caring for our older adult/geriatric population with WOC needs. She has been an RN for nearly 15 years and an APRN for 10 years, with all years of APRN practice being in WOC nursing. A large majority of her time in healthcare has been spent caring for older adults and in academia as a clinical and lab instructor for nursing students. Holly enjoys education, program development, and inspiring and educating others to expand their knowledge and practice. Holly brought the WOCN® Society's Wound Treatment Association (WTA) Program to her healthcare facility in July of 2020 and has served as the clinical instructor and course coordinator since its inception. Currently, approximately 80 nurses have completed the program with over 40 earning board the WTA-C® certification, and more to come. Practicing mostly in long-term and skilled nursing care, Holly has seen and treated many skin tears given the changes that occur with the skin as we age. She saw a need for nurse-driven protocol related to skin tears in her facility and was able to implement this with the support of leadership. It has been a success for the past 4½ years and has been expanded to other areas of the healthcare system due to the success and sustainability.
This special podcast is part of the Ostomy Observations Series, a brand-new 6-part series that is included in the "Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow" Program and is commercially supported through an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated. On this month’s episode we sit down with Christine Berke, MSN, APRN-NP, CWOCN-AP, AGPCNP-BC to speak about the topic, “In the Thick of It- Modifying Stool Consistency with Fecal Stomas”.
Chris is a Nurse Practitioner at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska. She is a full-time provider in the Wound & Ostomy Clinic and has been instrumental in expanding the services there over the last 13 years. Chris served on the National WOCN® Society Board of Directors for 6 years; for 2 years as a Director and then 4 years as the Secretary. She previously completed a 5-year term on the Advanced Practice Exam Committee of the WOCNCB® and served as the Chair of that Committee for 2 years. During her tenure, she helped developed, write, and launch the 3 inaugural exams for Advanced Practices nurses in the field of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing. She has been a nurse for 39 years, a WOC nurse for 21 years, and an Advanced Practice nurse for 14 years. She has published several WOC-related articles in peer-reviewed journals and has helped co-author two book chapters.
Listen in to learn more about Chris’ experience with stool consistency, principles to follow when managing patients, general categories of medications to help manage patients, and more.
This podcast is part of the OstomyObservations Podcast Series, a brand-new 6-part series that is included in the "Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow" Program. Both the podcast series and the Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow Program are commercially supported through an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated. For additional information, please visit: wocn.org/exceptionaloutcomes. The WOCN® Society does not endorse or support products or services.
Episode Resources:
View the WOC Core Curriculum Books
View Diet and Nutrition information from the United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA)
This webpage contains a sign-up form for Short Bowel Syndrome-related resources with an option to receive a complimentary copy of The Adult Patient’s Guide to Managing a Short Bowel, 5th Edition, by Carol Rees Parrish, MS, RDN
Short Bowel Syndrome Practical Approach to Management: Practical Approach to Management by John K. DiBaise, Carol Rees Parrish, and Jon S. Thompson is available on Amazon
Please note the WOCN® Society does not endorse or support products or services.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we talk with Alyson Sweeney, DHlth, MNg, RN, author of the article titled, “Long-term Suprapubic Catheter–Related Care Requirements When Living at Home: Development of a Best Practice Guide” published in the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®), the official journal of the WOCN® Society.
The purpose of this study was to develop a best practice guideline specific to the health care needs of adults living at home with a long-term suprapubic catheter (SPC).
Episode Resources:
Click here to read the JWOCN article “Long-term Suprapubic Catheter–Related Care Requirements When Living at Home: Development of a Best Practice Guide”.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Alyson Sweeney is an RN and clinical researcher with over 20 years expertise in continence and subspecialty, urinary catheter related nursing care. She is the clinical lead of the Community Continence Service in the South of Tasmania, Australia. Her Professional Doctorate was from the University of Tasmania (2021). Her research focused on the development of a best practice guideline for the care of people who live with a long-term suprapubic catheter. This project was undertaken to address healthcare gaps that were identified in her master’s thesis (Flinders University, 2006) that explored people’s experiences of living with a long-term suprapubic catheter.
Alyson has extensive knowledge in contemporary long-term catheter related care and her commitment to improve the wellbeing of this cohort is evidenced through her sustained engagement with this topic.
This episode is related to the WOCNext® 2023 Call for Abstracts, which is accepting submissions through November 1, 2022, at 11:00 AM EST. Everyone is encouraged to submit an abstract for the chance to showcase their work in the biggest WOC care Poster Hall at WOCNext® 2023. Visit wocnext.org/abstracts for complete information on the abstract submission process.
Episode Resources:
Learn more about the WOCNext 2023 call for abstracts process
View a PowerPoint on abstracts FAQs
Click here to watch a Bite Size course (30-minutes or less!) on how to submit an abstract
Click here to watch a Bite Size course (30-minutes or less!) on how to turn your abstract into a poster
Read this short blog on abstracts written by the WOCNext® Abstracts Review Committee Chair
View accepted abstracts published in an online supplement the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN®)
View the accepted abstracts/ePosters from WOCNext® 2022
If you are interested in finding a mentor to help you with your abstract, send an email to abstracts@wocn.org.
About the Speakers:
Carole Bauer, MSN, RN, ANP-BC, OCN, CWOCN, employed by the Beaumont Health System, Troy is a Wound and Ostomy Nurse Practitioner where she opened the first outpatient ostomy clinic in the health system. Carole has a passion for WOC nursing and in particular ostomy patients. She has worked to successfully lobby Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan for changes in their allowed supplies for the ostomy patient when the supply limits did not meet the needs of the subscribers. As a champion for WOC nursing, she is an active member of the WOCN® Society. She most recently served as a co-author of the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing: Scope and Standards of WOC Practice, 2nd Edition, for which she was awarded the WOCN Society President’s Award. She is the current Chair of the WOCNext® Abstract Review Committee.
Barbara Dale, RN, CHHN, CWOCN, has held a WOC nursing certification since 2003. Barbara works in home health and hospice with minor per diem work in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). She is an active volunteer with the WOCN® Society in numerous roles. Barbara has presented posters at national conferences in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2010, and presented poster at regional conference in 2011, 2012, and 2015. She has been a poster and abstract reviewer since 2012.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Phyllis A. Bonham, PhD, MSN, RN, CWOCN, DPNAP, FAAN, WOCN Society Past President, and the Chair of the WOCN Wound Guidelines Task Force. Phyllis joins us to discuss the newest updated clinical guideline, Guideline for Management of Patients with Lower-Extremity Wounds Due to Diabetes Mellitus and/or Neuropathic Disease. Phyllis covers the 14-step process for revisions to the guideline, the updates the task force made to the guideline, and tips for implementing the Guideline for Management of Patients with Lower-Extremity Wounds Due to Diabetes Mellitus and/or Neuropathic Disease at your practice.
The WOCN Society’s Guideline for Management of Patients with Lower-Extremity Wounds Due to Diabetes Mellitus and/or Neuropathic Disease is the result of a systematic search, review, and synthesis of evidence from literature published from January 2014 through May 2018 with some relevant updates from 2019–2021 during the consensus review process. The target audience for the guideline includes wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) specialty nurses and other healthcare professionals who specialize in, direct, or provide wound care for patients with/or at risk for lower-extremity (LE) wounds due to diabetes mellitus and/or neuropathic disease (DM/ND).
Episode Resources
Click here to purchase the Guideline for Management of Patients with Lower-Extremity Wounds Due to Diabetes Mellitus and/or Neuropathic Disease
Click here to purchase the mobile WOCN Clinical Practice Guideline Series.
Click here to visit the WOCN Bookstore
Click here to read the JWOCN article titled,2021 Guideline for Management of Patients With Lower-Extremity Wounds Due to Diabetes Mellitus and/or Neuropathic Disease: An Executive Summary
Click here to view the WOCNext 2022 session titled, Update on the Guideline for Management of Patients with Lower-Extremity Wounds Due to Diabetes Mellitus and/or Neuropathic Disease
Click here to view the Lower-Extremity Wounds due to Venous Disease, Arterial Disease, or Diabetes Mellitus and/or Neuropathic Disease: Clinical Resource Guide (2021)
This special podcast is part of the Ostomy Observations Series, a brand-new 6-part series that is included in the "Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow" Program and is commercially supported through an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated.
On this month’s episode we sit down with Parul Kharod, MS, RD, LDN, to discuss various cultural dietary practices and dietary information for patients with an ileostomy.
Parul is a registered dietician and licensed nutritionist working as a clinical dietician in outpatient nutrition services at WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh, NC. She specializes in autoimmune diseases, GI issues and intolerances, diabetes, and kidney diseases. She has lived in India, Africa, France, and various states in the US, which has given her a unique perspective on cultural food habits and nutrition.
This podcast is part of the OstomyObservations Podcast Series, a brand-new 6-part series that is included in the "Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow" Program. Both the podcast series and the Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow Program are commercially supported through an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated. For additional information, please visit: wocn.org/exceptionaloutcomes. The WOCN® Society does not endorse or support products or services.
Episode Resources:
United Ostomy Associations Of America, Inc. (UOAA) Comprehensive Nutrition Guide for Those Living with an Ostomy: https://www.ostomy.org/diet-nutrition/
American Gastroenterological Association GI Patient Center:
https://patient.gastro.org/?_ga=2.156866872.201141057.1659488171-1183126098.1638929146
Research-based Vegetarian Diet Resources by Registered Dietitians:
https://www.vndpg.org/resources/vegetarian-dietitian-resources
American College of Lifestyle Medicine: https://lifestylemedicine.org/patient/
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Eileen Blodgett, BSN, RN, CWON, presenting author of the WOCNextⓇ 2022 ePoster, “Making Our Bed: WOC Nurse-led Initiative to Replace Aging Hospital Beds to Decrease Pressure Injuries”. Eileen shares with us a look into what led to Beaumont Health System’s nurse-led initiative, the process of implementing the initiative, and the overall success of the project.
Episode Resources
Click here to view the abstract “Making Our Bed: WOC Nurse-led Initiative to Replace Aging Hospital Beds to Decrease Pressure Injuries.”
Click here to view the interactive ePoster from WOCNext 2022.
Click here to view all WOCNext 2022 accepted abstracts and ePosters.
This special podcast is part of the Ostomy Observations Series, a brand-new 6-part series that is included in the "Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow" Program and is commercially supported through an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated. On this month’s episode we sit down with Vashti Livingston, MS, RN, CWOCN, to speak about the topic, “More than Asparagus - Urine Odor with a Urostomy”.
Vashti Livingston, MS, RN, CWOCN has been a member of the WOCN Society for 20 years. She works as a Certified WOC Nurse Ambulatory Urology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center NYC for the past 17 years. Her educational background includes Emory University WOCNEP (2001); MS in Adult Health Nursing (2005); BSN (1990) and BS Biology (1984).
Listen in to learn more about Vashti’s experience as a WOC nurse, her experience with the WOCN Society (National and Regional positions), her take on hydration, along with urine, odor and urostomy management.
This podcast is part of the OstomyObservations Podcast Series, a brand-new 6-part series that is included in the "Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow" Program. Both the podcast series and the Educating Today for Exceptional Outcomes Tomorrow Program are commercially supported through an educational grant from Hollister Incorporated. For additional information, please visit: wocn.org/exceptionaloutcomes. The WOCN® Society does not endorse or support products or services.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Katherine Wallender, BSN, RN, CWOCN, the recipient of the Barbara Braden Future is Bright Award. Katherine shares with us her path to becoming a WOC Nurse, her work with creating educational and professional practice resources for WOCN’s WTA Program and for her fellow colleagues, and her involvement in the Houston Methodist Hospital Pressure Injury Prevention Committee.
The Barbara Braden Future is Bright Award recognizes a new WOC nurse within the first 5 years of practice who is tri-specialty certified and destined to make a significant contribution to WOC care and exemplifies the scope of WOC nursing practice as defined in “WOC Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 2nd Edition” (clinician, educator, consultant, researcher, administrator).
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with WOCN WOC Extender Advisory Committee Chair, Sara Coverstone, RN, MA, CHC, CWON. The WOC Extender Advisory Committee oversees the clinical aspects associated with the WTA and OCA Programs. Sara shares with us her experience on the committee, the history of the WTA and OCA committees, including how they merged to become the WOC Extender Advisory Committee, and gives an insight into both the WTA and OCA Programs.
The Wound Treatment Associate (WTA) Program and the Ostomy Care Associate (OCA) Program are geared toward non-specialty, licensed wound care and ostomy care providers and medics/corpsmen. These programs are designed to improve and strengthen wound and ostomy care expertise among healthcare providers to improve patient care, with flexible education applicable to all healthcare settings.
Episode Resources:
Click here to learn more about the Wound Treatment Associate (WTA) Program.
Click here to learn more about the Ostomy Treatment Associate (OCA) Program.
Click here to view a closer look at the features that matter most when managing chronic wound exudate.
This podcast was supported by an educational grant from Mölnlycke Health Care. Several brand-named products are mentioned throughout this episode. Please note the WOCN Society does not endorse or support specific products or services.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Lee Rubin the opening keynote speaker at WOCNext 2022. Lee joins us for a sneak peek at his opening session, “5 Components of Extraordinary Teams”. In addition to the sneak peek into his session, Lee shares his journey as a motivational speaker, and discusses his book titled, “WIN: Simple Insights to Help You Win the Game of Life”.
WOCNext 2022 is a hybrid, experiential event featuring both online and in-person, networking, and activities geared towards WOC nurses and other healthcare professionals dedicated to providing expert care to patients with wound, ostomy, and continence care needs around the world. The event will take place from Sunday, June 5, 2022 through Wednesday, June 8, 2022 both in-person at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Forth Worth, Texas, USA. Whether you plan to attend in-person in Fort Worth, virtually, or both—you will get the complete WOCNext experience! Learn more at wocnext.org.
Individuals who register for the event by Tuesday, June 7 will receive access to on-demand recordings for most event content, including the ability to evaluate sessions and receive Contact Hours, through December 31, 2022.
Episode Resources:
Click here to learn more about the WOCNext 2022 opening session, 5 Components of Extraordinary Teams.
Click here to visit leerubinspeaks.com to learn more about Lee Rubin and view his book “WIN: Simple Insights to Help You Win the Game of Life”.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Brooke Passy. Brooke is a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP), Digital Event Strategist (DES) and Director of Meetings for the WOCN® Society. During this episode she reviews the ins-and-outs of the WOCNext® 2022: A Global Education Event from WOCN® and WCET®.
WOCNext 2022 is a hybrid, experiential event featuring both online and in-person, networking, and activities geared towards WOC nurses and other healthcare professionals dedicated to providing expert care to patients with wound, ostomy, and continence care needs around the world. The event will take place from Sunday, June 5, 2022 through Wednesday, June 8, 2022 both in-person at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Forth Worth, Texas, USA. Whether you plan to attend in-person in Fort Worth, virtually, or both—you will get the complete WOCNext experience! Learn more at wocnext.org.
Individuals who register for the event by Tuesday, June 7 will receive access to on-demand recordings for most event content, including the ability to evaluate sessions and receive Contact Hours, through December 31, 2022.
Resources & Additional Info
To view attendee event information and FAQs, click here.
For travel and general event information, click here.
To view the full event program, click here.
This year’s event will feature 11 commercially supported Symposia sessions on the latest wound, ostomy, and continence care techniques. You can earn up to 4.5 additional Contact Hours by attending select Symposia. Because Symposia sessions run concurrently, you will not be able to attend all sessions live in real time. You will be able to view select sessions and earn additional Contact Hours on-demand after the live event ends. If you are already registered to attend in-person, you will need to log back in to your registration to add the Symposia sessions you want to attend. If you are registered to attend virtually or plan to register soon, there is no action that needs to be taken. You will automatically have access to the Symposia sessions.
To view the exciting lineup of 75+ speakers, click here.
See where your favorite exhibiting companies will be located in the Exhibit Hall of the Fort Worth Convention Center by viewing the Exhibit Hall floor plan.
