WOCNCB News
FAQs
The FAQs in this issue cover a lot of ground - from changes in AP certification to recertifying after your credentials lapse. As always, answers to your questions can be found on our Web site at Ask the Board and FAQs or by contacting the office at 1-888-496-2622 or info@WOCNCB.org.
Q: I understand there are changes to the Advanced Practice credential for the WOC specialties. What are they?
A: Since 2005, candidates have been able to earn an AP WOC specialty credential by submitting a professional portfolio. In June 2009, the AP handbook was revised, and we believe the changes will make it easier for an NP or CNS to attain this specialty AP credential. The changes include:
- The clinical scenario component is now assigned a point value and more complete instructions are outlined.
- The research component has been expanded so you have a greater opportunity to fulfill this requirement.
Click here to download the brand new June 2009 edition of the AP handbook
Q: What is the best way to study for WOCNCB exams?
A: Whether you are taking an examination for the first time or recertifiying by taking an exam again, it is important for you to study in order to successfully pass the exam. Several tools on our Web site can help you: Tools include test preparation suggestions, a practice test called the Self-Assessment Exam (SAE), and a bibliography of recommended study materials. Click here to get more information about tools that will help you feel confident on exam day.
Q: I've passed my exams, and I want to demonstrate I've earned the credentials. When will I receive my certificate?
A: Certificates are issued on a quarterly basis. For example, if you test in July, August, or September, your certificates will be issued at the end of October. If your employers needs to verify your credentials now, just have them contact the WOCNCB office at 1-888-496-2622 They can also look up your credentials on the Credential Verification page of our Web site.
Q: HELP! My credentials have lapsed! How can I recertify?
A: Just follow the same eligibility requirements and instructions as for initial certification:
- Be currently licensed as a Registered Nurse
- Hold a baccalaureate degree
- Fulfill ONE of the eligibility pathways - Traditional education, Experiential, or Graduate.
However, beginning February 1, 2010, any certificant with a lapse in credentials greater than two years will be required to prove eligibility via the Experiential Pathway. If your credentials are lapsed fewer than two years and you are a WOCN Education Program graduate, you may simply submit an examination application as for initial certification. Click here for complete information.
What's New?
The WOCNCB Evidence-based Practice Literature Review:
How we did it. Why we did it.
Patricia Collins, RN, MSN, CNS, APRN-BC, CWOCN
Evidence-Based Practice Committee Liaison
I receive about five journals a month related to wound, ostomy or continence care. When they come, I usually skim an article or two in each, and then put them in neat stacks by year and journal and store them in the bottom of my closet. My plan is to go through them in detail later. I have toyed with the idea of stacking them in front of the door when I travel - surely they will prevent a burglar from getting the door open! Journals are only part of my problem. I'm also bombarded by the plethora of Web-based information that comes in on my three e-mail accounts.
There is an explosion of information, and with everything going on in our personal and professional lives, it is very difficult to stay current in one field, much less three fields. In an effort to help WOC nurses keep current and a bit more stress-free, The WOCNCB formed an Evidence Based Practice Committee in 2007. The purpose of this committee is to ensure that the Examination and Professional Growth Program Committees have the most recent evidence to support their work. Having this current information available, we felt our research would also be of value to our certificants.
Announcing the WOCNCB's first annual Evidence Based Practice literature review supplement! See the July/August issue of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing
Jane Fellows was appointed Chairperson and I the liaison to the Board. The new committee included a minimum of eight WOCNCB Board Certified WOC Nurses with representation as follows:
- Two WOCNEP or nursing educators
- Two industry representatives
- Four clinicians, researchers or educators
In May of 2008, the committee had a two day meeting in Atlanta to get the project started. The continence section of the committee was Mikel Grey and Katherine Moore. Jane Fellows and Bev Folkendahl formed the ostomy section of the committee. The wound committee members were Dorothy Doughty, Sharon Evans, Margaret Falconi-West and I. The morning of the first day was spent discussing questions about Evidence-Based Practice (EBP). What is it? What are the levels of evidence found in the literature for the three fields? What inclusion criteria should we use for articles? What would be the most useful format for the clinician? How will we disseminate the information? We decided to cover years 2007-2008 for the first edition. That's just the first morning! I do know that I was reeling from the intelligence, dedication and energy in that room.
Interestingly, what we discovered is that large randomized controlled studies were rare. In the early days of evidence-based practice, only results from those types were considered. Now, a more realistic expectation of evidence-based practice is inclusive. Today EBP is a blending of the best evidence available with clinical judgment and expertise to develop the treatment plan that is most likely to provide the best positive outcomes for patients.
Each reviewer on the committee spent a considerable amount of time going through the journals and thinking about and selecting articles for the literature review. Our essential principle was, "What does this mean to my practice?" Each group spent numerous phone calls discussing and editing final selections. It was hard work!
Our publication will be available as a supplement in the July/August issue of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses (JWOCN). The Board decided to select the JWOCN as our publisher for a number of reasons. The publication would go out to members of the WOCN Society, thus reaching a larger group of people in the field. By being published by the JWOCN, our edition would be indexed in the literature and thus available to practitioners who may not be WOC nurses or Board certified. In addition, the review would be accessible on three Web sites: WOCNCB, JWOCN, and the WOCN Society.
