Submitted by Paula Collins, CMPC
After traveling to Cleveland, Ohio for three weeks, and completing over 120 hours of hands on training, Samantha Willis in the Cabinet Peaks Medical Center Medical/Surgical Department, has completed her certification as a Certified Wound Care Nurse.
Cleveland Clinic founded the world’s first school of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence (WOC) nursing over 50 years ago. It is one of only six accredited WOC nursing programs in the United States, and trains nurses in one of the few specialties recognized by the American Nurses Association.
You may wonder how this will benefit our community and the patients at CPMC. Acute and chronic wounds, such as venous, arterial, neuropathic, and traumatic wounds and pressure injuries, are becoming an increasing problem amongst the population, are costly to manage, and can have a detrimental effect on the physical and psychosocial wellbeing of patients. Patients in our community previously had limited options for wound care locally and many had to travel to wound care clinics in other cities for specialized care. Lincoln County residents will now have the option to seek the care of a WOC nurse locally while working in cooperation with local providers in order to receive specialized care close to home.
Willis has been an RN at CPMC for six years and plans to complete the steps necessary to receive her full-scope CWOCN (Certified Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse) certification by the end of the summer. Willis stated, “Wound care has been an interest of mine since nursing school. It has continued to grow into a passion as I have progressed throughout my nursing career. Wound care is such a rapidly evolving, specialized field of nursing that it is important to have a resource available who is up to date on evidence-based best practices and new products in order to optimize the potential for patient healing. I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to pursue my passion and to begin to offer these much needed services to our community. It is so rewarding to know that I have had a positive impact on my patients’ lives and to witness not only how a wound improves as treatment progresses, but also to see patients regain the quality of life that they had lost as they were suffering from wounds that, in some cases, have been plaguing them for many years.”
The team at Cabinet Peaks is excited for the possibilities this certification may open up for the community of Lincoln County, and surrounding areas. Kimberlee Rebo, CPMC Acute Care Manager, states “It is very exciting that we will have our very own CWOCN here in Lincoln County. There are a limited number of CWOCNs in the state of Montana, so to have Sam here is truly an asset to our patients & community. Sam is knowledgeable; extremely detail oriented and is passionate about wounds! She is always willing to go above & beyond to ensure our patients receive the best care possible.”
At this time, Sam is seeing patients who are admitted to the hospital, as well as outpatients at Cabinet Peaks Family Medicine, in coordination with a primary care provider. For more information on this service, please speak to your primary care provider or call Cabinet Peaks Medical Center at 283-7000