Download the official event app by searching for "WOCNext 2022" in the App Store or Google Play Store, or by clicking here.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Mary Harris, BSN, RN, CWON, who is a Wound and Ostomy Travel Nurse and the President-Elect of the New England Region. Mary shares her journey as a nurse, tips and tricks for anyone interested in becoming a travel nurse, and her experiences as a Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Travel Nurse.
On this special 100th episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with WOCN® President, Dea Kent, DNP, RN, NP-C, CWOCN, to discuss the topic of leadership as reviewed during a previous WOCN webinar titled, “The WOC Nurse: emPOWERing the Leader Within”.
How many times have you thought, “I am a nurse, not a leader!” Truth is, WOC nurses are indeed leaders just by virtue of our specialty practice. Leading people can be daunting, and so can finding your inner leader. Leadership is just another piece of the important role we have in facilitating care to our patients, and in the practical work of our workplaces. Listen in to become more emPOWERed in leadership, hear some unanswered questions from the previous live webinar on the same topic, and learn about additional topics relevant to leadership in the WOC nursing role.
This podcast, the webinar, and WOC Nurse Week 2022 are supported by an educational grant from Medela. The WOCN® Society does not endorse specific products and services.
Resources:
To view the free, on-demand recording of the webinar, “The WOC Nurse: emPOWERing the Leader Within”, click here. 1.00 Contact Hours are being offered for this activity.
The Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society is an accredited provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
The Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP 15115.
To view the WOC Nurse Week 2022 resources, click here.
Visit wocn.org/empowered to find helpful resources designed to strengthen your personal and professional development and keep you shining bright for yourself and others.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Elizabeth Savage, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, CWON, IIWCC-NYU, Wound & Ostomy Program Manager at NYU Langone, and Wound & Ostomy Program participants Jessica Lieder, A-GNP, ANP-BC, CWON, and Sarah Lebovits, MSN, RN, ANP-BC, CWOCN, DAPWCA. Elizabeth, Sarah, and Jessica share their experiences of how they work together to successfully onboard and orient non-WOC certified nurses onto their team at NYU Langone.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Laura Monahan, OFS, DNP, MBA, RN, and Mary Sandrik, MSN, RN, CWOCN, two authors of the article “Physician Residents Shadowing a Certified WOC Nurse to Develop Interprofessional Competencies: A Quality Improvement Project” published in the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN), the official journal of the WOCN® Society.
The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to assess a shadowing experience with a certified WOC nurse (CWOCN) on 4 interprofessional collaborative practice domains: interprofessional communication, role awareness, and responsibilities, teams and teamwork, and values and ethics for interprofessional practice.
To learn more about the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN), the official journal of the WOCN Society, click here.
Episode Resources:
Click here to read the article “Physician Residents Shadowing a Certified WOC Nurse to Develop Interprofessional Competencies: A Quality Improvement Project”.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Kate Lawrence, MSN, RN, CWOCN, the WOCN Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, and Chris Rorick, MPH, the WOCN Director of Government Relations, who serve on the WOCN National Public Policy and Advocacy Committee. Kate and Chris discuss updates to the COVID-19 Legislation, partnering with other organizations to fill coverage gaps, Regional and Affiliate resources, the VoterVoice Platform, and other hot topics and resources.
For more information on WOCN Public Policy and Advocacy efforts, to access documents, and to contact your legislator regarding current policy issues, visit our Public Policy and Advocacy page.
Episode Resources
Click hereto view the WOCN Public Policy & Advocacy page.
Click here to view the WOCN Trending Legislative Issues
Click here to learn more about the Lymphedema Treatment Act
Click here to view the Regional & Affiliate Public Policy Toolkit. (members-only)
Click here to view the WOCN and UOAA Admission and Retention of People Living with an Ostomy in Assisted Living Residences Frequently Asked Questions document.
Click here to view the new Surgical Dressings Provider Checklist and Frequently Asked Questions documents.
Click here to view the Critical Need to Provide Ostomy Supplies Specific to Patient Need to Improve Health Outcomes whitepaper.
Click hereto send a message to your legislators through the VoterVoice platform.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Carol Stanley, MSN, APRN, CWOCN, author of the ePoster “Catapulting Wound/Ostomy Care into the 21st Century: Utilization of certified wound/ostomy APRN to the Full Extent of the License” that was presented at the WOCNext® 2021 conference. Carol discusses her WOC nursing experience at a wound clinic, the creation of an APRN role for inpatient and outpatient wound and ostomy consultation, and how that APRN role positively affected continuity of care, healing rates, revenue, and more.
Episode Resources:
To view the interactive ePoster for Catapulting Wound/Ostomy Care into the 21st Century, click here. To view the abstract text, click here.
On this special bonus episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Janice Beitz, PhD, RN, CS, CNOR, CWOCN-AP, CRNP, ANEF, FNAP, FAAN, to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nursing practice in conjunction with the recent webinar titled “My Favorite Perfume Scent is Hand Sanitizer: Covid-19 - Impact on Contemporary Ostomy Practice”. This webinar is available to view on-demand through the WOCN Continuing Education Center (CEC) and awards 1.0 Contact Hours. This webinar discussed the impact of Covid-19 on the American population, innovations growing out of the pandemic, and clinical implications for future ostomy care delivery and clinician self-care needs.
This podcast and the webinar are supported by an educational grant from ConvaTec. The WOCN® Society does not endorse specific products and services.
Episode Resources
To view the on-demand webinar “My Favorite Perfume Scent is Hand Sanitizer: Covid-19 - Impact on Contemporary Ostomy Practice”, click here.
To learn more about WOCNext® 2022: A Global Education Event from WOCN® and WCET®, click here.
To view the online Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN), click here.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Emilee Bartolo, RN, BSN, CWOCN, Chair of the Membership Engagement Committee of the WOCN® Society. Get to know Emilee and learn more about the Committee’s member outreach initiatives, “New to the Blue” member networking activities, upcoming goals, and more.
Episode Resources:
To view the Members-Only Forums, click here.
To view the WOCN Membership Big Book of Benefits, click here.
If you’re a new WOCN member and want to reach out to Emilee with questions, please send an email to emileebartolo@yahoo.com, and feel free to send an email to the WOCN National Office at info@wocn.org.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with three NYU Langone Health Nurses, Elizabeth Savage, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, CWON, IIWCC-NYU, Oksana Nekoz, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BC, CWOCN, and Diana Kmita, BSN, RN, CRRN, CWOCN as they discuss their poster from WOCNext® 2021:A Virtual WOW Experience with the WOCN® Society and Relias titled Wound Consult Telehealth Validation.
Interested in submitting an Abstract for WOCNext® 2022:A Global Education Event from WOCN® And WCET®? Visit wocn.org/abstract to learn more and to submit your Abstract.
Episode Resources:
Click here to view their poster Wound Consult Telehealth Validation.
Click here to view the WOCNext 2021 accepted Abstracts.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Carolyn Watts, MSN, RN, CWON, and Laura Shafer, BSN, RN, CWON, who both serve on the Leadership Development Committee. This Committee helps to continually evolve the WOCN® Society’s landscape forward by soliciting and encouraging diversified members to run for leadership positions. Carolyn and Laura share their insights on the Committee’s purpose, who is eligible to hold WOCN leadership positions, what the Committee looks for in potential leadership candidates, how members can improve their leadership skills, and more.
The Call for Nominations for the 2022 WOCN Election are open through December 20, 2021. WOCN members are encouraged to nominate themselves or any qualifying individuals for open positions in the 2022 Election. The open positions are Secretary, Treasurer, Director (2 positions), and members of the Leadership Development Committee (2 positions). To submit a nomination, visit wocn.org/election.org.
Episode Resources:
For more information on the Call for Nominations for the 2022 WOCN Election, visit wocn.org/election.org.
To view the current Chairs of each WOCN Society Committee, click here.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Joyce M. Black, PhD, RN, as she discusses WOCN’s webinar series Skin Assessment Conundrums: Pigment, Technology, and Moisture. On this episode Joyce addresses unanswered questions from the series and shares with listeners her insight into the latest evidence and adds her expertise to common skin assessment conundrums related to pigment, technology, and moisture.
The Skin Assessment Conundrums Series and this podcast are supported by an educational grant from Hillrom. The WOCN® Society does not endorse specific products and services.
Episode Resources:
If you registered for the Skin Assessment Webinar series, click here to view the event page and access the webinars on demand.
Click here to access Skin Assessment: What's Pigment Got to Do With It? on the WOCN Society Continuing Education Center (CEC).
Click here to access Skin Assessment: What's Moisture Got to Do With It? on the WOCN Society Continuing Education Center (CEC).
Click here to access Skin Assessment: What's Technology Got To Do With It? the additional symposia session from WOCNext® 2021: A Virtual WOW Experience with the WOCN® Society and Relias.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Meghan Smith, MSN, RN, AGACNP, CWOCN, WOCN Education Committee Chair, as she shares what the Education Committee has been working on lately and all of the exciting new features and content coming to the WOCN Society Continuing Education Center (CEC).
Interested in joining the WOCN Education Committee?
Visit www.wocn.org/volunteer-opportunities to stay informed about upcoming volunteer opportunities in 2022.
Episode Resources:
Click here to visit the WOCN Society Continuing Education Center (CEC).
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Jeanine Gleba, UOAA Advocacy Manager, and Joanna Burgess, BSN, RN, CWOCN, UOAA Advocacy Committee Co-Chair, practicing nurse and ostomate. We discuss Ostomy Awareness Day and World Ostomy Day, ostomy advocacy and awareness outreach initiatives, ostomy care research, and ostomy patient rights.
Ostomy Awareness Day is celebrated annually on the first Saturday in October. World Ostomy Day is celebrated every three years on the first Saturday in October among organizations and ostomates worldwide. October 2, 2021, marks the 10th anniversary of World Ostomy Day with the theme of “Ostomates’ Rights are Human Rights – anytime and anywhere!”
Episode Resources:
For more information on World Ostomy Day and how you can get involved, please visit ostomy.org/world-ostomy-day
To learn more about Ostomy and Continence Diversion Patient Bill of Rights, click here.
To register for WOCN® Ostomy Education Day 2021, a free online experience held on October 2nd that will feature 8 educational sessions and will award a total of 6.75, click here.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Anne Walsh, ANP-BC, ACHPN, CWOCN, author of the ePoster “Palliative Wound Care Where Aggressive Symptom Management Is the Goal” that was presented at the WOCNext® 2021 conference. We discuss the role of the WOC nurse in palliative care, the free App called “Palliative Wound Pro” that Anne developed, telehealth consultations, wound healing, and much more!
Episode Resources:
Click here to view the ePoster “Palliative Wound Care Where Aggressive Symptom Management Is the Goal”.
Click here to download the App Palliative Wound Pro for Apple devices.
Click here to download the App Palliative Wound Pro for Android devices.
If you missed WOCNext® 2021: A Virtual WOW Experience with the WOCN® Society and Relias, you could gain access to everything you missed during the live event for just $199. Click here to access the on-demand content.
During this special bonus WOCTalk episode, we sit down with Janice M. Beitz, PhD, RN, CS, CNOR, CWOCN, CRNP, MAPWCA, ANEF, FNAP, FAAN as she discusses the content from her recent WOCN Society emPOWERed Series webinar “Empowered: Packing Your Professional Development Suitcase (Your Career Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone).” During the episode, Dr. Beitz further explains the importance of continued professional development in the context of the business of healthcare.
The WOCN emPOWERment Webinar Series includes six online webinars focusing on professional development and health and wellness topics lead by the following subject matter experts.
The WOCN® emPOWERed Webinar Series and the WOCN emPOWERment Center are supported by an educational grant from Medela. The WOCN® Society does not endorse specific products and services.
Episode Resources
Click here to view on-demand content and sign up for upcoming educational opportunities through the WOCN emPOWERed Webinar Series. Want to win prizes? Simply watch our emPOWERment webinars live or watch the on-demand sessions through December 31 and you'll be entered to win. It's that easy!
Click here to view the WOCN emPOWERment Center.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Laura Swoboda, DNP, APNP, FNP-BC, CWOCN-AP, Jessica Held, DNP, APNP, FNP-BC, CWOCN-AP, CFCN, and Aimee Frisch, BSN, RN, CWOCN, authors of the ePoster “Outpatient Ostomy Triage Tool: Education for the Generalist” that was presented at the WOCNext® 2021 conference. The authors discuss the importance of care issues among new ostomates, the gap in education of how healthcare providers can triage ostomy concerns, and how this tool can provide resources to patients in need of ostomy supplies and educate healthcare staff on ostomy care in multiple settings.
Episode Resources:
Click here to view the ePoster Outpatient Ostomy Triage Tool: Education for the Generalist.
If you missed WOCNext® 2021: A Virtual WOW Experience with the WOCN® Society and Relias, you could gain access to everything you missed during the live event for just $199. Click here to access the on-demand content.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Dea Kent, DNP, RN, NP-C, CWOCN, the 23rd President of the WOCN® Society. Dea was sworn in as the newest President at the close of the WOCNext® 2021 conference. During the episode, Dea talks about her love of WOC nursing, playing music, and being adventurous! Listen to get to know your President personally and professionally and hear what she’s looking forward to in her new leadership role with WOCN.
Episode Resources:
If you’d like to reach out to Dea, you can do so at dkent@wocn.org.
On this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Catherine Ratcliff, PhD, GNP-BC,CWOCN, CFCN, FAAN, and Laurie McNichol, MSN, RN, CNS, GNP, CWOCN, CWON-AP, FAAN, to discuss the results of the Peristomal Skin Health: A WOCN Society Society Consensus Conference, including the characteristics of healthy peristomal skin, intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting peristomal skin health, gaps in evidence, and best practices for maintaining healthy peristomal skin.
In addition to this episode, this important topic was presented as an educational session during WOCNext® 2021.
WOCNext 2021 attendees can view this session on-demand for free by logging into the event site and clicking the On-Demand Content tab.
Episode Resources:
Click here to read the article that was published in the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN).
Click here to view the WOCNext 2021 General Session on-demand. You must be logged in with your WOCNext 2021 registration information to access the on-demand content. Once logged in you can access the handouts, resources, and chat log from this session by selecting the handouts tab on the event site.
To view additional information about sessions from WOCNext 2021, please click here to view the Final Program.
On this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Barbara Dale, RN, CHHN, CWOCN. Barbara started her career as a nursing assistant in long term care in 1985. She has worked in a variety of settings from acute care to psychiatric prisons but found her niche in home health after obtaining her RN in 2000. She obtained her WOC nurse certification from Emory University in 2003. In her current role she does patient evaluations and maintains all medical supplies for her home health, hospice, and private duty locations. Barbara has actively volunteered on a National level for WOCN over 10 years and has participated in several CMS technical expert panels on issues pertaining to wound ostomy continence patients. She has several publications including “What is an LCD and why do I need to know?”, has presented on a national and international basis and co-authored the Palliative Care section of the WOC Core Curriculum wound textbook with Kevin Emmons,DrNP, RN, APN, AGPCNP-BC, CWCN, CFCN.
During this episode, Barbara discusses her various national-level volunteer roles with WOCN, her career, her current role and supply expertise as a Director of WOC Services Quality Home Health & Hospice in Tennessee, and the topic from her session at WOCNext 2021, Successful Transitions of Care: Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Supplies. The session will be available on-demand soon!
Episode Resources
If you registered for WOCNext 2021, you can access the handouts, resources, and chat log from Barbara’s session, “Successful Transitions of Care: Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Supplies by selecting the handouts tab on the event site.
To view additional information about sessions from WOCNext 2021, please click here to view the Final Program.
WOCN Members: to network with other members please utilize the WOCN Forums by clicking here.
To monitor when volunteer opportunities are available through WOCN, navigate to wocn.org/volunteer.
Interested in joining us? Click here to register for WOCNext 2021 for just $199. All participants will be required to register to attend and gain access to event content and activities. Registration will close at 12 PM ET on Saturday, June 26. On-demand recorded content (including Nursing Contact Hours + Pharmacology Credits) will be available post-event to pre-registered attendees through December 31, 2021.
Already Registered for WOCNext 2021?
