My Scope of Practice: AAWC Scholarships: Overcoming Challenges, Supporting Professional Goals

  About the time Mariama Hubbard, MSN, NP, RN, CNS (med-surg) left the horrors of Sierra Leone’s civil war, Karen Pitchford, RN, was facing her own frightful events. Both women were determined to overcome their particular set of circumstances and pursue their career goals – to become wound care nurses. The AAWC Scholarship Program is playing a role in the realization of their professional dreams.

  The AAWC Scholarship Program is available to members in good standing (ie, dues paid) of the AAWC. Scholarships are offered for research, education, and exchange program/travel. The amount of scholarships to be given in any year is determined by the AAWC Board of Directors after a careful review of available funds, the future needs and goals of the program, and the amount of worthy applications. The Scholarships are distributed to the most eligible candidates in each or all categories as deemed appropriate by the AAWC Scholarship Committee and approved by the AAWC Board of Directors.

  For Mariama, the scholarship money will allow her to attain a higher level of education. One of three Nurse Practitioners at the Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, NJ, Mariama has provided wound care for the 3 years the Center has been open. As an NP, she can see her own patients and prescribe, make recommendations, develop treatment plans, debride, and offer additional therapy. Initially focused on vascular issues, she now wants to earn WOCN certification to enhance her understanding of the disease processes that affect wound healing and share that knowledge with other staff, as well as patients. She hopes to use information and education to improve patient transition between facility and home care.

  “I am intrigued by wound care,” Mariama says. “My background dealing with circulatory compromise has allowed me to become really good at dealing with venous stasis ulcers. No one wants to lose his/her legs.”

  Karen has wanted to be a nurse “for as long as I can remember.” Moving to the US from England provided the opportunity to pursue that dream. She began working as a nursing assistant in a nursing home, earning her CNA and finding she loved wound care in the process. Despite a 2-year battle with cervical cancer and several subsequent surgeries and complications related to a urethral stricture, she earned her nursing degree. Now, she provides wound care in a vascular and general surgery practice in Sarasota, Fla.

  “I never thought about quitting school,” Karen says. “The time in ‘clinical’ was my favorite. I looked forward to changing dressings and it got to the point that my teachers and classmates exchanged rotations so I could shadow the wound care nurse. At graduation, I was voted the student most likely to succeed in my profession. I would like to add to my achievements by earning wound care specialist status.”

  Mariama is half-way through a 1-year, self-paced, home study WOCN program. Karen is taking courses online through the University of Phoenix to obtain her Bachelors of Science in Nursing on her way to becoming a wound care specialist. Their pursuits are subsidized in part by their AAWC Scholarships; their programs of choice reflect the variety of educational programs available. Both women also attend conferences to expand their educational opportunities, including the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (Mariama presented several posters in 2006 and 2007).

  Mariama’s wound care center sees approximately 5,000 visits per year – a number that promises to increase. “The new laws and regulations demand wound documentation,” she says. “As a result, wound care is becoming more recognized as a specialty and a part of overall treatment. Patients and providers need the information and care wound specialists can provide. Although getting patients to cooperate with treatment – especially without the support of family and community – can be challenging and the cost of supplies and insurance can be daunting, I love what I do. It is wonderful to hear a patient say ‘Thank you’ and to know I have helped another human being. Whatever else is happening medically, patients seem most concerned with their wounds.”

  “The scholarship from the AAWC and what it makes possible are more than appreciated,” Karen says. “I hope one day I will be in the position to have a say in a similar decision to help someone pursue their dreams and become a wound care nurse.” A testament to the AAWC’s dedication to wound care patients and providers, whatever their scope of practice.

My Scope of Practice is made possible through the support of ConvaTec, a Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ. This article was not subject to the Ostomy Wound Management peer-review process.