My Scope of Practice: Teamwork in Wound Care

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. — Helen Keller

As Noreen Campbell, RN, BScN, MA, LT, CWS, (photo) can affirm, teamwork in the health care industry is a must. “In my years of nursing, I came to the realization that changing a dressing is not enough to improve wound healing,” she says. “Clinicians must understand how wounds heal, develop assessment skills, and match care to the needs of the patient.”

A graduate of the Royal Alexandra Hospital School of Nursing in 1966, Noreen has served as an administrator, educator, and clinical nurse. “My work experience has been diverse, ranging from critical care, burns-plastic surgery, operating room, and the Foot and Leg Ulcer Clinic (Vancouver Island Health Authority),” she says. It is with this experience that Noreen acknowledges the importance of having administrative, educational, and clinical experience in order to improve and develop efficient clinical programs.

Noreen furthered her education while balancing her work and home lives. She earned a BScN in Nursing from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta; an MA in Measurement from the University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia; and a Lymphedema Certificate from the Vodder School-International,  Victoria, British Columbia. She is also an American Board of Wound Management Certified Wound Specialist, and she has taken the International Interprofessional Wound Care Course at the University of Toronto.

Noreen owes her inspiration to Christine Moffatt, CBE, FRCN, an internationally recognized compression therapy and wound expert who has improved the care of chronic edema patients and shares research findings with top clinicians to improve the depth of other practitioners’ skill and knowledge. “I value her bridging top research with hands-on clinical practice,” says Noreen. “A signed textbook of hers is one of my prized possessions.”

While Noreen’s educational and motivational experiences have propelled her forward, the highlights of her career are starting a foot and leg ulcer clinic at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria and developing a web-based wound management course for the University of Victoria. “Both of these required critical review and validation of my clinical knowledge, development of technical and administrative skills, and using clinical networking to bring diverse professional knowledge application to clinical and educational challenges,” she says. “The clinic improved time to wound healing, reduced the number of major amputations, and provides the most appropriate diagnostic service. These outcomes were possible because of the collaboration between the clinic and primary care providers to share through consultation.” This teamwork involved multiprofessional engagement that included wound nurses, a physiatrist, an orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon, vascular surgeons, infection specialists, prothetists, and a pedorthist. It was based on patient needs and improved team members’ understanding and appreciation of one another’s expertise.

Similar teamwork was required in creating the web-based course. Noreen “worked with education specialists to develop a foundation theory level [course] to improve the wound management at the care provider/patient level.” To validate the course content, she wrote the American Board of Wound Management certification examination.

Although Noreen no longer provides clinical care, she remains an active member and volunteer when she isn’t training and showing her Prix St. George dressage horse. She advises future wound care workers, “Wound management is for those who like being a detective — there are new findings, clues, personal dramas, successes, and lessons from failures. You never know it all, and learning is exciting.” Teamwork, she found, is essential in being a detective and a wound care practitioner in this scope of practice.

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