Enhance your event experience by learning more about ePosters, Live Chat & Networking, Match Madness Days, the MyConnect App, Handouts, and Evaluations below!
ePosters
All accepted abstracts are being presented as ePosters. You can view all ePosters online June 11 through December 31. Click here to view the ePosters.
Although there is no "Meet the Poster Authors" session this year, you can ask the poster authors questions and send them feedback by clicking on the “Connect” button under the presenting author’s name / info. Your message will be sent directly to the presenting author of that ePoster.
Merit Awards will be announced during the Abstracts General Session on Friday, June 25.
Event Live Chat & Networking
In the WOCNext online event platform, you canchat with your fellow attendees byclicking the green “Join the Conversation” button on the right hand side of the event platform to join the global event chat. You can use this chat feature to talk to your fellow attendees and exhibitors one-on-one or in the global chat rooms. In addition, attendees can also take advantage of the live chats during sessions. Use this space to ask your colleagues questions and exchange information about how the content will affect your practice in your facility or practice setting.
Match Madness Days
Join us on June 16 and 17 for Match Madness--a two-day online networking event for attendees and exhibitors. Meet face-to-face via video chat with exhibitors that match your product interest before WOCNext 2021 begins! Plus, the attendee who creates the most appointments will be awarded a $100 gift card! Click here to learn more about the Match Madness Days.
MyConnect App
Attendees will have the ability to network with other attendees and exhibitors prior to, during and following the event through the MyConnect app. We encourage attendees to download the MyConnect app, available through the Apple iTunes Store and Google Play Store by searching for “wocn”. Through the app you will be able to create a personalized planner, search for and message exhibitors, create one-on-one online appointments with exhibitors, message attendees and post directly to social media all at your fingertips. To log in to MyConnect through the app, you need to use the email address that you provided during registration.
Remember to allow notifications from the app so that you can see our Buzz Notifications.
Handouts
Handouts will be available in the online event platform the week leading up to the event. Attendees can access handouts through the sessions tab in the event platform. You can download the handouts and take notes right in the event platform.
Evaluations
Evaluations to earn Nursing Contact Hours and Pharmacology Credits will take place on the same site as in past years. The log in information is your Unique ID as the username and the password for everyone is “wocn”. The evaluation site for Nursing Contact Hours and Pharmacology credits will close on December 31st.
If you are interested in the additional credit types, Physicians can earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credits and Physical Therapists can earn Contact Hours, there will be a different evaluation to complete through the Relias platform. More information will be provided in the WOCNext event platform. These additional credits can only be earned during the live event.
In this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Madeline Cafiero, EdD, FNP-BC, CWOCN, to discuss health literacy as it relates to wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nursing and patients. Dr. Cafiero helps define the types of health literacy, overviews health literacy strategies, explains factors that impact low health literacy, and more!
Episode Resources:
Click here to read the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) health literacy definition
Click here to read the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Health Literacy definition
Click here to read the World Health Organization (WHO) health literacy definition
Click here to access AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit
Click here to access a health literacy slide presentation by Rima Rudd from Harvard University
Click here to access the Health Literacy Tool Shed
Click here to access Pacific University LibGuides on health literacy
Click here to read Dr. Cafiero’s article “Nurse Practitioners' Knowledge, Experience, and Intention to Use Health Literacy Strategies in Clinical Practice” in the Journal of Health Communication
In this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Ann Marie Nie, RN, MSN, CNP, FNP-BC, CWOCN. Nie is a family nurse practitioner on the wound and ostomy care team at Children’s Minnesota. During the episode we discuss wound and ostomy care products and pressure injury prevention strategies for the neonatal and pediatric patient populations.
Episode Resources:
If you would like to reach out to Ann Marie Nie with questions you may have regarding pediatric care, please contact her at annmarie.nie@childrensmn.org.
In this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Joyce Pittman, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FNP-BC, CWOCN, FAAN, and Terrie Beeson, MSN, RN, CCRN, ACNS-BC, two authors for the article “Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries and Acute Skin Failure in Critical Care: A Case-Control Study” published in the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN), the official journal of the WOCN® Society. Pittman and Beeson discuss their comparative study of characteristics and risk factors of avoidable and unavoidable hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) and acute skin failure (ASF). They also discuss the Pressure Ulcer/Injury Prevention Inventory (PUPI) tool that was developed and tested to help identify unavoidable pressure injuries.
Episode Resources:
Click here to read the article Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries and Acute Skin Failure in Critical Care: A Case-Control Study
Click here to learn more about the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN)
On this special WOC Nurse Week edition of WOCTalk, we sit down with Dr. Carla Haack for a sneak preview of a rebroadcasted session titled “Mindfulness & the Healthcare Provider” that will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, April 14, 2021. The rebroadcasted webinar will offer 1 contact hour and is available for free to members and non-members of WOCN. This session will look at the neuroscience behind mindfulness exercises and how the practice can serve as a useful tool for preventing burnout and compassion fatigue in providers. There will also be some discussion regarding the prescription of these techniques for patients and their family members. Please visit wocn.org/wocnurseweek2021 for additional information about this topic and WOC Nurse Week 2021 resources and items to help you celebrate!
This podcast, the rebroadcasted webinar, and WOC Nurse Week 2021 are supported by an educational grant from Medela. The WOCN® Society does not endorse specific products and services.
Episode Resources
To view special WOC Nurse Week 2021 resources to help you make the most out of your celebrations this year, click here.
To register for the webinar “Mindfulness & the Health Care Provider”, click here.
In this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Janice Beitz, PhD, RN, CS, CNOR, CWOCNAP, CRNP, APNC, ANEF, FAAN, and Angela Gaffney, CHC, as they discuss their involvement in the emPOWERed Program and give us their insights on strategies to empower yourself personally and professionally, tips for managing professional role responsibilities, and additional upcoming education and resources through the WOCN emPOWERment Webinar Series.
Need something to motivate your growth or practice skills? How about something that’s good for the heart and soul? Visit wocn.org/empowered today to view insightful resources for your head, heart, and hands in WOCN’s brand-new emPOWERment Center.
The WOCN® emPOWERed Webinar Series and the WOCN emPOWERment Center are supported by an educational grant from Medela. The WOCN® Society does not endorse specific products and services.
Speaker Information
Janice M. Beitz, PhD, RN, CS, CNOR, CWOCN, CRNP, MAPWCA, ANEF, FNAP, FAAN, is Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing-Camden, Rutgers University. A native of Philadelphia, Dr. Beitz has over 45 years of nursing experience in acute, sub-acute, and outpatient care settings. As the professional practice expert of the WOCN Society’s brand-new emPOWERed Program, Dr. Beitz will lend her expertise to teach us how to properly “pack our professional practice suitcase” with the necessary knowledge, skills, and business acumen needed to excel personally and professionally. View full speaker bio.
Wellness speaker and consultant Angela Gaffney, CHC, teaches people simple and effective strategies to achieve health, increase productivity and live stress-free while reaching their personal and professional goals. As the health and wellness expert of the WOCN Society’s brand-new emPOWERed Program, Angela will challenge us to think differently, take ownership of our health, and raise standards in all areas of life. She’s a best-selling author, a mom of two and her clients will tell you she’s a game-changer! Learn more and access free resources at www.AngelaGaffney.com. View full speaker bio.
Episode Resources
Click here to view the WOCN emPOWERment Center.
Click here to view upcoming educational opportunities through the WOCN emPOWERment Webinar Series.
In this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Tara L. Beuscher, DNP, RN-BC, GCNS-BC, ANP-BC, CWOCN, CFCN, NEA-BC and Mary Ellen Stolder, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, CFCN to discuss their JWOCN article Expanding a Foot Care Education Program for Nurses: A Quality Improvement Survey.
Through a quality improvement survey faculty of a foot care continuing education program in the Midwest sought to determine current practice and interest in expanding the current program, both didactic and clinical, to meet expanded requirements in certification criteria. Based on the results of the survey, they concluded there is value in offering the program with several modules where participants could complete an introductory course and have the option to participate in continued education should they decide to learn more, seek certification, or need continuing education for recertification.
To learn more about the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN), the official journal of the WOCN Society, click here.
Episode Resources:
Click here to read the JWOCN article Expanding a Foot Care Education Program for Nurses: A Quality Improvement Survey.
In this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Sandra Engberg, PhD, RN, CRNP, FAAN, Co-Chair of the iPCaRe Task Force and Mikel Gray, PhD, FNP, PNP, CUNP, CCCN, FAANP, FAAN to discuss a recently released WOCN algorithm titled Interventions Post Catheter Removal (iPCaRe) Decision Support Tool.
The Interventions Post Catheter Removal (iPCaRe) Decision Support Tool is a consensus-based algorithm for acute care settings focusing on patient assessment and the selection and use of bladder management strategies after indwelling urinary catheter removal. This algorithm fills the gap in the evidence available for first-line and WOC specialty practice nurses and guide optimal bladder management following the removal of an indwelling urinary catheter.
To access the tool visit ipcare.wocn.org.
The Interventions Post Catheter Removal (iPCaRe) Decision Support Tool was funded through an educational grant from Bard, who has joined Becton Dickinson.
Episode Resources
Click here to read the JWOCN Article Interventions Post Catheter Removal (iPCaRe) in the Acute Care Setting: An Evidence- and Consensus-Based Algorithm.
Click here to view The Catheter is Out! Now What? Introducing the WOCN Interventions Post Catheter Removal (iPCaRe) Decision Support Tool webinar in the CEC.
This special bonus episode of WOCTalk was recorded on February 17, 2021 as part of a live webinar recording. During this live event WOCN members had the opportunity to join WOCN Society leadership as we celebrated our 2020 initiatives and learned about exciting offerings and opportunities that await WOCN members in 2021. A live Q&A took place at the end of the session.
Episode Resources
Click here to view a video recording of the live event along with FAQs and session resources.
Episode Summary
In this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Brandon P. Gates, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, RN-BC to discuss his award-winning quality improvement project Decreasing Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit: A Quality Improvement Project. This project won the 2019 Outstanding Clinical Manuscript Award for the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN).
The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to determine if the use of an algorithm focusing on skincare in patients with fecal and urinary incontinence reduces the rate of hospital-acquired incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) over a period of 4 months.
To learn more about the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN), the official journal of the WOCN Society, click here.
Episode Resources:
Click here to read the article Decreasing Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit: A Quality Improvement Project.
During this special bonus WOCTalk episode, we sit down with Virginia (Ginny) Hanchett, FNP, APRN-BC, DCNP, COCN, CWCN, to discuss content related to a recent webinar, “Parastomal Abscesses: Exploring the Differential Diagnoses and Treatment Options”. Ginny elaborates on the different pathologies and diagnoses of parastomal abscesses, underlying causes, and prevention and treatment options.
This podcast and the original webinar were supported by Hollister Incorporated. The WOCN Society does not endorse specific products or services.
Episode Resources
Click here to view the recording of the webinar, “Parastomal Abscesses: Exploring the Differential Diagnoses and Treatment Options”.
Click here to learn more about the Visual DX diagnostic clinical decision support system.
Click here to visit the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website.
In this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Sarah Lebovits, MSN, RN, ANP-BC, CWOCN DAPWCA, and Kathy Meyer from the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB®) to discuss the Professional Growth Program (PGP) as part of the PGP Portfolio Recertification Process. Sarah and Kathy answer frequently asked questions, discuss recertification resources, and speak to additional activities that can provide a more rounded experience for WOC nurses.
Episode Resources:
Click here for information on the WOCNCB Professional Growth Program (PGP)
Click here to view the WOCNCB Exam Preparation resources
Click here to access the WOCNCB “Ask the Board” feature
In this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Carolyn Crumley, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN, Section Editor of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN) Evidence-Based Report Cards Collection. Carolyn speaks about the Evidence-Based Report Cards Collection, which identifies and reviews evidence pertaining to wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) specialty practice and summarizes recommendations for clinical practice, as well as best practices for submitting a manuscript for publication within the collection.
The Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN) is the official publication and member benefit of the WOCN® Society. This international journal provides continuing education for the entire scope of the WOC nursing practice and is the authoritative resource devoted to the care and management of patients with wounds, ostomies, and incontinence. Original, peer-reviewed articles in JWOCN examine practice and research topics in hospital, home, and long-term care settings.
A WOCN membership includes a JWOCN subscription as well as full access to JWOCNonline.com with:
- New and archived issues to help you keep current with best practices.
- eAlert Services—email notifications of eTOCs, citations, collections, and more.
- The opportunity to earn free online CE credits via CEConnection, the Journal’s CE portal.
For additional information, visit JWOCNonline.com.
Interested in getting published in JWOCN? Click here for information about how to prepare and submit your manuscript. If you’re interested in getting published specifically in the Evidence-Based Report Cards collection, please reach out to Carolyn at carolyn_crumley@sbcglobal.net.
Episode Resources:
Click here to view the JWOCN Collection: Evidence-Based Report Cards
Click here to view the JWOCN site
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Kate Lawrence, MSN, RN, CWOCN, the WOCN Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, and Chris Rorick, MPH, the WOCN Director of Government Relations, who serve on the WOCN National Public Policy and Advocacy Committee. Kate and Chris discuss updates on current legislative actions, as well as documents and toolkits for members to utilize, and overall legislative news related to the wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) practice.
For more information on WOCN public policy and advocacy efforts, to access documents, and to contact your legislator regarding current policy issues, visit our Public Policy and Advocacy page.
Episode Resources
Click hereto view the WOCN Public Policy & Advocacy page.
Click hereto view the Regional & Affiliate Public Policy Toolkit. (members-only)
Click hereto view the WOCN Advocacy and Grassroots Toolkit.
Click hereto send a message to your legislators through the VoterVoice platform.
Click hereto view the WOCN Public Policy & Advocacy Health Care Agenda.
Click hereto view the Guidance on Use of Ostomy DME Checklist
Click here to view the Sample of Medical Necessity Template
Click here to view the Competitive Bidding and Ostomy Supplies position statement
Click here to view the fact sheet on Reimbursement Opportunities for WOC Nursing Services: Medicare Payment for Advanced Practice Nurse Services: A Fact Sheet
Click here to view the fact sheet on Reimbursement Opportunities for WOC Nursing Services: Medicare Part B “Incident To” Services Policy: A Fact Sheet
Click hereto view the Public Policy & Advocacy Forum. (members-only)
During this special bonus WOCTalk episode, we sit down with Kelly Jaszarowski, MSN, RN, CNS, CWOCN, WOCN Past President, and Rose Murphree, DNP, RN, CWOCN, CFCN, Assistant Clinical Professor, to discuss the content of the recent webinar titled, “Slow Down: Management of the High Output Ileostomy.” Kelly and Rose explain complications associated with high output ileostomies, preventative and management strategies, and complimentary therapies.
This podcast and the webinar were supported by Hollister, Incorporated. The WOCN Society does not endorse specific products or services.
Episode Resources
To view a recording of the webinar, “Slow Down: Management of the High Output Ileostomy” click here.
To view the University of Washington’s high output ostomy tip page, click here.
To receive complimentary guides on short bowel syndrome, click here.
During this special bonus WOCTalk episode, we sit down with Dr. Waqaar Khawar, a physician with Hillrom, to discuss content related to a recent webinar on Incontinence Associated Dermatitis (IAD) and Pressure Injuries. Dr. Khawar elaborates on the evidence behind the importance of incontinence management in the prevention of IAD and pressure injuries, with emphasis on how the WatchCare™ Incontinence Management System can help nurses address incontinence related problems.
This podcast and webinar were supported by an educational grant from Hillrom. The WOCN® Society does not endorse specific products and services.
To view a recording of the webinar titled, ”Disrupting the Vicious Cycle: Understanding and Preventing the Negative Effects of Moisture Before Incontinence Associated Dermatitis and Pressure Injury Occur,” click here.
Episode Resources
To learn more about the WatchCare™ Incontinence Management System, click here.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Meghan Smith, MSN, RN, AGACNP, CWOCN, Chair of the Education Committee for the WOCN® Society. Meghan discusses the committee’s process of content development in compliance with the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide educational opportunities that help improve care and patient outcomes. The committee works hard to identify and fill gaps in wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) education across the continuum of care and lifespan of patients, to meet the educational needs of WOCN members, to provide different learning options for members, and more!
