What Does a Wound Care Nurse Do?
Wound care nurses, sometimes referred to as wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nurses, specialize in wound management, the monitoring and treatment of wounds due to injury, disease or medical treatments. Their work promotes the safe and rapid healing of a wide variety of wounds, from chronic bed sores or ulcers to abscesses, feeding tube sites and recent surgical openings. The majority of wound care nurses work in hospitals, nursing homes or travel to patients’ homes as home health workers. Their main objectives are to assess the wounds, develop a treatment plan, clean wounds and monitor for signs of infection. If the wounds become worse, the nurses must be able to recognize symptoms that could require surgical debridement or surgical drains. Wound care nurses also work with patients and other care givers to educate them on wound prevention. For example, they could inform nursing home attendants of proper ways to avoid bed sores in elderly patients. Wound care nurses must be able to h
