President's Message

Welcome to the Dog Days of Summer! Wherever you may be I hope you are staying cool. Here in Texas it’s just a normal summer, meaning, it’s sweltering! Many of our colleagues and families here in Texas and across the country are also recovering from Hurricane Beryl and I want you all to know that our thoughts are with each of you. If you were able to attend the WOCNext conference in Cleveland, I hope you had a great time and learned some valuable information to take back with you. We enjoyed seeing everyone who came by our booth in the exhibit hall and at the session Many Roadmaps to Certification presented by myself, and board members Alex Aningalan, DNP, RN, CWON, CPHQ and Kathy Khandaker, MSN, APRN, CANP, CWOCN. With our session in mind and the recent hurricane event I want to remind everyone of our Grace period (see page 10 of Exam Handbook) and Credential Extension, as well as, our Benevolence Fund which are designed to help in the event of natural disasters, among other things. You can find a link to our Disaster Relief program on our home page. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help. We are here for you! Also, during our session we announced two exciting new changes. The experiential pathway requirements for initial certification have now been updated to mirror requirements in the PGP regarding work setting and direct patient care. Also, the new streamlined AP PGP program will be launched this fall and will now give points for practice hours!

Additionally, I want to congratulate our new Employer of the Year which we presented at our booth during conference. NCH Healthcare System in Naples Florida has an outstanding leadership that fully supports Certified WOC nurses throughout their system! They are a shining beacon of a system that truly understands the value that our profession brings to patients and they deserve the recognition. If you work for an outstanding healthcare organization that supports you and your fellow Certified WOC nurses I encourage you to nominate them for next year’s award.

Live PGP office hours will be resuming next month and I encourage you to join the call and get all of your questions answered. It’s a great opportunity to reduce the stress of recertification and make sure you are clear on how to get your portfolio completed and submitted on time. If you have ever considered volunteering I want to encourage you to go for it! We will be sending a call for volunteers in August to serve on various committees. We can’t do this without you and it’s a great way to meet some really amazing colleagues, help our profession continue to grow and to help us maintain the Gold Standard in each of our specialty certification areas. You won’t regret the experience, I know I haven’t.

Well, with that I will ride off into the sunset until the next E-news. Stay cool out there and enjoy the summer while you can, it already seems like Christmas is just around the corner!

Warm regards,

Clay E. Collins, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, CWOCN, CFCN
WOCNCB^® President

 Award Spotlight!

2024 Employer Recognition Award

Congratulations to NCH Healthcare System - Naples, Florida!

Above: Margie Arnold, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, CWOCN, NCH WOC Nursing Director and Nicole Bishop-Tregea, RN, BSN, BHA, MBA, CENP, Chief Nursing Executive NCH with WOCNCB Award. WOCNCB presenting award to NCH Healthcare System. Above from left to right: Clay Collins, WOCNCB Board President, Margie Arnold, NCH WOC Nursing Director, Nicole Bishop-Tregea, Chief Nursing Executive NCH, Kathryn Khandaker, Board Member, Holly Hovan, Board Member and Alex M. Aningalan, Board Member. The award was presented during the 2024 WOCNext Conference in Cleveland, Ohio at the WOCNCB® booth. To read the winning essay and see the entire NCH Healthcare System Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse Team click here. Listen to NCH Award Winning Podcast! WOCNCB enjoyed speaking with NCH Healthcare System; listen to podcast to hear how the WOCNCB Certified Nurses serve as leaders, educators, consultants and administrators. Click to Listen.

Conference Highlights

WOCNext 2024

Did You Know?

New Streamlined ONLINE Advanced Practice PGP Program Requirements Coming THIS FALL

Consider Recertification by PGP and Skip the Exam!

This fall 2024, WOCNCB will launch a new, online AP system with updated portfolio recertification requirements that will make it easier for AP WOC certified nurses to recertify without taking an exam.

New AP Portfolio Summary

80 points will still be required for each portfolio

Three categories for PGP points:

1. Continuing Education (CE/CME/CNE)
2. NEW Practice Hours within any role of WOC nursing (direct patient care, academic, industry, administrative/management)
3. AP Professional Activities, up to 40 points.

Watch your email for additional information based on your recertification date and additional reminders. You may request that WOCNCB extend your credentials to the end of April 2025 and submit your portfolio through January 31, 2025. Be sure to email info@wocncb.org and state you wish to use the new 2024 AP requirements to be granted an extension.

Next Live PGP Office Hours August 21st!

Join WOCNCB volunteers for PGP Office Hours, where you can ask questions in real time and learn more about the PGP process and resources.

Join Zoom Meeting:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83685619793?pwd=Y1hqaGlvQStYaU9rRlNMQkR3ZE5JUT09

Meeting ID: 836 8561 9793
Passcode:  411130

Check out the new PGP resources available on our website: the 2024 PGP Handbook, PGP FAQs, short tutorial videos and WOCNCB Certification Inspiration podcast New Streamlined PGP Requirements – What you Need to Know!

Helping Hands

Thank You WOCNCB Exam Prep Committee Volunteers!

WOCNCB is thankful for all those who donate their time to committee service. In June the WOCNCB Exam Prep Committee met in Milwaukee to review and update WOCNCB exam prep materials.

Above front row left to right: Colleen M. Drolshagen, BSN, RN, CNS, CWOCN and Jill M. Trelease, DNP, FNP-BC, CWON, CFCN. Back row left to right: Stacie Fischer-Biller, MSN, FNP-BC, COCN-AP, Linda Arundel, MSN, RN, CWOCN, Melody R. Austin, MSN, RN, CNS, CWON-AP, Suzanne M. Wirtz, BSN, RN, CWCN, CFCN, Ronald Krinn, MHA, RN, CWOCN, May Ishikawa, MSN, FNP-C, CWOCN and Cathleen T. Van Houten, MS, RN, CNS, CWON.

Give Back to Your Profession & Apply to Become a WOCNCB Committee Volunteer!

The Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB) is seeking interested individuals to volunteer their time to participate on one of several committees focused on the growth and success of the Board and its certificants. The new term will begin January 1, 2025.

Volunteering is a great opportunity to give back to your profession and network with other certified nurses. Service on a committee is also a way to earn points for your Professional Growth Program portfolio. In August, WOCNCB will be sending a broadcast email for a Call for Volunteers.

Click here for Committee descriptions and more details.

Join us as we celebrate Ostomy Awareness Day October 5, 2024!

WOCNCB has formed a team to participate in the virtual Run for Resilience Ostomy/5K! To join our team please follow the link below:

https://runsignup.com/Race/ME/Biddeford/VirtualOstomy5k

Select Virtual Ostomy 5k - T-Shirt & Bib or Bib only
Complete form and follow prompts to join or create a Group/Team

Search for Team Name: WOCNCB

To guarantee you receive a T-shirt prior to Oct 5, order before September 6th. You will receive a confirmation email once payment is received.

Sign up family members, colleagues, the more the better! We hope to see you virtually October 5th!

Need PGP points? Volunteer to Promote WOCNCB with the Showbox!

If you plan on attending a regional conference, please consider volunteering and promoting the WOCNCB.  To make it easy, WOCNCB will send you a "Showbox" containing promotional material and resources.  As a bonus, you will obtain 5 PGP points (category 3) under any specialty!  To request a Showbox contact: info@wocncb.org.

Save the Date!

Look for WOCNCB Booth 1150!

If you do not wish to be included in our mailing list, please forward this message to info@wocncb.org.