WOCN members have access to 60+ FREE Online Courses totaling 45+ Contact Hours, all of which provide Contact Hours and are housed in the Society’s Continuing Education Center (CEC).
Episode Resources
Visit the Continuing Education Center (CEC).
View all our Continuing Education Courses.
View all our Certification Review Courses.
View all our Bite Sized Learning courses.
To view a list of the WOCN Committee Chairs, click here.
To learn more about the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), click here.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Ekta Vohra, BSN, RN, CWON, and Philip Chang, MD, FACS, of the William Randolph Hearst Burn Center at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center--the only verified burn center in New York City. Their multidisciplinary team of burn care specialists includes doctors, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, nurses, critical care medicine specialists, physical and occupational therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, pharmacists, social workers, outreach coordinators, and disaster planners. Listen to learn more about their program, degrees of burns, burn prevention, identification, management, treatment, and healing, and how experience in wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) care provides a better understanding for the burn world and skin etiology.
Several brand-named products are mentioned throughout this episode. Please note: the WOCN® Society does not endorse or support products or services.
Episode Resources
To learn more about the William Randolph Hearst Burn Center at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, click here.
To learn more about the American Burn Association, click here.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Emilie Schlitt, BSN, RN, PCCN, CWOCN, Matthew Mossansen, MD-MPH, and Mary Willis, MS, RN, CWOCN, co-authors of a Merit Award winning poster in the Practice Innovation category at the WOCNext 2020 Reimagined event titled, “Empowering the Patient: Education and Preparation Prior to Cystectomy Surgery”. The co-authors discuss a preoperative prehabilitation educational class that was developed by urologic nurses and had input from a multidisciplinary team consisting of physicians, ostomy nurses, physical therapists, and nutritionists, and was also shaped by patient and caregiver input. During the class, patients and caregivers were prepped for cystectomy surgery with hands-on practice of stoma site marking, how to independently care for their ostomies, post-operative expectations, and more.
Other co-authors for this award-winning poster include:
Anne Fitzgerald, BSN, RN, and Juliet Starr, RN
Episode Resources
To view a description of the poster, “Empowering the Patient: Education and Preparation Prior to Cystectomy Surgery”, click here.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Carole Bauer, MSN, RN, ANP-BC, OCN, CWOCN, Abstract Chair of the WOCN National Conference Planning Committee. Carole discusses the abstract process for WOCNext 2021, including helpful resources, advice on successfully submitting an abstract, conflict of interest, the difference between CE and non-CE posters, and how select authors will present posters during a session at WOCNext 2021.
WOCNext 2021 will take place from June 27-30, 2021, in Orlando, FL and will serve as a hybrid educational event featuring both online and in-person education, networking, and activities geared towards WOC nurses and other healthcare professionals dedicated to providing expert care to patients with wound, ostomy, and incontinence needs.
Abstract submissions for WOCNext 2021 will be accepted through November 2, 2020, at 11:00 AM EDT / 8:00 AM PDT. Abstracts should describe either a research study, case study or practice innovation. All submissions will be completed and submitted electronically. Selection of abstracts will be based solely on a blind peer review. All accepted abstracts will be published in a supplement of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN). Additional information can be found at wocnext.org/abstracts.
Episode Resources
Abstract Bite Sized Course: https://wocn.digitellinc.com/wocn/sessions/5642/view
Abstract Submission PowerPoint: https://www.slideshare.net/WOCNext/wocnext-2021-abstract-submission-instructions
Abstract Mentoring: Sometimes authors may have difficulty assimilating ideas into the abstract/poster format. WOCN offers those who desire additional support by connecting individuals with seasoned abstract/poster authors to review the abstract/poster content in progress or to answer questions. If interested in this opportunity, visit wocnext.org/abstracts for additional information.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Emilie Schlitt, BSN, RN, CWOCN, and Diane Bryant, RN, MS, CNS CWOCN, who work together at Brigham And Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Emilie and Diane share their experiences as a new WOC nurse and a preceptor and how they are working together during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through this time of uncertainty, WOCN is dedicated to providing our members and the greater healthcare community with the resources and education needed to practice with all the necessary precautions to keep yourselves and your patients safe. We are so grateful for all of our nurses on the front lines during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Many of you are finding yourselves practicing on the front lines, in your usual role of being called to work in another staff position. Thank you for unselfishly carrying out the duties required in this pandemic. For a list of COVID-19 related resources, visit wocn.org/covid-19/.
Have questions about precepting? Visit wocn.org/become-a-woc-nurse/preceptor-faqs/ for our frequently asked questions.
On this special bonus episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Edward Beitz, Esquire. Ed focuses his practice on medical malpractice defense. He defends doctors, nurses, physicians assistants, and hospitals at the trial and appellate levels, as well as general liability matters. He has successfully defended numerous medical malpractice cases at trial involving complex issues of the human anatomy, such as cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, nursing care, obstetrical complications, nerve injury and vascular injury. Ed has also tried multiple cases to defense verdicts before arbitration panels in Philadelphia County. His practice has involved a wide range of other medical specialties, including, bariatric surgery, pain management and emergency medicine.
Ed has authored briefs on appellate issues in healthcare and coverage matters to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, The New Jersey Appellate Division and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. He has also written and developed articles and presentations on emerging issues in medical malpractice, such as the increased relevance of electronic medical records in the context of civil litigation.
The focus of our discussion revolves around the recent WOCN Society webinar, “Don’t Write So That You Can Be Understood, Write So That You Can’t Be Misunderstood”: Medico-Legal Issues in WOC Nursing”. To view a recording of this webinar visit the webcasts section of the WOCN Society’s Continuing Education Center at wocn.org/cec.
This podcast and the webinar, “Don’t Write So That You Can Be Understood, Write So That You Can’t Be Misunderstood”: Medico-Legal Issues in WOC Nursingwere supported by Medela LLC. The WOCN Society does not endorse specific products or services. For a list of WOC patient products and services, please click here.
During this special bonus WOCTalk episode, we sit down with Janice M. Beitz, PhD, RN, CS, CNOR, CWOCN-AP, CRNP, MAPWCA, ANEF, FNAP, FAAN as she discusses the content of the recent webinar titled, “Jump Into Your Heavy Chevy For the Professional Development Road Trip: Bumps, Twists, and Fabulous Destinations.” During this discussion Janice explains target resume development, business technology including statistical analysis software, and the importance of specialty certification.
This podcast and the webinar were supported by Medela LLC. The WOCN Society does not endorse specific products or services. For a list of WOC patient products and services, please click here.
To view a recording of the webinar, “Jump Into Your Heavy Chevy For the Professional Development Road Trip: Bumps, Twists, and Fabulous Destinations” visit the webcasts section of the WOCN Society’s Continuing Education Center at wocn.org/cec.
Episode Resources
Click here to view a list of Dr. Beitz’s resources and references.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Rebecca Bryan, DNP, AGPCNP, APN, and Janice M. Beitz, Ph.D., RN, CS, CNOR, CWOCN-AP, CRNP, MAPWCA, ANEF, FNAP, FAAN, as they speak about their session from WOCNext 2020 Reimagined titled, “Critical Connections: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Adult Chronic Illness and WOC Nursing”. Rebecca and Janice explain the science of ACEs, answer audience questions from their live session, and share advice on helping patients through their ACEs.
Their session from WOCNext 2020 Reimagined focused on the science of ACEs, specifically scrutinizing neuroscience, epigenetics, and resilience factors from the perspective of the WOC nurse. This session also identified the significant gap in the scientific literature in this milieu and called for research to better understand critical connections among ACEs, adult chronic illness, and skin, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary manifestations.
Want to learn more? Click here to view Rebecca and Janice’s session at WOCNext 2020 Reimagined, “Critical Connections: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Adult Chronic Illness and WOC Nursing.” Click here to read their published article “Connections Among Biologic Embedding of Childhood Adversity, Adult Chronic Illness, and Wound Care: A Review of the Literature.”
Did you miss the live WOCNext 2020 Reimagined event? No worries! WOCN members have free access to the event's evidence-based wound, ostomy, continence, and foot and nail care sessions that have been archived in the WOCN Continuing Education Center (CEC) Conference Library. All sessions have closed captioning available. No Contact Hours are available.Click hereto access the complete list of archived sessions.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Janet Cuddigan, RN, PhD, CWCN, FAAN, a Professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) with over 40 years of experience in wound care and critical care nursing. Janet is also the current President of the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP). Janet provides an in-depth overview of the third edition of the NPIAP 2019 Clinical Practice Guideline, which was developed between 15 international organizations to update evidence-based prevention and treatment for pressure injuries.
For more information on the NPIAP 2019 Clinical Practice Guideline, please visit npiap.com/2019Guideline.
On this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Barbara J. Rozenboom, BSN, RN, CWON, and Mary Mahoney, MSN, RN, CWOCN, CFCN as they speak about their session from WOCNext 2020 Reimagined titled, “Chronic Tissue Injury: Recognizing & Publishing Clinical Issues”. Barbara and Mary explain their telehealth practice model for WOC care in their homecare agency, UnityPoint at Home, answer audience questions from their live session, and speak to their work with chronic tissue injury.
Their session from WOCNext 2020 Reiminaged focuses on raising awareness for unique tissue injuries and working towards the goal to have consistent terminology to describe tissue injury in skin classification systems for correct and reliable selection by all healthcare providers. In addition, the lecture covers how the authors identify the clinical problem and the process it takes to bring the clinical issue to publication.
Want to learn more?
Click here to view Barbara and Mary’s session at WOCNext 2020 Reimagined, “Chronic Tissue Injury: Recognizing & Publishing Clinical Issues”.
Click here to read their published JWOCN article, “Definition and Characteristics of Chronic Tissue Injury: A Unique Form of Skin Damage”.
Did you miss the live WOCNext 2020 Reimagined event? No worries! WOCN members have free access to the event's evidence-based wound, ostomy, continence, and foot and nail care sessions that have been archived in the WOCN Continuing Education Center (CEC) Conference Library. All sessions have closed captioning available. No Contact Hours are available. Click here to access the complete list of archived sessions.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Martina Mueller, PhD, and Teresa Kelechi, PhD, GCNS, CWCN, FAAN, Deputy Editor of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence (JWOCN). Currently, both Martina and Teresa work at the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing and have worked together for about 14 years. Martina and Teresa discuss important changes, specifically regarding reporting the p-value when reporting quantitative research, in the JWOCN and other journals.
In the past, reporting a null p-value would affect if a study was published or not. Statisticians are now telling authors to not only rely on the p-value as a measure of importance, but to also report the effect size and the confidence interval. Martina and Teresa encourage authors to review the author guidelines of the journal they are submitting to and pay attention to how they are submitting their data, because several journals, including the JWOCN, are changing their guidelines.
To learn more about the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN), the official journal of the WOCN Society, click here.
Episode Resources:
Click here to read “Moving to a World Beyond “p < 0.05”.
Click here to read “Moving nursing beyond p < 0.05”.
Click here
to read “Symptoms Associated With Chronic Venous Disease in Response to a Cooling Treatment Compared to Placebo: A Randomized Clinical Trial”.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Kristen Weiss Sanders, Director of Development for Girls With Guts. Kristen shares with us her own story of having an ostomy, living with Crohn’s disease and her experience on how she became hooked on the sisterhood behind the Girls With Guts organization.
Girls With Guts is non-profit organization whose mission is to support and empower women with inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease & ulcerative colitis) and/or ostomies through the building of sisterhood and self-esteem.
To learn more about Girls With Guts visit their website at www.girlswithguts.org or contact them at info@girlswithguts.org.
Episode Resources
Click here to apply for an I Gotta Go Card.
Click here for more information on the Philanthropic Ostomy Outreach Program (POOP).
Click here for more information on the Pen Pal Angel program.
Click here for more information on the Butt Basket Program.
Click here to join the Girls With Guts Facebook Forum.
Click here to join the Guts With Guts Teen Facebook Forum.
Click here for more information on the 2020 Girls With Guts Retreat.
Click here to view the Girls With Guts Brochure.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Kate Lawrence, MSN, RN, CWOCN, the Society’s Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, and Chris Rorick, MPH, the Society’s Director of Government Relations, who serve on the Society’s National Public Policy and Advocacy Committee. Kate and Chris provide updates on the WOCN Society’s current Public Policy and Advocacy activities, new resources and changes to the Society website, and current legislations related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information on the Society’s public policy and advocacy efforts, and to contact your legislator regarding current issues, please visit wocn.org/publicpolicy.
Episode Resources
Click here to view the WOCN Society’s Public Policy & Advocacy Home Page.
Click here to view the WOCN Society’s Public Policy & Advocacy COVID-19 updates.
Click here to view the Regional & Affiliate Toolkit. (members only)
Click here to view more information on the Pressure Reducing Support Surfaces Prior Authorization.
Click here to send a message through the Votervoice platform.
Click here to view the Letter of Medical Necessity Template and other Tips & Templates for Contacting Your Legislators.
Click here to view the WOCN Society Advocacy and Grassroots Toolkit.
Click here to view contact information for the National Public Policy Liaisons.
Click here to view a list of other Healthcare Organizations.
Click here to view the WOCN Society Public Policy & Advocacy Health Care Agenda.
Click here to view the Deep Tissue Injury Coding Policy Reminder.
Click here to view the Public Policy & Advocacy Form. (members only)
On this special episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Alyssa Slabaugh NP-C, RN and Nila Reimer PhD, RN, CNE to speak about their upcoming session on telehealth at WOCNext 2020 Reimagined titled, “Telehealth Wound Applications: Barriers, Solutions, & Future Use”. Telehealth applications are an emerging technology in a new era of telemedicine within health care systems. Although telehealth technologies, are utilized by various members of the health care team, Nurse Practitioners utilize them for a variety of patients’ issues across healthcare settings. Listen in to learn more from two of our WOCNext 2020 Reimagined speakers and for a sneak peek of this session.
Want to learn more? Join us for WOCNext 2020 Reimagined live, June 5-7, and on-demand through June 21 for an online-only experience brought to you by the WOCN® Society. As an attendee of this reimagined event, you can expect to learn from experienced wound, ostomy and continence (WOC) nursing professionals, chat with over 60 exhibiting companies, view 100+ ePosters and boost your nursing skills all from the comfort of your home or office! Pre-register by 12pm on Friday June 5 for access to content through June 21.
On this episode of WOCTalk we welcome back Brooke Passy, CMP, Meeting Manager for the WOCN® Society. During this episode Brooke reviews key highlights and information regarding the Society’s WOCNext 2020 Reimagined, along with tips for online learning. Attendees of this reimagined event can expect to learn from experienced wound, ostomy and continence (WOC) nursing professionals, chat with over 60 exhibiting companies, and view over 100 ePosters all while boosting their nursing skills from the comfort of their home or office! Listen in to learn more and visit wocnext.org to register today.
Interested in joining us? Click here to learn more reasons to love WOCNext 2020 Reimagined. Be sure to register before 12pm ET on Friday, June 5 to gain access to live and on-demand content and an opportunity to earn 30 Contact Hours from Friday, June 5 through Sunday, June 21.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with three WOC nurse experts; Dr. Teresa Kelechi, PhD, RN, CWCN, Dr. Phyllis A. Bonham, PhD, MSN, RN, CWOCN, DPNAP, FAAN, a Past President of the WOCN® Society, and Glenda Brunette, MSN, RN, CWON. We discuss the fourth edition of the evidence-based wound guideline titled, “Guideline for Management of Wounds in Patients with Lower-Extremity Venous Disease”.
Dr. Kelechi, Dr. Bonham and Glenda Brunette go into detail of the rigorous process it takes to plan, develop, edit, and finalize a clinical wound guideline of this nature. Each expert takes turns explaining different aspects of what’s in this guideline; recommendation for prevention and management of LEVD and venous leg ulcers (VLUs), intervention for wound management, assessment, and management of risk reduction, interventions for wound management, patient care, patient education, quality of life and much more.
