Pursuing the Dream One Certification at a Time

If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you.”- Les Brown

  A few years ago, if you asked Pamela Nordin, RN, WCC, if she had any interest in working in long-term care, she would have said, “Never!” As fate would have it, her original career path took some detours she never imagined possible, all guiding her to her current position as Director of Nursing, Lutheran Home and Rehabilitation Center, Jamestown, NY.

  After several years in nursing, the New York native decided to stop working and spend more time with her family. Pam remembers that summer as one of her best but when autumn arrived, she was refreshed and rejuvenated and ready to get back to work. The Lutheran Home seemed to fulfill her desire for a chance for professional advancement and growth; she came on board as a supervisor. Initially, she thought the position would be short-term — a stepping-stone for bigger and better opportunities elsewhere. That was 11 years ago. Since then, Pam has held the positions of Nurse Manager, Nursing Coordinator, and Assistant Director of Nursing within Lutheran’s facility. This experience prepared Pam for her current nursing roles on the front line of long-term care. For the past 4 years, Pam has served as Lutheran’s Director of Nursing and recently added Assistant Administrator of Clinical Services to her title.

  When asked how she is able to successfully wear both hats and oversee 214 residents with a 200+ person staff, Pam says, “I couldn’t do it without the fabulous team I work with. It really is a balancing act and it seems that a majority of my time is spent dealing with the administrative aspects of clinical care.” Her workload consists of system oversight, quality improvement, and Policy and Procedure review and development. Pam meets weekly with the Administrative Nurses to update them on departmental issues, which involves team decision-making regarding the facility’s clinical care. Pam also participates on staffing, reimbursement, budgeting/finance, and pharmacy committees.

  During Pam’s tenure as Assistant Director of Nursing more than 5 years ago, Lutheran received a deficiency for pressure ulcers. The wound care protocol required extreme revision — a plan of correction and updates were necessary. Pam explained, “Since I lacked extensive knowledge in wound care, I decided to educate myself by attending conferences. In the beginning, I chose sessions for the beginner and eventually worked up to more advanced wound care instruction. I spent a lot of time investigating wound care products and learning their proper use and modes of action.”

  In addition to Pam’s personal educational endeavors, the facility put a comprehensive policy and procedure in place and developed a treatment formulary for wound care. Pam showed initiative by developing an online system that not only tracks wound healing progress, but also allows other relevant disciplines to follow the wound from inception to healing. The data reveal the residents’ risk scores, initial wound documentation, and point of healing. With these changes in place, Lutheran’s wound care statistics improved dramatically. “The program still requires diligent monitoring and adjustments to policies and procedures to meet the needs of our ever-changing acuity and outcomes,” Pam says.

  As her knowledge increased and she had the opportunity to be involved in wound assessment and intervention, Pam felt the next logical step would be earning wound care certification. “My certification would give me more professional credibility, a benefit for the facility,” she explains. “We’ve come a long way. Getting physicians to [believe in] our program and utilize our formulary for treatment has been one of our biggest challenges, but most physicians now defer to policy for treatment choices, knowing we do a great job healing our wounds.”

  Pam earned her certification through the National Alliance of Wound Care (NAWC). The NAWC Certifying Committee governs the Wound Care Certification (WCC) credential and offers the WCC exam. A week-long training course, provided through the Wound Care Education Institute (WCEI), prepares certification candidates. Pam took the certification course in Niagara Falls, NY; the WCEI provides these courses throughout the country.

  Pam is grateful for Lutheran’s investment in her education. This additional certification demonstrates proficiency and mastery of wound care knowledge and skill above and beyond basic licensure. Wound care certified for 6 months, Pam now has a better understanding of the complexity of wound care development and treatment. “My role is to direct resident skin and wound care in our long-term care setting,” she says. “I am also an educator and a resource to improve outcomes related to skin issues. The most rewarding aspects have been the positive resident outcomes. We’ve had some very challenging patients lately and the staff has done a great job healing their wounds. The growth I have seen in their knowledge of wound care and their pride when they’ve impacted a resident’s healing is tangible.”

  A nurse’s diligence with wound care makes all the difference. At times, Pam feels overwhelmed with all the requests to see residents and make special wound care recommendations. Yet she is sure that if given the opportunity to begin her career all over again, she would choose nursing in a heartbeat. The wound care certification has opened many professional doors for her as she increases her expertise both clinically and educationally. In the future, she sees herself designating time in her work schedule specifically for wound assessments.

  For Pam, nursing has had its share of irony. The same woman who initially renounced long-term care now proudly declares her sincere advocacy. “I’ve been a nurse for 27 years and have had a lot of life experience in the field,” Pam says. “I would advocate for anyone to enter into nursing. It is one of the most challenging yet rewarding careers a person could choose.” While the career path may have been happenstance, Pam’s overall determination has remained a constant — a necessary quality for her scope of practice.

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