My Scope of Practice: Building Relationships Across the Care Continuum

Working with administrators, nurses, and physicians to ensure the best possible care for a patient is a rewarding but often challenging experience. Audrey Moyer-Harris, MBA, BSN, RN, CWCN says, “One barrier in health care is building lasting relationships across different settings. My job is to help patients make the transition between care settings as smooth as possible and to facilitate relationships among different health care professionals and providers across the continuum — to assist with questions or concerns related to the technology without interfering in the patients’ clinical management.” 

Early in Audrey’s health care career while she was employed as a Patient Care Technician (PCT) in an intensive care unit at BJC Health Care in St. Louis, MO from 1990-1993, her passion for nursing took root. “I was young when I had my first son, and he needed medical care,” she says. “During this difficult time, I was inspired by all the dedicated nurses and physicians who cared for my son and me.” At this time, Audrey decided to act on her desire to earn her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. “I needed to work full-time, so I found a program that allowed me to attend nursing school on the weekends and work full-time during the week,” she says. “Three-and-a-half years later, I completed my BSN from Maryville University in St. Louis, MO.” Audrey then went on to earn her certification as a wound care nurse (CWCN, 2001) and her Master’s of Business Administration in Health Care from the University of Phoenix in St. Louis, MO (2010). 

“As I continued to grow in my professional career, I found myself gravitating toward wound healing — how it is a unique, visible part of healing that goes much beyond the band aid,” Audrey says. The many positions she has held in the past 20+ years include registered nurse, wound treatment nurse, district sales manager, regional director of clinical operations, and national market awareness manager, to name a few. She appreciates all she has learned along the way in these positions. “It’s been a great journey of challenges and adventures that has included professional growth, opportunities, and even industry budgetary modifications, along with the relationships she has built with fellow health care professionals both domestic and abroad,” she says. “Yet, for me, it’s most important to stay true to my passion for people and my mission to make a difference in the lives of all patients.”

In her current role as Senior Clinical Director for Surgioscopy (St. Louis, MO) of Miroderm Medical Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN), Audrey works closely with physicians during the pre- and postop stages of care to identify and provide education on the application and appropriate use of advanced open collagen vascular extracellular wound matrix technologies and to follow patients through the continuum of wound healing from inpatient to the final stages of home care and/or outpatient wound clinic visits. She also creates educational programs with health care professionals to maintain care continuity through the various stages of healing. “My most important role is working closely with these patients throughout their continuum of wound healing,” she says. “There often is a disconnect from facility to facility due to the change of doctors, nurses, and products. My role allows me to get to know patients, help them understand this process, enhance feelings of security, and deal with issues such as insurance company approvals for specific tests, procedures, or technologies.” 

Even with her many responsibilities as Senior Clinical Director, Audrey has been involved in the clinical development process of Prevent Plus+, a new technology that creates a microbicidal protective barrier. She writes articles for Today’s Wound Clinic, focusing on limb preservation and wound healing, and spends time outdoors with her children, especially the four-legged ones, where she is unable to use a laptop or cell phone and can pause from work.

With 20 years of experience in wound care and limb preservation, Audrey’s insights into this continually evolving field enlighten others. “We cross paths with our colleagues near and far every day,” she says. “They are not only our peers, but also our mentors and families. I encourage everyone to remain open to new trends, technologies, and products and always remember there’s a person attached to the wound. It takes a comprehensive, patient-centered plan of care to heal these wounds.” Building relationships that last is Audrey Moyer-Harris’ evidence-based scope of practice. 

This article was not subject to the Ostomy Wound Management peer-review process.