The updates to and the importance of this guideline will be presented as a session during WOCNext 2020 Reimagined, this year’s virtual educational event taking place June 5-7, 2020. Learn more about this session by clicking here.
Registration for WOCNext 2020 Reimagined is FREE for WOCN Society members, and non-members can register for a discounted rate of $200. All content and Contact Hours will be available for pre-registered attendees through June 21st. Register online.
Episode Resources
Click here to view/purchase the Guideline for Management of Wounds in Patients with Lower-Extremity Venous Disease.
Click here to view the WOCN Society’s Bookstore.
Click here to access the free online clinical tool for Compression for Primary Prevention, Treatment and Prevention of Recurrence of Venous Leg Ulcers.
Click here to view the JWOCN article on Venous Leg Ulcers.
Click here to view the WOCN Society’s free, online clinical tools for clinicians and consumers.
Click here to view the WOCN Society’s Document Library, which houses best practice documents, case studies, white papers and more.
Click here to view the WOCN Society’s Document Library, which houses best practice documents, case studies, white papers and more.
Click here to view/purchase the online WOCN Clinical Practice Guideline Series.
Click here to view the ECRI Guidelines Trust, a new online repository of clinical practice guidelines from the ECRI Institute.
Click here to view the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) website.
In this special episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Dea Kent, DNP, RN, NP-C, CWOCN, President Elect for the WOCN Society, to discuss a new WOCN document titled, “Guidance for Maintaining Skin Health When Utilizing Protective Masks for Prolonged Time Intervals”.
Wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), especially masks, often causes skin injuries including moisture damage, friction and pressure. TheGuidance for Maintaining Skin Health When Utilizing Protective Masks for Prolonged Time Intervals document provides practical guidance to maintain skin integrity in the prolonged wear time of protective masks such as N-95 masks, surgical masks, face shields, and similar types of protective equipment. The head/face/cheek area of an individual are at highest risk. This document is the culmination of input from WOC nurses across the United States, each working to provide guidance for skin integrity issues being seen in this unprecedented time. Although it is not an evidence-based document, it does include best practices to help guide individuals towards mitigating and solving skin related issues involving PPE.
To view the document, along with other helpful COVID-19 resources for clinicians, visit
wocn.org/covid19
.
The WOCN Society does not endorse or support products or services.
During this special bonus WOCTalk episode, we sit down with Kim Fields, BSN, CPN, CWOCN, a certified wound, ostomy and continence (WOC) pediatric nurse at Hershey Medical Center, to discuss her international medical and mission work. Kim has provided WOC health care for underserved populations in places like Africa, the Amazon Jungle, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and she has volunteered with The Youth Rally.
Kim discusses how learning about different cultures has improved her health care and has helped her grow as an individual and a nurse. Kim discusses ways to get involved in international service-learning trips and ways to help in your local community. Kim provides tips for anyone who is interested in participating in international service trips.
This podcast and WOC Nurse Week 2020 were commercially supported by a restricted educational grant from Smith & Nephew.
Resources from this episode:
2020 Global Missions Health Conference
MedicalMissions.com
MedicalMissions.org
The Youth Rally
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with two wound, ostomy and continence (WOC) nurses, Christina Palau Vaccari, MS, BSN, CWOCN, and Lynette Franklin, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP, CFCN, to talk about how they effectively use emerging technology within their practices. Christina is an inpatient WOC nurse at Emory University Hospital Midtown. Lynette is a WOC nurse with more than 20 years of experience as an instructor and clinician, and she has practiced nursing in four countries. Christina and Lynette previously worked together in Emory’s outpatient clinic, and they presented a session on technology in nursing at a WOCN Society Southeast Region conference. Listen to learn more about different evidence-based digital tools, such as apps, videos, podcasts and websites that nurses can access at their fingertips to support their patient care.
Resources from this Episode:
Click here to view the WOCN Society’s free, online clinical tools for clinicians and consumers.
Click here to view the Society’s Document Library, which houses best practice documents, case studies, white papers and more.
Click here to access the Society’s Forums, a message board platform where WOCN members can ask clinical questions to nurses in all care settings.
Click here to access the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN), the official publication of the Society. The journal is available as a free benefit for WOCN members.
Click here to view the JWOCN article on the evaluation of web-based ostomy patient support resources.
On this bonus episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Virginia Hanchett, FNP, APRN-BC, DCNP, COCN, CWCN, a Program Director and Senior Nurse Practitioner at “UR Medicine Ostomy Services” at the University Of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York. She has 20 years of experience in the field of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing and 15 years experience in medical dermatology. She has been proudly employed at the University of Rochester Medical Center for over 30 years and for the past 5 years she has focused on the well being of ostomy patients throughout the continuum of care, with long-term management being her love. Her true specialty is the interdisciplinary co-management of ostomy patients with complex medical and dermatological diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, IBD, cancer and wound management in the parastomal region.
During this episode, Ginny she speaks to us about the content from a recent WOCN Society webinar, Dermostomy: Advanced Dermatological Conditions of the Parastomal Region, which included a review of chronic and complex dermatological and medical disease states.
This content, while presented onsite at WOCNext 2019, was also presented as an official WOCNext 2019 education rebroadcast. The rebroadcasted webinar and this podcast were both supported by an educational grant from Hollister, Incorporated.
The WOCN Society does not endorse specific products or services. For a list of WOC patient products and services, please click here.
To view a free recording of the webinar Dermostomy: Advanced Dermatological Conditions of the Parastomal Region visit the webcasts section of the WOCN Society’s Continuing Education Center at wocn.org/cec.
The Society believes the right choice to deliver evidence-based care to individuals with non-healing wounds, ostomies, and urinary and fecal incontinence are nurses educated by WOCN Society-accredited Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Education Programs (WOCNEPs) and/or nurses who are certified through the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB®).
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Kathleen McLaughlin, DNP, MSN, RN, CWOCN, Chair of the WOCN Society’s Accreditation Committee to talk about the purpose and responsibilities of the committee and how it supports the Society, its members, and the greater nursing community. Listen in to learn more about accreditation and the resources available to nurses interested in WOC nursing education, precepting, certification and professional development opportunities such as volunteering.
Resources from this Episode
Accreditation Policy & Procedure Manual
This resource can be found in the Society’s Document Library, here.
Click here to view WOC Nursing Education Programs (WOCNEPs) Accredited by the WOCN Society.
Click here to view the Pathways to Becoming a WOC Nurse.
The Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB),separate entity from the WOCN Society, provides a national certifying examination designed for entry level into the field for graduates of accredited educational programs. Graduates of an accredited WOC nursing full scope or specialty program are eligible to become Board Certified by taking the (WOCNCB) Examination(s). For more information and to download the certification exam application form, please visit theWOCNCB's website or call the WOCNCB National Office at (888) 496-2622.
If you need assistance finding a preceptor in your area, visit: wocn.org/PreceptorDirectory.
On this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Ekta Vohra, BSN, RN, CWON. As a certified wound and ostomy nurse for 6 years at a large urban, academic institution, Ekta’s patients span from neonates through the geriatric population. After experiencing an increase of 257% in ostomy patient visits and 138% in wound patient visits, Ekta and the team at her facility worked to research and measure the demand they were facing and understand the costs savings associated with adding additional full-time staff to meet this demand. Through their research, understanding of workload productivity, and dedication to showcase the value of WOC nurses, they developed a proposal for additional staff and eventually increased their team by four new members. Listen in to learn more about their processes, including the research for their proposal, the on-boarding of new staff and the on-going and future projects of the department.
Resources Mentioned in this Episode
The Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice, 2nd Edition provides an overview of the scope of WOC nursing practice, the standards of WOC nursing practice and professional performance that are based on the authoritative statements of the ANA (2015a) regarding the duties of all registered nurses. The standards define the responsibilities of the WOC nurse and guide professional practice and performance. Competencies are included for each standard, which provide evidence of compliance with that particular standard. To purchase, please click here.
The 2016 WOC Nursing Salary and Productivity Survey is a member benefit provided by the WOCN Society. The information contained in this report represents compensation and productivity data on the WOC nursing industry. The report is designed to allow a user to easily compare their compensation and productivity levels with their peers. If you are a member, this resource is available for free and can be found in the WOCN Document Library at wocn.org/library. If you are a non-member, this resource is available for purchase in the WOCN Society bookstore at wocn.org/bookstore.
During this special bonus WOCTalk episode, we sit down with Dr. Mariana Byndloss. As an Assistant Professor in the Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology Department at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Mariana’s work examines how inflammation mediates changes in host physiology, and how these changes can cause disruption of the microbial ecosystem in our large intestine, leading to disease.
In this episode, Mariana speaks to us about the content from a recent WOCN Society webinar, The Gut Microbiota & Health: A Focus on Linking Intestinal Dysbiosis & Human Disease, which introduced the exciting field of the microbiome and uncovered the role of the gut microbiota in promoting human health, how gut dysbiosis occurs, and the clinical implications of gut dysbiosis with focus in hospital acquired infections, inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer.
This content, while presented onsite at WOCNext 2019, was also presented as an official WOCNext 2019 education rebroadcast. The rebroadcasted webinar and this podcast were both supported by an educational grant from Hollister, Incorporated.
The WOCN Society does not endorse specific products or services. For a list of WOC patient products and services, please click here.
To view a free recording of the webinar The Gut Microbiota & Health: A Focus on Linking Intestinal Dysbiosis & Human Diseasevisit the webcasts section of the WOCN Society’s Continuing Education Center at wocn.org/cec.
Parastomal hernia development is a common complication for a patient with a stoma.In this special bonus episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Janice C. Colwell, RN, MS, APRN, CWOCN, FAAN, to discuss this complication and the content she presented alongside her colleague, Neil Hyman, MD, at WOCNext 2019. Their session titled, “Parastomal Hernias: A Surgeon and WOC Nurse Perspective” reviewed the incidence, clinical presentation, risk factors, workup and surgical and non-surgical treatment of the ostomy patient with a parastomal hernia.
This session, while presented onsite at WOCNext 2019, was also presented as an official WOCNext 2019 education rebroadcast. The rebroadcasted webinar and this podcast were both supported by an educational grant from Hollister, Incorporated.
The WOCN Society does not endorse specific products or services. For a list of WOC patient products and services, please click here.
To view a free recording of the webinar Parastomal Hernias: A Surgeon and WOC Nurse Perspective visit the webcasts section of the WOCN Society’s Continuing Education Center at wocn.org/cec.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with two certified wound, ostomy continence nurses from Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health; Lisa Kirk, MSN, RN, CWOCN and Tim Luttrell, BSN, RN, CWOCN. Lisa and Tim co-authored an award-winning poster presented at WOCNext 2019 in Nashville titled, “The Use of a Low-Profile Gastrostomy Device to Enhance Malone Antegrade Continence Enema (MACE) Irrigation”. This co-authored poster earned Tim and Lisa a Merit Award in the Case Study category.
A Malone Antegrade Continence Enema (MACE) is a type of surgery designed for the child with chronic bowel problems such as constipation or fecal incontinence. A tract is created into the large intestine to allow for daily irrigation of the colon to maintain continence. During this discussion, Tim and Lisa explain their nursing backgrounds, MACE procedures and the benefits of MACE irrigation, and the patient case that lead to the development of their poster. Listen in to learn more and discover the quality of life improvements MACE irrigation can provide to pediatric patients.
The abstract for this co-authored poster can be found by clicking here.
On this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Angela Gaffney, CHC, the keynote speaker for WOCNext 2020 in Cleveland, June 7-10. Angela is the President of Essential Health & Wellness, a firm focused on building healthy communities and organizations. As an international wellness speaker, consultant and author, she and her team have supported clients through inspiring keynotes, corporate consulting, executive retreats, and unique wellness programming.
She is the catalyst for healthy transformation and helps others ignite change through her speaking, writing and coaching. After surviving a personal health crisis that nearly took her life, Angela devoted intense time, education and energy into regaining her own health and becoming a Certified Health Coach. Calling on her personal and professional experience, Angela has shared these same proven strategies to help hundreds of others lose weight, boost energy, eliminate stress and find balance in life. Listen in to learn more about Angela and what she has planned for her keynote at WOCNext 2020 on June 7.
What is WOCNext? WOCNext is an educational event for WOC nurses and other healthcare professionals dedicated to providing expert care to patients with wound, ostomy, and incontinence needs. With more than 60 speakers and over 50 sessions to choose from, attendees will leave WOCNext with diverse knowledge and insights into how to best identify, care for, and overcome some of the most challenging issues facing their patient populations. For additional information visit wocnext.org.
Want to learn more about Angela Gaffney, including her best health related tip, tricks and recipes? Visit angelagaffney.com to view blog articles and sign up for Angela’s newsletter to receive new content weekly!
On this episode of WOCTalk, we speak with Heather Lee Craven PhD, RN, CMSRN, CPHQ and Teresa Kelechi, PhD, GCNS, CWCN, FAAN of the Medical University of South Carolina about the process of bringing research to life through evidence-based practice. “Bridging Our Care from Research to Bedside” was originally presented at the Southeast Region of the WOCN Society conference in the Fall of 2019. In this episode, Dr. Craven and Dr. Kelechi discuss the content from this previous presentation and walk through the steps from forming a research team or panel, holding “think tank” research discussions and goal setting to the eventual outcome of bringing your research to life through evidence-based practice. Listen in to gain knowledge, tips and tricks to get started with your own evidence-based research project.
To view a real-life example of how to apply the concepts covered in this episode, click here to view a video starring Dr. Craven, Dr. Kelechi and other members of the Medical University of South Carolina.
On this special bonus episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Carmen Davis and Terrie Beeson to speak about the content from a recent WOCN Society webinar, “Creative Strategies to Manage Female Urinary Incontinence and Reduce Urinary Catheter Utilization”, which focused on alternatives used to disrupt the lifecycle of the indwelling urinary catheter.
The webinar and this podcast were both supported by an educational grant from Stryker. The WOCN® Society does not endorse specific products and services. To view a free recording of the webinar “Creative Strategies to Manage Female Urinary Incontinence and Reduce Urinary Catheter Utilization”, visit the webcasts section of the WOCN Society’s Continuing Education Center at wocn.org/cec.
Carmen Davis, MSN, RN, CCRN, CNS-BC, is a certified clinical nurse specialist with 20 years’ experience in critical and progressive care areas with the Indiana University Health University Hospital.
Terrie Beeson, MSN, RN, CCRN, ACNS-BC, is certified critical care clinical nurse specialist with 40 years experience in critical and progressive care areas with the Indiana University Health University Hospital.
Click here to view the JWOCN article mentioned in this episode: Urinary Management With an External Female Collection Device.
In this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Morgan Womble, RN, CWOCN, winner of the WOCN Society’s Future is Bright Award in 2019. This WOCN award recognizes a new WOC nurse within his/hers first five (5) years of practice who is tri-specialty certified and destined to make a significant contribution to WOC care as an educator, a researcher, or in clinical practice. The Future is Bright Award is intended to recognize a new WOC nurse who exemplifies the scope of WOC nursing practice as defined in “WOC Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice”, 2nd Edition. Listen in to learn about Morgan’s professional background and her future as a WOC nurse.
During this special bonus WOCTalk episode, I sit down with Jan Colwell to speak about the popular topic of convexity. Jan has practiced as a WOC nurse for 40 years at the University of Chicago Medicine and is currently the advanced practice nurse in the outpatient ostomy clinic. She is a Past President of the WOCN Society and Friends of Ostomates Worldwide USA, is the co-section editor of the ostomy section of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing and has edited several text books on ostomy care.
In this episode, Jan speaks to us about the content from a recent WOCN Society webinar, Convexity: Where Did it Come From and Where Are We Now?, which provided a historical perspective on the use of convexity in the management of a patient with a stoma and examined different types of convexities. Listen in to learn about the past, present and future of convexity.
This podcast and the webinar were supported by an educational grant from ConvaTec. The WOCN Society does not endorse specific products or services. For a list of WOC patient products and services, please click here.
To view a free recording of the webinar Convexity: Where Did it Come From and Where Are We Now?, visit the webcasts section of the WOCN Society’s Continuing Education Center at wocn.org/cec.