Just when we thought we could take a break, we realized that we need to start on the 2009 edition! Our committee recognizes that evaluation by the reader is an important part of our process. We want your feedback! At the 2010 Annual WOCN Society meeting in Phoenix, AZ the WOCNCB booth will have evaluation forms available for feedback. If you desire to give your input sooner, you can contact the Committee via e-mail at info@wocncb.org.
As WOC nurses passionate about patient care, we know that utilization of best practices based on evidence is paramount to the patients being served. We believe the efforts of the EBP Committee will help guide your practice. We also believe our efforts will serve as a basis for supporting decisions for product use by physicians and medical facilities and ultimately help demonstrate to administrators, regulators and payers the importance of hiring Board Certified Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses.
Announcing: 2008 Examination Pass Rates
Each year the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, one of our accrediting bodies, requires that we post the wound, ostomy and continence examination pass rates for the previous year. Here are the pass rates for January through December, 2008.
| EXAM | PASS | FAIL | NUMBER TESTED |
| CWCN® (Wound Examination) | 69.8% | 30.2% | 1508 |
| COCN® (Ostomy Examination) | 72% | 28% | 1159 |
| CCCN® (Continence Examination) | 69% | 31% | 826 |
The total number of active WOCNCB Certificants as of June, 2009 is 5637. Congratulations to you all!
Update: Board Certification for AP Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses
Leanne Richbourg MSN, APRN-BC, CWON-AP
Chair, Advanced Practice Committee
A year ago, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing APRN Advisory Committee and The APRN Consensus Work Group proposed a new model for APRN regulation that addressed the need for consensus in licensure, accreditation, certification and education (LACE) of advanced practice nurses across the country. The model proposed that APRN practice be defined by four roles, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Certified Nurse Midwife, Clinical Nurse Specialist, and Certified Nurse Practitioner, all to be designated by the title "Advanced Practice Registered Nurse" (APRN). APRNs will then be educated and licensed in one of the four roles and in a population focus such as Family, Adult/Gerontology, Women's Health, Neonatal, Pediatrics, and Psychiatric/Mental Health. The LACE model designates that the APRN must successfully pass a national certification examination that measures competencies of a role and population foci. The model has been endorsed by numerous nursing organizations, including the WOCN Society and WOCNCB.The targeted timeline for full implementation of the model is 2015.
The LACE model recognizes specialty APN practice as more focused in education and practice. Specialty APN education and practice builds upon the APRN role/population foci and will not be regulated by state boards of nursing. Rather, specialty APN practice will be recognized and monitored by the profession; in our case, the Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN Society).
How WOCNCB supports specialty APN practice
As many of you may know, the WOCN Society is already pursuing recognition of wound, ostomy and continence nursing as a specialty under the ANA Criteria for Recognition as a Nursing Specialty. The WOCNCB has been keeping a very close eye on the developments in this area to best serve our Advanced Practice Certificants.
The WOCNCB first awarded APN certification in wound, ostomy and/or continence via portfolio in 2005. Recently, the WOCNCB established an Advanced Practice Committee of six advanced practice nurses who are involved in ongoing evaluation of the process and specifications for recertification by the AP portfolio. Through the diligence of the committee, an updated and revised Advanced Practice Portfolio Handbook is now available for free download here. The revised handbook incorporates a more flexible approach when validating the APN's participation in or application of research. In addition, in order to serve our busy advanced practice nurses who find the portfolio process burdensome, the WOCNCB has approved the development of an advanced practice examination.
The WOCNCB will continue to monitor the development of a national model for APRN licensing and will also continue to support the Board Certification process for Advanced Practice Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses.
Update: LPN/LVN Job-Analysis Survey for Alternative Level of Certification
Many certificants have expressed interest in the job-analysis survey the board undertook to collect data to help us determine what, if any, alternate levels of certification might be offered in the future. The job-analysis survey of LPNs and LVNs involved in wound, ostomy and continence care was recently released and we are beginning to receive responses.
We are still collecting names and e-mail addresses of LPNs/LVNs interested in taking the survey plus lists of educators and nurse executives who will pass the survey on to LPNs and LVNs. If you know any LPN/LVN, educator or employer who would like to participate, please encourage them to send their contact information to info@WOCNCB.org or to Kathy Meyer at the WOCNCB office at 1-888-496-2622.
WOCN Society and WCET Announce 2010 Joint Conference
The WOCN Society and the WCET have set the date for their 2010 Joint Conference. The event, which will run from June 12 - June 16, 2010, will be held in Phoenix, Arizona. Click here for more information.
The WOCNCB has already reserved a spot in the exhibit hall, and we hope to see you there.
University of Texas to Discontinue WOC Nurse Education Program
Recently, the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center announced that all future WOC classes have been eliminated from its educational opportunities.
The WOCNCB regrets the loss of a fine instructional program.
A current list of all WOCN Society accredited WOC nursing educational programs is available on the WOCNCB Web site.
Look for the WOCNCB
Twitter along with the WOCNCB at www.twitter.com/WOCNCB. Meet other nurses, support groups and people living with ostomies. Get updates about issues that affect you.
Plan Head!
Plan to meet us at the 2010 WOCN/ WCET Joint Conference. The event will be held June 12 - June 16, 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona. See you there!
