A Wound and Ostomy Nurse cares for patients with wounds caused by medical treatments, diseases, or injuries. They also provide post-surgery treatment and care for patients with ostomies, which are surgical openings that allow for the elimination of bodily waste. These nurses often work with a healthcare team, assessing patients, managing wounds, and monitoring healing.
Things You'll Do:
- Prevent bedsores
- Help ulcers, abscesses and feeding tube sites heal quickly
- Clean wounds
- Develop wound care treatment plans
Your job characteristics:
- Multifaceted
- Structured
- Patient-facing
How You'll Get There
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Get YourNursing Diploma, Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
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Pass YourNational Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN)
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You can start working as a Registered Nurse.
More about becoming an RN › -
Complete an accredited Wound, Ostomy or Continence (WOC) nursing education program, or get 1500 hours of experience in the Experiential Pathway program.
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Get YourWound, Ostomy, or Continence (WOC) certification exam
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Become aCertified Wound, Ostomy or Continence Nurse
More About this Specialty
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Meet
Aikoread her story
Clinical Nurse Specialist, RN
After graduating from nursing school in Japan, I worked for two years in a large Tokyo hospital.
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Meet
Launetteread her story
Nurse Educator
I always knew that I wanted to be a nurse. I thought I wanted to be a bedside pediatric nurse, however I found that what I really loved...
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What Else You
Can Expect- If you work with the elderly, you’ll help teach nursing home attendants how to help patients avoid bedsores.