Click here
to view the JWOCN article mentioned in this episode: Use of Convexity in Ostomy Care: Results of an International Consensus Meeting.
During this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Coleen Potts, BSN, RN, CWOCN, a certified wound, ostomy and continence nurse working in both inpatient and outpatient care at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. As an RN diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis shortly after giving birth in 1987, Coleen was faced with ileostomy surgery. Shortly after, she underwent J-pouch surgery to remove her stoma and learned to self-catheterize. Ultimately, Coleen chose to invite a new stoma back into her life. Listen to learn about Coleen’s lifechanging healthcare journey from being an RN to living with an ostomy to becoming a CWOCN.
Today’s WOCTalk podcast topic was suggested by one of our WOCN members! During this episode we sit down with Karen O’Brien, CWOCN, from the Cleveland Clinic Main Campus in Cleveland, OH. Karen is part of an experienced nursing team that has been awarded the best nursing team in the entire Cleveland Clinical Nursing System twice in the last five years. Listen to this episode to learn about the Kock Pouch surgical procedure, more commonly referred to as “continent ileal reservoir”, “Barnett pouch”, and “K-pouch”, and to learn about the types of patients that are appropriate candidates for this procedure, surgical complications, and the role the WOC nurse plays in assessing and treating people living with K-pouches in both inpatient and outpatient settings, and tips for people living with K-pouches.
If you think you'd be a good guest for an upcoming episode, if you have a topic idea to share with us, or if you would like your questions or issues addressed in an upcoming episode of WOCTalk, send an email to podcast@wocn.org.
It is no secret that we live in a global society. Wound, ostomy and continence nurses work in myriad of settings with client populations that reflect global diversity. Healthcare providers and clients alike benefit from care informed by global engagement. During this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Kevin Emmons DrNP, APN, AGPCNP-BC, CWCN, CFCN and Lynette Franklin APRN, MSN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP, CFCN, to discuss their session at WOCNext 2019 titled, “Glocal Perspectives on Healthcare: WOC Practice with Diverse Populations”. Listen in to review several definitions of global health, learn about Kevin and Lynette’s service learning experiences from different parts of the world, and to receive an introduction to the concept of “glocal” care--translating global knowledge to care at a local level.
To view a recorded version of Lynette and Kevin’s session from WOCNext 2019, click here.
For additional information on the Worldwide Fistula Fund or to make a donation, visit: worldwidefistulafund.org.
In this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with 3 WOC nurses who have all experienced implementing and/or participating in the Wound Treatment Associate (WTA® Program). What is the WTA Program? The WTA Program as a continuing education program created by the WOCN® Society to further empower wound, ostomy and continence (WOC) specialty nurses, and improve patient outcomes by strengthening the wound care team. With a flexible education program that is applicable to all health care settings, the WTA Program prepares non-WOC certified nurses to provide optimal care for patients with acute and chronic wounds under the direction of a WOC specialty nurse, WOC advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), or physician. Listen in to learn how one WTA Course Coordinator turned two of her graduates down the path to full-scope WOC certification.
To learn more about the WTA Program, visit wocn.org/wtaprogram.
About the Interviewees
Tara Beuscher, DNP, RN-BC, GCNS-BC, ANP-BC, CWOCN, CFCN, NEA-BC, has been a WOC nurse for many years and has experience in several different practice areas including acute care, home care, hospice, long term care, LTAC, assisted living and ambulatory care. She is the Lead Nurse Planner for the WOCN® Society, along with the section editor for the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN) Foot and Nail section.
Melissa Parker, RN, CWOCN is a Clinician III at the University of Virginia Health System where she works full-time on the wound care team and teaches wound care and pressure injury prevention classes to on-boarding nurses.
Ann Roberts, RN, CWOCN works at the University of Virginia Health System within in-patient wound and ostomy services. Ann is the President of the Blue Ridge Affiliate of the WOCN Society.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Amanda Dominguez, BSN, RN, CWOCN to talk about her co-authored, award-winning poster from WOCNext 2019 titled” Post Event Huddle to Decrease Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries”. During the discussion, Amanda speaks about how her team engaged the bedside staff within her hospital to identify barriers to care and implementing changes in pressure injury (PI) prevention techniques according to the findings through the development of a PIRATE (Pressure Injury Review AcT and Educate) huddle. By using this huddle model, all interdisciplinary team members involved in the care of a patient with a hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI) were required to attend the PIRATE huddle and participate in the initiatives to care and provide action items for care through a PDSA (Plan Do Study Act) cycle. Listen in to learn more about Amanda’s experience with these models and the outcomes her hospital received as a result of the implementation of these important changes to their care and prevention of HAPIs.
The abstract for co-authored poster with team member Rebecca Stevens, MSN, RN, CWOCN, can be found by clicking here.
The WOCN Society is accepting abstracts for WOCNext 2020 now through November 1, 2019. Click here for additional information and to start your submission today!
Healthcare is a highly regulated industry at both the professional and payer levels. The WOCN Society is committed to advancing legislative activity that promotes the benefits of wound, ostomy and continence (WOC) nurse involvement related to pressure injuries, acute and chronic wounds, ostomy and continence care. The Society is actively engaged in state and federal public policy and advocacy efforts to help healthcare become economically viable, and to promote the value of WOC nurses across all healthcare settings.
In this episode, we talk with Kate Lawrence, MSN, RN, CWOCN, the Society’s Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, and Chris Rorick, MPH, the Society’s Director of Government Relations, who serve on the Society’s National Public Policy and Advocacy Committee. Kate and Chris discuss the important role that public policy plays within the Society, and resources that members can use as guides to advocate for themselves, for their profession and for their patients. They also discuss the diligent process of how the Committee works to identify important issues, create action plans and aim to get bills passed.
For more information on the Society’s public policy and advocacy efforts, and to contact your legislator regarding current issues, please visit wocn.org/publicpolicy.
On this special episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Joanna Burgess, BSN, RN, CWOCN. Joanna is a full scope practicing Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) nurse working for WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Cary, North Carolina where she facilitated the opening of their first outpatient ostomy clinic. Joanna‘s contributions to WOC nursing include serving three years on the WOCN Society’s Ostomy Committee where she helped in developing the "Pediatric Ostomy Complications: Best Practice for Clinicians". Her passion for ostomy care stems from her 51-year journey of living with an ostomy since the age of three. Joanna was the 2011 National Great Comebacks® recipient and has shared her story on a state and national level. She was named the 2016 WOC Nurse of the Year for the southeast region of the United States, and is honored to serve on the board for United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA). Joanna has also been appointed as the Chairperson for UOAA’s Advocacy Committee. During this episode, we speak to Joanna about her healthcare journey, her career as a WOC nurse, her involvement with the UOAA and Ostomy Awareness Day, which is celebrated this year on Saturday, October 5th. For more information about Ostomy Awareness Day, visit ostomy.org/ostomy-awareness-day.
United Ostomy Associations of America, Inc. (UOAA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports, empowers, and advocates for people who have had or who will have ostomy or continent diversion surgery. For more information, visit ostomy.org.
On this episode on WOCTalk we sit down with Janet Ramundo, MSN, RN, CWOCN, CFCN to talk about the Wound Treatment Associate (WTA®) Program. Janet has been a practicing CWOCN since 1991, in both home health and long-term care settings, and an educator at Emory University’s WOCNEP since 1996. As an active WTA Program Course Coordinator, Janet has graduated over 100 students through the program. She currently serves as the Wound Treatment Associate Advisory Committee Chair for the WOCN® Society.
The WTA Program is a continuing education program created by the WOCN Society to further empower wound, ostomy and continence (WOC) specialty nurses, and improve patient outcomes by strengthening the wound care team. As the premier program offering basic wound care education, the WOCN Society strives to ensure that all program materials remain accurate, relevant, and current. Listen in to learn more about the program, how to bring the program to your institution and the exciting changes that are rolling out as of October 1, 2019--including additional clinical skill competencies and an increase in nursing continuing education contact hours and continuing competency units for physical therapists.
To learn more about the WTA Program, visit wocn.org/wtaprogram.
To learn about how to bring the WTA Program to your facility, visit wocn.org/GettingStartedWTA.
Despite recent advances in multiple areas of continence management including pharmacotherapy, surgery, physiotherapy, and neuromodulation, evidence suggests that use of incontinence products remains the most prevalent strategy among adults with urinary or fecal incontinence. To address this gap, the WOCN Society developed an evidence- and consensus-based algorithm for selection, use, and evaluation of body worn absorbent products for the management of individuals with urinary and/or fecal incontinence—The Body Worn Absorbent Product Guide. This new clinical tool is a blend of evidence-based decision making with best practice modes designed to help to fill the gap in resources available for first-line and WOC specialty practice nurses guiding optimal use of BWAPs. In this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Mikel Gray, PhD, RN, PNP, FNP, CUNP, CCCN, FAANP, FAAN to discuss BWAPs, the WOCN Society’s Consensus Conference on BWAPs and the Society’s newest decision-making tool, the Body Worn Absorbent Product Guide.
To learn more about the development of this new tool, we invite you to read the article, “Assessment, Selection, Use, and Evaluation of Body Worn Absorbent Products for Adults With Incontinence: A WOCN Society Consensus Conference”, published in the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN): May/June 2018 - Volume 45 - Issue 3 - p 243–264.
To start implementing this tool into your daily practice, visit bwap.wocn.org
The Body Worn Absorbent Product Guide was funded through an educational grant from Domtar.
On this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Mary Willis, MS, RN, CWOCN and Diane Bryant, MS, RN, CWOCN of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA to discuss their recent poster at WOCNext 2019. The poster, titled “Collecting Data to Advocate for Additional WOC Resources: YOU CAN DO IT!” outlined how data they collected drove the decision to hire an additional WOC nurse to handle the workload in their urban, academic medical center. Listen in to learn more about Mary and Diane’s clinical backgrounds, their association with the WOCN Society and how they developed a compelling needs assessment document and proposal to acquire additional WOC nurse resources.
The abstract for Mary and Diane’s co-authored poster, “Collecting Data to Advocate for Additional WOC Resources: YOU CAN DO IT!”, can be found by clicking here.
Need help demonstrating your value as a WOC nurse? The Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 2nd Edition provides a valuable resource for WOC nurses to promote excellence in professional and specialty practice, quality care, improved patient outcomes; and it can be used to articulate the importance and value of WOC nurses to administrators, legislators, payers, patients, and others. The updated document, available for purchase in the WOCN Society’s Bookstore, provides an overview of the scope of WOC nursing practice including the following: description, definition, history and evolution of WOC nursing; characteristics of WOC nursing practice; description of the tri-specialty; WOC nurse roles, populations served, and practice settings; care coordination and collaboration by WOC nurses; education preparation and levels of WOC nurse providers; certification for WOC nursing; mandate for continuous professional development; ethics in WOC nursing; current issues and trends that influence WOC nursing; future considerations and challenges for WOC nursing; and standards of WOC nursing practice and professional performance with competencies for each standard.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Rhonda Sullivan, DNP, PhD, MSN, MBA, CWON, LNCC, NE-BC. Dr. Sullivan has 26 years of experience, 19 of which have been dedicated to the wound and ostomy specialties. Rhonda is a Board-Certified Nurse Executive, Wound and Ostomy Nurse and Legal Nurse. She currently serves as a Quality and Safety Clinical Specialist where she serves as clinical support to healthcare facilities seeking to improve patient outcomes. She is a published author, researcher, medical legal expert and international speaker on pressure injury and deep tissue injury prevention. Her recent high scoring abstract at the WOCN Society’s educational event, WOCNext, earned her the Top Scoring First Time Poster Presenter Award in Preventative Practices for Wounds. This poster evaluates the Norton Pressure Sore Risk Assessment Scale (Norton Scale) for use in the critical care setting. Listen in to learn more about Rhonda’s poster and her tips for submitting a successful abstract.
The abstract for Rhonda’s co-authored poster, “New Critical Care Specific Pressure Injury Risk Assessment Tool Demonstrates Excellent Validity and Reliability in a Simulated Patient Environment”, can be found by clicking here.
The co-authors of this poster were Rhonda Sullivan, DNP, PhD, MSN, MBA, RN, CWON, LNCC; Elizabeth Barnby, DNP, ACNP-BC, FNP-BC, CRNP; and Shannon Graham, DNP, RN, NE-BC.
Many thanks to Stryker for supporting the Top Scoring First Time Poster Presenter Award in Preventative Practice for Wounds.
During this special bonus WOCTalk episode, we sit down with Donna Sellers, BSN, RN, CWON and Jill Hammond, BSN, RN, CWOCN of Convatec to speak about the content from the recent supported webinar, Convex Product Choices to Improve Patient Care. This session discussed the what and when of choosing convex product choices to improve patient care along with the potential risks and contraindications for using convexity. Listen in to learn more and on this topic and additional knowledge not covered during the original webinar recording.
This podcast and the webinar were supported by Convatec. The WOCN Society does not endorse specific products or services. For a list of WOC patient products and services, please click here.
To view a free recording of the webinar Convex Product Choices to Improve Patient Care, visit the webcasts section of the WOCN Society’s Continuing Education Center at wocn.org/cec.
Additional Resources From this Episode:
Use of Convexity in Pouching: A Comprehensive Review
Hoeflok, Jo; Kittscha, Julia; Purnell, Paris
Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing: September/October 2013 - Volume 40 - Issue 5 - p 506–512
In this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Stephanie Yates, MSN, RN, ANP-BC, CWOCN. Stephanie works as a Nurse Practitioner and Team Leader at the Duke Cancer Center in North Carolina. Most recently, at the conclusion of the WOCNext 2019 event this past June, Stephanie was sworn in as the newest President of the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society. Listen in to learn more about the personal and professional life of the 22nd President of the WOCN Society, what she is looking forward to as the newest President of the WOCN Society and her tips for new WOC nurses and those looking for volunteer opportunities on a national level.
Founded in 1968, the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN) is a professional, international nursing society of more than 5,000 health care professionals who are experts in the care of patients with wound, ostomy and incontinence. To learn more about the history of the organization, click here.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Carole Bauer, MSN, RN, ANP-BC, OCN, CWOCN. Carole is currently employed as a wound and ostomy nurse practitioner at Beaumont Hospital in Troy, Michigan, and has been a certified WOC nurse since 1997.
As an active member of the Society, she is passionate about the development and empowerment of WOC nurses and the WOCN Society; this has motivated her to seek various roles within the Society, including Member at Large (Board of Directors), a member of the Ostomy Committee, member of the Scope and Standards Task Force and Chair of the WOCN Society Scholarship Committee. In this episode, we speak to Carole about her career, her role as the Chair of the WOCN Society Scholarship Committee, and the WOCN Foundation Scholarship Program for WOC nurses.
Because of the awareness of the growing need for wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nurses throughout the world and a strong belief in the continued growth and success of WOC nursing, the WOCN Society has established a program to award educational scholarships. The partial scholarships are made possible through contributions from individual members, wound, ostomy, and continence product manufacturers, private and public donations, endowments, and regions and affiliates, which comprise the WOCN Society.
The WOCN Society Scholarship Committee is a standing committee of the WOCN Society. The scholarship program is operated under the auspices of the WOCN Society Foundation, which raises, maintains, and disseminates monies and is accountable for the funding of awards.
Scholarships are awarded to deserving individuals who are committed to working in the specialty practice of wound, ostomy, or continence nursing. Applicants agree to support the WOCN Society's mission and the scope of practice for WOC nursing. Click here to view our past recipients. Click here for additional information.
On this week’s episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Kimberly LeBlanc, PhD, RN, NSWOC, WOCC(C), IIWCC, to learn about her expertise and her experience leading up to her co-authored manuscript in the March/April issue of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing titled, Peristomal Medical Adhesive-Related Skin Injury, Results of an International Consensus Meeting. This is an open access article and can be found, by clicking here.
Other co-authors for this manuscript include:
Ian Whiteley, MNurs, NP, STN, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Laurie McNichol, MSN, RN, CNS, GNP, CWOCN, CWON-AP, FAAN, Cone Health, Greensboro, North Carolina.
