From the Editor: Pedaling a Mission

  Ahhhh, Spring. Crocus. Robins. Bicycles — manned (or should that read woman-ed) by folks raising money for scholarships that can help increase the number of wound, ostomy, continence nurses (WOC Nurses).

  Recently, the American Nurses Association (ANA) recognized wound, ostomy and continence (WOC) nursing as a specialty nursing practice and approved the “WOC Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice.” According to Phyllis Bonham, PhD, MSN, RN, CWOCN, DPNAP, FAAN, President, WOCN Society, there are not enough qualified WOC Nurses to meet the growing needs of individuals with wound, ostomy, and continence disorders.   Nursing in general is taking a two-sided hit: baby boomers — a huge segment of the population — are aging and requiring more care. Diabetes and obesity, which have a huge impact on wound care, are increasingly prevalent. Chronic wounds take time to heal, not all ostomies are temporary, and continence problems are pervasive. At the same time, baby boomer-aged nurses are retiring, depleting the ranks of experienced, expert providers. To underscore the staffing crisis, there are approximately 6,000 hospitals and 10,000 home care agencies, in addition to numerous long-term care facilities and outpatient clinics, and approximately 4,800 members of the WOCN Society. Do the math.

  Dr. Bonham acknowledges the path to becoming a certified WOC Nurse is educationally and fiscally challenging. To be certified, nurses can attend a WOCN Society-accredited WOC Nursing education program (WOCNEP); there are nine in the US offering onsite or online education programs. Or, nurses can qualify for certification by the experiential pathway by providing evidence of post Bachelor’s experience that includes 50 contact hours (continuing education units [CEUs] or equivalent in college work) during the last 5 years within each specialty for which certification is sought; and 1,500 clinical experience hours during the last 5 years within each specialty for which certification is sought (375 of the hours within 1 year of the exam).

  The WOCN Society-accredited education programs provide extensive didactic and precepted clinical components. WOCNEPS may provide tri-specialty education (wound, ostomy, continence) or any of the specialties individually. Each of the specialty components requires approximately 4 weeks of study if completed onsite; distance or online courses might take longer. For admission to the accredited programs, an applicant must be an RN with a baccalaureate or higher degree with a major in nursing or an RN with a Bachelor’s degree in another field and have 1 year of clinical nursing experience following licensure and current clinical nursing experience within 5 years of application to the WOCN education program.

  After successful completion of a WOCN-accredited WOC nursing education program, the nurse is eligible to take the national certification examination offered by the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB). Nurses can be certified in one or more areas of the scope of practice (wound, ostomy, and/or continence). The majority of WOCN Society members become certified in all three areas (wound, ostomy and continence), although a growing number choose to be educated and/or certified in one or two specialty areas. As a side note, other related types of provider certification are available; WOCNEP education and certification by the WOCNCB is specific to nurse specialists.

  Acquiring specialty WOC Nurse education and certification is a costly venture in terms of both time and money — for example, one specialty program’s tuition is $4,300 plus the $100 application fee. Many program attendees pay their own way, often incurring not the only the cost of classes, but also the expense of re-locating in order to participate in sessions and clinical practicums, not to mention lost wages.

  Despite the demands on their time and wallets, these nurses persist, dedicated to improving the lives of persons with chronic wounds, ostomies, and incontinence issues. To alleviate some of the financial strain, for several years the Society has offered partial scholarships for nurses to attend accredited WOC Nursing education programs and to Society members to advance their education. Monetary awards are presented twice a year to applicants who demonstrate aptitude and a capability for success in the field, along with financial need.

  While WOCN Society membership has continued to increase over the years, in its 2009 strategic planning meeting, the Society recognized the need to increase the funding and promotion of its educational enterprise (the Society’s mission and goal since its inception in 1968 has been to educate). To meet its strategic goals, the WOCN Society Foundation, subsequently initiated “Cycling for Scholarships” to raise funds for its scholarship program. To date, three corporate sponsors have made generous contributions to support this effort: ConvaTec (Skillman, NJ), Hollister Incorporated (Libertyville, IL), and Smith & Nephew, Inc (Largo, FL). Society members and other supporters from across the country also are joining in to support this important effort.

  The “Cycling for Scholarships” program, a 3,100-mile cross-country bike tour held March 4 through April 29, 2011, hopes to raise $200,000 in scholarship revenue. Katherine Jeter, EdD, has made this cycling event a cause celebre. Dr. Jeter is a pioneer member of the Society, one of the first ETs (Enterostomal Therapists), and a recent devoted cyclist. The 72-year-old is cycling across the US and will participate in kick-off and closing programs and she is scheduling interviews before, during, and after the tour to spread the message about the important role WOC Nurses play in our healthcare system and the need to raise scholarship funds. If you are interested in more information about various aspects of this endeavor, we hope you will visit www.wocn.org to make a donation, download promotional materials regarding the event and the organization, volunteer/participate at one of the “Cycling for Scholarships” tour stops, or offer corporate support. You also can visit www.wocnfoundation.org to make a donation.

  As devotees of OWM, you may be wondering why we are touting a competitor’s efforts — the WOCN Society publishes the only other journal dedicated to wound, ostomy, and continence care. Although the need to add to the rank and file and to provide encouragement and support for continuing education is not unique to WOC nursing, these professionals often make an extensive, if not life-long, commitment to each patient to ensure health and quality of life. Toward that end, we encourage readers to spread the word about the value and rewards of becoming a WOC Nurse (perhaps even consider enhancing their own educational or certification status) and to knowledgeably espouse paths to fulfilling the educational requirements necessary to qualify for certification. We can think of no better harbinger of Spring than the sight of all those wheels of good fortune spinning to help nurses achieve their professional and personal goals, with the ultimate purpose to sustain the availability of specialty nurses to provide expert care to persons with wound, ostomy, or continence needs.

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

Clarification

In the article, Baker TL, Boyce J, Gairy P, Mighty G. Interprofessional management of a complex continuing care patient admitted with 18 pressure ulcers: a case report. Ostomy Wound Manage. 2011;57(2):38–47, the following changes were requested post-publication: The order of authorship should read: Tamara L. Baker, MScPT; Peggie Gairy, BHScN; Greta Mighty, BScN; and Jackie Boyce, RN. The publisher for references 16 and 21 is Mosby. Figure 2a,b was added.The article as it appears on the website is correct. The editors regret any inconvenience caused by these changes.