Ginger Salvadalena, PhD, RN, Clinical Affairs, Hollister Incorporated, Libertyville, Illinois.
Mikel Gray, PhD, RN, FNP, PNP, CUNP, CCCN, FAANP, FAAN, School of Medicine (Department of Urology) and School of Nursing (Department of Acute and Specialty Practice), University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
Kimberly LeBlanc is the Academic Chair of the Wound Ostomy Continence Institute and a certified Wound Ostomy and Continence (WOCC(C)) Nurse working with KDS Professional Consulting. She is an Adjunct Professor with the University of Western Ontario Masters in Wound Care Program and a visiting lecturer at the McGill University School of Nursing and University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine.
Kimberly is the immediate past president of the International Skin Tear Advisory Panel, an international expert reviewer for the Joanna Briggs Institute in Australia and a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Advances in Skin and Wound Care. She has lectured nationally and internationally and is considered an expert on ostomy, continence and wound related issues in the aging population. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and four
book chapters. Her current area of research interest is skin health in the frail elderly.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Brooke Passy. Brooke is a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) and the WOCN® Society’s Meeting Manager. During this episode she reviews the ins-and-outs of the WOCN Society’s newly re-branded education event, WOCNext.
WOCNext 2019 will take place in Nashville from June 23-26, 2019. For additional information visit wocnext.org.
If you are a registered attendee, and interested in learning more about ePosters, session handouts or the MyWOCN app, please click use links below.
Eposters
This year, our Poster Hall will be made up of 50% ePosters! Good news, you can now view the ePosters that will be presented in Nashville online before you arrive and after the event has finished.
Click here to view the WOCNext 2019 ePosters. They will be available to view online through July 12, 2019.
Handouts
WOCNext 2019 sessions handouts are now available to view, download and/or print. There are two ways to access this year’s handouts.
To access handouts online: Log in to MyWOCN, your personal briefcase of event planning tools, using your badge number and click “handouts”.
To access handouts from your mobile device: Open the MyWOCN app, click "Handouts" on the main menu, log in with your Email Address and Badge Number, select the handout(s) for the session(s) you are interested in.
MyWOCN App
Navigate WOCNext 2019 like a pro with the MyWOCN app. With the app you are able to: view the event schedule and build your personalized itinerary, message exhibitors and schedule one-on-one appointments with them, view speaker information, view the interactive exhibit hall floor plan, view wound, ostomy and continence (WOC) products, access session handouts and more!
Turn on/allow notifications within the app to get real-time updates during the event.
On this week’s episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Kathleen Lawrence, MSN, RN, CWOCN and Vicky Pontieri-Lewis, MS, RN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN, to discuss an article that was in the March/April issue of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN) titled, “The CAUTI Prevention Tool Kit, A Professional Practice and Collaborative Project of the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society”.
This article discussed a collaborative project that the WOCN Society participated in, along with many other organizations, to discuss CAUTI prevention. Kate and Vicky joined us to speak about their role on this project and the article that was co-written as a result of the collaboration.
The co-authors of the article were:
- Kathleen G. Lawrence, MSN, RN, CWOCN, VNA and Hospice of the Southwest Region, Rutland, Vermont.
- Donna Z. Bliss, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, University of Minnesota School of Nursing, Minneapolis.
- Maureen Dailey, PhD, RN, CWOCN, FAAN, Daileysolution, New York, New York.
- Chenel Trevellini, MSN, RN, CWOCN, Patient Safety Solutions, LLC, Bayside, New York.
- Vicky Pontieri-Lewis, MS, RN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
To view the article in the March/April issue of JWOCN, click here.
To view and use the CAUTI Prevention Tool, visit wocn.org/clinicaltools and click on the link for the ANA CAUTI Prevention Tool.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Bridget Taylor, PhD, MSc, BA(Hons), RN, to to get a sneak peek of what to expect during her upcoming session at WOCNext 2019 titled, “Addressing Sex and Intimacy: The Ex-PLISSIT Model in Practice”. Bridget Taylor is a Senior Specialist Nurse in the community palliative care team at Sir Michael Sobell House hospice in Oxford (UK). In addition to her clinical work, Bridget has been a senior lecturer at Oxford Brookes University for over 20 years, teaching a variety of courses on sexuality, end of life care and research methods. Her doctoral research explored the experiences of sexuality and intimacy for patients and partners of patients living with a life-limiting illness. Bridget has published extensively and her co-authored Extended PLISSIT model for addressing sexual well-being has been widely adopted.
For additional information regarding Bridget’s presentation at WOCNext 2019, click here.
WOCNext 2019 will take place in Nashville from June 23-26, 2019. For additional information visit wocnext.org.
During this special bonus WOCTalk episode, we sit down with Joyce M. Black, PhD, RN, CWCN, FAAN, Professor, College of Nursing, University of Nebraska Medical Center. During this episode, Dr. Black speaks about the content from her webinar presentation, Progressive Mobility and Pressure Injury: What’s The Link?
Progressive mobility is the graded application of positioning and mobility techniques to return patients to prior levels of function. With critical or prolonged illness, recovery of function is slow and increases the duration of risk for pressure injury. This webinar addressed pressure injury prevention, at all levels of progressive mobility, and the ergonomic issues for nurses with these patients.
This podcast episode and the webinar were supported by an educational grant from Stryker.
To view a free recording of the webinar Progressive Mobility and Pressure Injury: What’s The Link? visit the webcasts section of the WOCN Society’s Continuing Education Center at wocn.org/cec
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Tara Beuscher, DNP, RN-BC, GCNS-BC, ANP-BC, CWOCN, CFCN, NEA-BC. Dr. Beuscher has been providing foot and nail care for over 25 years. Beginning foot care practice in Senior Centers and Skilled Nursing Facilities, she developed the Foot and Nail Course for Nurses in 1996, which has been the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire’s highest-ranking continuing education course since its inception. Dr. Beuscher was on the initial Foot and Nail Care Nurse Exam test development committee with the Wound, Ostomy Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB®). She currently works in the podiatry department for Doctors Making House Calls, a home-based multispecialty practice providing care in homes, independent and assisted living facilities though out North Carolina. She is a very active volunteer leader of the WOCN® Society, functioning as the Lead Nurse Planner for the Society and the Foot Care section editor, a new addition to the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN).
In this episode, we explore Dr. Beuscher’s career, what lead to her passion for foot care, her involvement and success with the Wound Treatment Associate (WTA®) Program and the exciting enhancement to JWOCN that she is spearheading, the Foot and Nail section, available in the May/June issue.
To view, or subscribe to JWOCN, visit jwocnonline.com.
If you are interested in submitting a manuscript for publication in JWOCN, click here.
For information regarding the Wound Treatment Associate (WTA®) Program, visit wocn.org/wtaprogram.
In this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Christine Berke, MSN, APRN-NP, CWOCN-AP, AGPCNP-BC and Secretary of the WOCN® Society. Chris also recently served as the WOCN Society’s Role of the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurse in Continence Care Task Force Chair and was part of a group of Society volunteers and experts tasked with revising the Role of the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurse in Continence Care document. This updated document replaces the 2009 version of the Role of the Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nurse or Continence Care Nurse in Continence Care. The document was revised by the Task Force between March 2017 ─ October 2018. During the discussion, Chris reveals the purpose of this document, the contributing factors that led to recent updates and tips and suggestions for nurses looking to certify or re-certify in continence.
The Role of the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurse in Continence Care is a digital resource available in PDF format for download in the WOCN Society’s Document Library. To view the document library, please visit: wocn.org/library. For direct access to the document, click here.
If you are interested in certifying or re-certifying in continence, you can access resources available through the WOCN Society, the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN), and the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB). Additional information can be found here.
If you are interested in purchasing the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society Core Curriculum book in Ostomy Management please visit the Society's bookstore at wocn.org/bookstore.
During this special bonus WOCTalk episode, we sit down with Kathleen Lawrence, MSN, RN, CWOCN, Scope and Standards Task Force Chair to speak about the Scope and Standards of Practice, 2nd Edition and the content from the special WOC Nurse Week 2019 rebroadcast, Guiding Your Professional Future with the Scope and Standards for the WOC Nurse: Practical Application of the 2nd Edition of the Scope and Standards.
This session focused on care coordination and collaboration by WOC nurses; ethics in WOC nursing, current issues and trends that influence WOC nursing; future considerations and challenges for WOC nursing; and standards of WOC nursing practice and professional performance based on the American Nurses Association Standards of Nursing Practice.
This session was originally presented by members of the WOC Scope and Standards Task Force during the WOCN Society’s 50th Annual Conference. These WOC nurse experts intrigued attendees with vignettes and practical application hints on how to enhance your professional practice by embracing the scope and fulfilling the standards.
This podcast, the webinar and WOC Nurse Week 2019 were commercially supported by a restricted educational grant from Smith & Nephew.
Interested in purchasing the latest edition of WOC Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice, 2nd Edition? It is available for purchase in the WOCN Society’s Bookstore at wocn.org/bookstore. We have a special discount running through the end of WOC Nurse Week (April 20) for $5 off your purchase. If interested, use the code NURSEWEEK5 at checkout.
To view a free recording of the rebroadcast of Guiding Your Professional Future with the Scope and Standards for the WOC Nurse: Practical Application of the 2nd Edition of the Scope and Standards, visit the webcasts section of the WOCN Society’s Continuing Education Center at wocn.org/cec.
Over 100,000 ostomy surgeries are performed in the United States each year, and this number continues to grow. Research has shown that 70% of patients experience postoperative complications, resulting in increased length of stay and higher readmission rates. Ostomates face multiple challenges post-surgery related to leakage, prolapse, herniation, retractions, and necrosis, which can lead to an emergency department (ED) visit. In this episode of WOCTalk, we speak with Cathy Wittenauer, BSN, RN, CWOCN regarding her co-authored poster, “Pouching Made Easy: Creating an Essential Ostomy Tote for Emergency Room Nurses”. During our discussion, Cathy walks through a collaboration established to bridge the gap in providing competent postoperative ostomy care and additional knowledge to ED nurses to create positive experiences for ostomates during emergency department visits.
To view a description of the poster, “Pouching Made Easy: Creating an Essential Ostomy Tote for Emergency Room Nurses”, click here.
The authors of this poster were Karaleigh Crouse, BSN, RN, CWOCN and Cathy Wittenauer, BSN, RN, CWOCN.
On this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Deana Ivey, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer for the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. to talk about everything Nashville to help us prepare for WOCNext 2019, June 23-26 at the Music City Center. WOCNext is an event for WOC nurses and other healthcare professionals dedicated to providing expert care to patients with wound, ostomy, and incontinence needs. With nearly 60 speakers and over 50 sessions to choose from this year, attendees will leave WOCNext with diverse knowledge and insights into how to best identify, care for, and overcome some of the most challenging issues facing their patient populations.
Listen in to learn more about the sights, sounds, attractions and food to look forward to in Music City while attending WOCNext 2019!
For additional information about WOCNext 2019, visit wocnext.org.
If you’re interested in learning more about what Nashville has to offer, click here.
Using a Collaborative Team to Reduce Pressure Injuries Originating in the Perioperative Division
In this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Laura Phearman, BSN, RN, CPNP, and co-author of a merit award winning poster in the Practice Innovation category at the WOCN Society 50th Annual Conference titled, “Using a Collaborative Team to Reduce Pressure Injuries Originating in the Perioperative Division (POD)”. During our discussion, Laura speaks to us about the formation of an interprofessional operating room hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI) prevention workgroup. Since its inception in 2014, this group of individuals worked to review the literature and identify evidence-based strategies to implement in the Perioperative Division (POD) to reduce HAPIs.
To view a description of the poster, “Using a Collaborative Team to Reduce Pressure Injuries Originating in the Perioperative Division (POD)”, click here.
Authors of the poster include:
Linda Abbott, DNP, RN, CWON, AOCN; Patricia Pezzella, BSN, RN, CWON; Julia Langin, BSN, RN, CWON, CMSRN; and Laura Phearman, BSN, RN, CPNP.
On this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Dr. Mikel Gray, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN) to speak about his background and career and highlight his experiences serving on the Editorial Board of the Journal. During this episode, Dr. Gray speaks about the global impact of JWOCN, what is on the horizon for the Journal, the manuscript process, how to submit a manuscript and other best practices to get published.
The Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN) is the official publication and member benefit of the WOCN Society. This international journal provides continuing education for the entire scope of the WOC nursing practice and is the authoritative resource devoted to the care and management of patients with wounds, ostomies and incontinence. Original, peer-reviewed articles in JWOCN examine practice and research topics in hospital, home, and long-term care settings.
Membership* to the WOCN Society includes a JWOCN subscription as well as full access to JWOCNonline.com with:
New and archived issues to help you keep current with best practices.
eAlert Services—email notifications of eTOCs, citations, collections, and more.
The opportunity to earn free online CE credits via CEConnection, the Journal’s CE portal.
*Excludes Allied member type
For additional information about JWOCN, visit JWOCNonline.com
Interested in getting published in JWOCN? Click here for information about how to prepare and submit your manuscript.
Mikel L. Gray, PhD, FNP, PNP, CUNP, CCCN, FAANP, FAAN
Mikel Gray is Professor and Nurse Practitioner with the Department of Urology (School of Medicine) and Department of Acute & Specialty Care (School of Nursing) at the University of Virginia in CharEditor-in-Chief is Editor-in Chief of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing and a Board Member of the Society’s Center for Clinical Investigation. He has authored/co-edited 3 books, and authored more than 50 chapters and 200 articles in peer reviewed journals. He has lectured both nationally and internationally on topics related to neurologic urology and urodynamic testing, urologic nursing, wound, ostomy and continence nursing, and evidence-based practice. A fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Dr. Gray is past president of both the Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates and the Certification Board for Urologic Nurses and Associates. He has received awards for contributions to Urologic and WOC nursing respectively and is a National Association for Continence Care Champion.
In this episode of WOCTalk we sit down with Heather Hedges, BSN, RN, CWOCN, and inaugural winner of the WOCN Society’s Future is Bright Award in 2018. This WOCN award recognizes a new WOC nurse within his/hers first five (5) years of practice who is tri-specialty certified and destined to make a significant contribution to WOC care as an educator, a researcher, or in clinical practice. The Future is Bright Award is intended to recognize a new WOC nurse who exemplifies the scope of WOC nursing practice as defined in “WOC Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice”, 2nd Edition.
Interested in learning more about the Future is Bright Award? Nominations are now being accepted for 2019. Click here for more information.
To purchase the WOC Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 2nd Edition, click here. Members save $5 off their purchase!
Interested in making a difference in the lives of nurses pursuing WOC education? Donate to Fund the Future today. Your tax-deductible gift will support educational funding for nurses who are beginning their journey into the WOC nursing specialty and is a meaningful way to show your love and appreciation for that special WOC nurse in your life. Learn more.
Stephanie Furtado, BScN, RN, ET MClScWH, SWO
Neonatal wound care often presents unique challenges. In this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Stephanie Furtado, BScN, RN, ET MClScWH, SWO, to discuss her unique approach to a micropreemie patient born at just 24 weeks. Stephanie outlined her approach within her merit award winning poster at the WOCN Society’s 50th Annual Conference in 2018.
To view a description of Stephanie’s poster, “A Unique Approach to Heal a Neonate’s Open Abdomen Using Gentian Violet/Methylene Blue Polyurethane Antimicrobial Foam”, click here.
An image of Stephanie in front of her poster can be found at wocn.org/podcast.
Participants:
Mary F. Mahoney, MSN, RN, CWON, CFCN
Barbara J. Rozenboom, BSN, RN, CWON
People who have a stoma often have many of the same questions and concerns. In this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with co-authors of the Basic Ostomy Skin Care: A Guide for Patients and Health Care Providers, a resource document that addresses answers to some of the most asked questions that people ask about the care of a stoma and the skin around the stoma. While the answers in this resource are meant for the person who has a stoma, there may also be helpful for the nurse as a teaching tool.
The Basic Ostomy Skin Care: A Guide for Patients and Health Care Providers can be viewed in the WOCN Document Library by clicking here.
WOC Nurses are often called upon to make recommendations to individuals or purchasing/procurement representatives regarding body worn absorbent products. While considered a containment strategy for incontinence, these products simultaneously impact skin integrity. The WOCN Society held a consensus conference to identify current clinical practice gaps and define standards of care for individuals using body worn absorbent products for the management of fecal and urinary incontinence. The goal of the consensus conference was to develop evidence and consensus based statements that result in the development of a manuscript and ultimately, an evidence-and-consensus-based decision support tool around this concept. In this episode of WOCTalk, we feature a discussion with four members of the consensus conference regarding their session at the WOCN Society’s 50th Annual Conference, “Setting the Standard for Body Worn Absorbent Products: Results of the WOCN Consensus Conference”.
To view the full conference session, “Setting the Standard for Body Worn Absorbent Products: Results of the WOCN Consensus Conference”, click here. Want to review more sessions from the WOCN® Society’s 50th Annual Conference? The full conference library is available for purchase. Choose from the entire package, or individual sessions here.
Speaker Bios
JoAnn Ermer-Seltun, MS, RN, ARNP, FNP-BC, CWOCN, CFCN - Nurse Practitioner, WEB WOC NEP; Mercy Medical Center Wound/Continence Clinic
JoAnn Ermer-Seltun is a certified Wound Ostomy Continence (WOC) Nurse and Family Nurse Practitioner at Mercy Medical Center Vascular Wound Center and Continence Clinic, Mason City, Iowa. She is Co-Director for the Metropolitan State University WEB WOC Nursing Education Program and an online instructor for incontinence since 2002. In addition, she is the past owner of Bladder Control Solutions, LLC that addressed continence issues in LTC (long term care).
JoAnn’s current focus is to improve the health and well-being of clients who suffer from chronic wounds, ostomy issues and urinary incontinence, with an emphasis on holistic incontinence care. She has developed educational programs, posters, journal articles and chapters on wound, ostomy, and urinary & fecal incontinence that are presented locally, as well as nationally.
Dr. Mikel Gray PhD, FNP, PNP, CUNP, CCCN, FAANP, FAAN - Professor, University of Virginia
Dr. Mikel Gray is a Professor with the Department of Urology, School of Medicine and Department of Acute and Specialty Care, School of Nursing at the University of Virginia. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN). He has published multiple books, chapters and articles in the field of neurological urology and urodynamic testing, wound, ostomy and continence nursing and urologic nursing. He has lectured on these topics nationally and across the globe.
Dr. Dea J. Kent DNP, RN, NP-C, CWOCN, QCP - Director, Community Health Network
Dr. Kent has practiced WOC Nursing for over 18 years. She currently serves as the Wound Section Editor for JWOCN, and has contributed to the WOC literature base, as well as authored chapters for several texts.
Laurie L. McNichol MSN, RN, CNS, GNP, CWOCN, CWON-AP, FAAN - Clincial Nurse Specialist/WOC Nurse, Cone Health
Laurie McNichol is a Clinical Nurse Specialist and Wound Ostomy and Continence Advanced Practice Nurse at Cone Health in Greensboro, North Carolina. Her 29 year career as a WOC Nurse has focused on the prevention and treatment of pressure injuries, the care of the ostomy patient with a focus on the prevention of peristomal skin complications, the identification and management of incontinence associated dermatitis, and most recently, the identification, prevention and treatment of medical adhesive related skin injuries. She co-edited a core curriculum textbook on wound care, and has authored a number of book chapters and journal articles on a variety of skin, wound and ostomy related topics. She has served as an invited speaker at nursing conferences in Brazil, Australia, South Korea, the UK and China as well as numerous venues throughout the United States.
An experienced nurse and nurse leader, McNichol served as the President of the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB), President of the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses SocietyTM (WOCN®) and President of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP). She continues to be active in these groups leading special projects. She has worked clinically in both the acute and home care settings. Laurie is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.
She received her BSN from D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York and her MSN with a focus in gerontological nursing and post master’s certificate as a geriatric nurse practitioner from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Do you struggle with not having enough WOC nurses to meet the patient needs in your facility or practice area? The Wound Treatment Associate (WTA) and Ostomy Care Associate (OCA) programs can be a game changer. By training your front level clinicians in the basics of evidence-based wound and ostomy care, the reach of the WOC nursing staff can be extended. WTA and OCA trained clinicians can be your eyes on the ground to help identify issues when they first appear and provide early evidence-based interventions as well as give accurate first-hand information to the rest of the WOC nurse team and providers. During this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with WTA and OCA Course Coordinators to showcase approaches to integrating the WTA and OCA programs into your practice.
Interested in learning more about the WTA and OCA Programs?
For information about WTA, visit: wocn.org/wtaprogram
For information about OCA, visit: wocn.org/ocaprogram
View the full conference session, “Partnering for the Future—Increasing Access to Care (OCA and WTA Integration)”
Want to review more sessions from the Society’s 50th Annual Conference? The full conference library is available for purchase. Choose from the entire package, or individual sessions here.
Speaker Bios
Gisele Castonguay APRN, CWOCN - Nurse Practitioner, Central Maine Medical Center
Gisele Castonguay has offered the WTA program through her institution to both hospital and surrounding regional facilities since 2015. The program is offered twice yearly in a classroom style setting, meeting once weekly for 6 weeks. The goal of the initial program was to provide further education to the inpatient nursing staff and to help develop wound warriors on each nursing unit. Since the implementation of the WTA Program, over 100 individuals that include nurses, NP’s, PA’s and PT’s have successfully completed the program. The program has impacted her institution’s pressure injury rates in a positive way as well as enhanced their ability to provide timely wound care to their inpatient population. It has also provided a much needed community resource for affordable wound education in the region with inadequate WOCN access. The Ostomy Care Associate program was a piloted study in her institution, allowing 17 nurses from across the region, with varied clinical practices, to test the program prior to the official launch. This also provided an opportunity to provide basic didactic and hands-on ostomy education to nurses in a rural setting who have limited access to an experienced WOC nurse.
Sara Coverstone RN, MA - Director, Home Care Compliance and Risk Management, OSF HealthCare
Sara has worked for OSF HealthCare in their Home Care Services department for twelve years, serving as a Certified Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nurse (CWOCN) for eight. She has served in the clinical practice department providing oversight to the wound care team, wound protocols and processes, wound education, and the medical supply program. She has also facilitated wound training extending to the community through the WOCN Society’ Wound Treatment Associate (WTA program). She now serves as the Director of Compliance and Risk Management.
Proper medical documentation plays a crucial role in the everyday lives of medical professionals. Errors and omissions, whether accidental or calculated, can lead to issues in care delivery and defense litigation--even when the care itself was properly rendered. In this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with two partners from the medical malpractice defense group at White and Williams LLP: Debra Weinrich and Edward Beitz, to discuss being a witness, EMR documentation, legal issues and how medical professionals can protect themselves against medical malpractice.
Interested in learning more about this topic? View Debra and Edwards full conference session, “Protecting Your Present and Future: Legal Issues, Being a Witness, EMR Documentation” here:
https://wocn.digitellinc.com/wocn/sessions/3895/view
Want to review more sessions from the WOCN Society’s 50th Annual Conference? The full conference library is available for purchase. Choose from the entire package, or individual sessions:
https://wocn.digitellinc.com/wocn/conferences/97/view.
Other sessions about legal issues and/or EMRs in the WOCN Society’s Continuing Education Center (CEC) include:
Protecting the Roots: Litigation Free EMR
On the Witness Stand
Speaker Bios
Edward Beitz, Esquire - Partner, White and Williams LLP
Edward Beitz is a partner in the medical malpractice defense group at White and Williams LLP. In his ten-year tenure with the firm, he has defended numerous malpractice cases to verdict. His responsibilities include trying case, preparing witnesses for deposition, retaining and preparing experts, developing medical exhibits to explain complex issues to juries. He has also handled a number of medical liability arbitrations and mediations. His experience has made him adept at guiding physicians and nurses through the difficulties of medical malpractice litigation, and helping them explain difficult concepts like anatomy, physiology and related standards of medical care to lay people.
Debra Weinrich, RN, Esquire - Partner, White and Williams LLP
Debra Weinrich is a partner in the medical malpractice defense group at White and Williams LLP. She has been with the firm for nearly 15 years. In that time, she has defended numerous malpractice cases to verdict. Her responsibilities include trying cases, preparing witnesses for deposition, retaining and preparing experts, developing medical exhibits to explain complex issues to juries. Her first career as a nurse has given her the unique ability to identify medical documentation problems and help providers, especially nurses, put them in context to avoid traps set by opposing counsel.
Managing the high output stoma is a challenge for the patient, the family and the nurse. If the stoma is poorly managed, it can lead to local and systemic complications. In this episode of WOCTalk, Dr. Mary Arnold Long reviews the causes and consequences of a high output stomas, as demonstrated in her past educational session, “Slowing the Flow: Dietary, Fluid & Medication Management of the Patient with a High Output Stoma”.
To view the full conference session, click here. Want to review more sessions from past WOCN® Society annual conferences? The full conference libraries are available for purchase. Choose from the entire package, or individual sessions here.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Mary Arnold Long DNP, CRRN, CWOCN-AP, ACNS-BC
Clinical Nurse Specialist, Roper Hospital
Mary Arnold Long obtained an Enterostomal Therapy certificate from Abbott-Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, MN. She achieved CETN (now CWOCN) certification in 1994 & advanced practice CWOCN certification in 2009. She is also board certified as a certified rehabilitation registered nurse (CRRN) & as an adult health clinical nurse specialist (ACNS-BC). In 2016 she was awarded her doctorate in nursing from Otterbein University.
Mary has served the Regional and National Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses SocietyTM (WOCN®) in many roles. In 2005, she was awarded the College of Mount St. Joseph Alumni Leadership Award. In 2008, she received the MidEast Region WOCN “CWOCN Nurse of the Year” award. In 2015, she was honored with a “Palmetto Gold” award, recognizing her as one of the 100 best nurses in South Carolina. In 2017, she was recognized as an Oak Hills High School Distinguished Alumnus. She practices full scope WOC Nursing inpatient and has an ostomy outpatient practice, at Roper Hospital in Charleston, SC.
With a robust pressure injury prevention program in place, the University of California Davis Medical Center, a 620 bed level 1 trauma center, was still reporting numerous pressure injuries. During this episode of WOCTalk, Dr. Sunniva Zaratkiewicz sits down with Dr. Holly Kirkland-Kyhn and Oleg Teleten of UC Davis to discuss data they collected, analyzed and reported on at the WOCN Society’s most recent annual conference in Philadelphia. “Deep Tissue Injury: The Future is in Your Hands”, covers the trends and personal findings of UC Davis Medical Center over a series of 5 years, an initiative that was developed in order to find the patient related risk factors in the development of deep tissue injuries in the ICU and how these risk factors compare to the average ICU patient within their facility.
Interested in learning more about this topic? View Holly and Oleg’s full conference session, “Deep Tissue Injury: The Future is in Your Hands”. Want to review more sessions from the WOCN® Society’s 50th Annual Conference? The full conference library is available for purchase. Choose from the entire package, or individual sessions here.
For a list of WOCN Society recorded continuing education sessions on the topic of pressure injuries, click here.
Speaker Bios
Holly Kirkland-Kyhn PhD, FNP, GNP, CWCN
Director of Wound Care
University of California Davis Medical Center
Dr. Holly Kirkland-Kyhn has worked as a Nurse Practitioner for over 20 years in the Sacramento community. Although trained in the US as an RN, she spent her early career working as a nurse and midwife in England and Ireland. She has travelled to Africa, Haiti, and Belize to work in disaster relief and promoting safe maternal-child care in rural areas. She now works at UC Davis Medical Center as the Director of Wound Care and has led interdisciplinary team initiatives throughout the hospital to improve the safety and quality of care for patients. She is an active member of the “Street Medicine” program at UCDMC, providing education on “Treating wounds from the Dollar Tree” to those who serve individuals who are experiencing homelessness and educating the community on wound care.
Oleg Teleten MS, RN, CWCN
Research/Data Management
University of California Davis Medical Center
Oleg Teleten has worked as a Registered Nurse for 14 years and spent most of his nursing career at UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento. Recently Oleg graduated from UC Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing with an MS in healthcare leadership and nursing science. He is currently a member of UC Davis Wound Care Interdisciplinary Team and is responsible for QI, research projects and IT support. With his colleague, Dr. Kirkland-Kyhn, he has recently finished a number of pressure injury research studies on pressure injuries in an acute care setting.
The incidence of peristomal skin complications (PSCs) is reported to be as high as 77%, and the negative impact of PSCs on patient quality of life is well documented. In addition, studies show that the majority of patients fail to recognize PSCs, believing that skin issues are "normal", and only 20% seek treatment. This data emphasizes the need for consumer-based tools that educate individuals with ostomies about strategies for maintaining skin health and that assist the person with an ostomy to promptly identify PSCs. During this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Jo Hoeflok and Christine Kim to discuss their session at the WOCN Society’s 50th Annual Conference. “Development of a Patient Peristomal Skin Assessment Guide” was a symposia session that walked through the development, availability, and appropriate utilization of a consumer-based tool for recognition and management of peristomal skin complications—The Peristomal Skin Assessment Guide for Consumers.
View the full conference session, “Development of a Patient Peristomal Skin Assessment Guide”
The WOCN Society’s evidence-based clinical tools are perfect for the home environment to aid with transitions of care and to improve patient outcomes. The use of these free online tools increases staff competence by augmenting skill sets in support surface selection, lower extremity wound management and ostomy complications. For information on the Society’s evidence-based clinical tools, visit: wocn.org/clinicaltools
To demo the Society’s Peristomal Skin Assessment Guides, visit: psag.wocn.org.
Speaker Bios
Jo Hoeflok RN, BSN, MA, CETN(C), CGN(C)
Consultant in Enterostomal Therapy Nursing, Self-employed
Jo has been nursing for over 30 years, primarily in Gastroenterology and General Surgery settings. Jo received her BSN from University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, her WOCN Certificate from Emory University in Atlanta, a Masters of Arts from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and her Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Degree from the University of Toronto, in Toronto, Canada. Jo has participated on many national and international boards including the Global Panel on Convexity and the Peristomal Skin Working Group. Jo was a Reviewer for the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario Best Practices Recommendations for Ostomy Care. She received RNAO’s Award of Merit in 2014 for her commitment to professional development. She recently retired from her role as Nurse Practitioner for the Gastroenterology and General Surgery Program at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. She has relocated to Campbell River in BC, and is self-employed as a consultant in Enterostomal Therapy Nursing.
Christine Kim
Founder, OstomyConnection
Christine Kim has been living with an ileostomy for 24 years. She is the founder of
OstomyConnection.com, an online publication that shares stories of people living with an ostomy in the U.S. and around the world.
During this episode of WOCTalk, we sit down with Dr. Barbara Pieper of Wayne State University. Current Professor and Interim Associate Dean, Dr. Pieper also has a long history of providing chronic wound care to a person who injects drugs (PWID). She recently presented two sessions at the WOCN® Society’s Annual Conference, “Wounds Among Persons Who Inject Drugs” and “Opioid Crisis and the WOC Nurse Role”. Both sessions covered information related to drug-related wounds, opioid usage, and the WOC nurses’ role.
Interested in learning more about PWID or the opioid crisis and the WOC nurses’ role? View Dr. Pieper’s full conference sessions from the WOCN® Society’s 50th Annual Conference in Philadelphia:
“Wounds Among Persons Who Inject Drugs”
“Opioid Crisis and the WOC Nurse Role”
Want to review more sessions from the Society’s 50th Annual Conference? The full conference library is available for purchase. Choose from the entire package or individual sessions here.
For a list of WOCN Society recorded continuing education sessions on the topic of opioid usage, click here.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Barbara Pieper PhD, RN
Professor/Nurse Practitioner, Wayne State University
Barbara Pieper has provided chronic wound care, primarily to persons who inject drugs, since 1991. During this time, she has had to deal with pain and its management. She has included pain assessment on several of her studies and included pain assessment in her publications.