IN THIS ISSUE: 45 Years | Helping Hands | Award | Save the Date

President's Message

It seems like I was writing my first President’s message only a month ago, and instead, a whole year has passed, and we are heading into 2023! I’d like to start by wishing you all a happy and healthy new year. I hope that each of you was able to take time to celebrate the holiday season with family and friends.

At the end of this year, we said goodbye to our Past President, Michael Kingnan, and Board Member Kathy Kump. Michael has been instrumental in the development of the WOCNCB® flashcards and exam preparation materials. During his tenure as WOCNCB® President, his leadership helped the board navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and adapt to meet the needs of the certificants. Kathy has been with the board since 2016, serving as the AP Exam Committee Liaison, and has provided many contributions to grow the AP-Certification. I also want to thank all committee members whose terms ended in December. Your time and hard work are appreciated and critical to the sustainability and growth of the WOCNCB®.

In November, we welcomed a new Board Member, Kathy Khandaker. She has been a key asset on the WOC Exam Committee in the past, and I look forward to working with her on the Board. Kathy’s role on the Board will be as the AP Exam Committee Liaison. In addition, the BOD held its election for President-Elect. I am happy to announce Clay Collins has been elected and will begin to transition into that role to prepare for his term as President. Clay has a long history of volunteering for the WOCNCB® as a board liaison for the Foot Care Committee and the WTA-C® Committee. His flexibility and willingness to take on new roles whenever needed are highly valued.

I want to take the opportunity to reflect on some of the successes of 2022. The first WTA-C® Job Task Analysis (JTA) is underway. If you are a WTA-C, you will be receiving a survey link soon. Thank you to the volunteers for your work on the JTA, as it helps ensure the relevance of our exam questions to meet the Gold Standard for Certification. The WOCNCB® also participated in a project of the National Certification Corporation in collaboration with other certification boards who are members of the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS) to produce a 60-second PSA campaign called “Certified Nurses Make a Difference.” It is airing on TV and streaming services, such as HULU. You can also view it here: https://certifiednurses.org/cn_home.cfm. Finally, we continue to update and expand our exam preparation materials and now have mobile app flashcards for wound, ostomy, continence, foot care, and AP-wound, ostomy, and continence exams.

Looking forward to 2023, the WOCNCB® will be celebrating its 45th Anniversary! After reviewing WOCNCB® records going back to 1980, we found three nurses who have been continuously certified for 43 years. These nurses are Mary Gloeckner, CWON®, Bonnie Rolstad, CWOCN®, and Janice Colwell, CWOCN®. I find their dedication to the WOC nursing specialty inspiring, and through their research, teaching, mentoring, and volunteering have impacted many, including myself. The WOCNCB will be celebrating them this year…..more to come with that!

Warm regards,

Jessica Simmons, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CWON, DNC
WOCNCB® President

45 Years

WOCNCB^® Achieving Excellence for 45 Years!

WOCNCB® is celebrating the 45 year milestone throughout the year by highlighting some of our longest continuously certified nurses! In our next E-news will include a list of everyone certified for more than 40 years. If you are one of those nurses certified for more than 40 years, please email us to be sure you are on the list.

43 Years Certified: Mary Gloeckner MS, RN, CWON, APN

Mary Gloeckner, MS, RN, CWON, APN has been a Wound Ostomy Nurse Specialist for 44 years, completing her Enterostomal Therapy (ET) education in 1976 and became an ET Nurse. There was no WOCNCB certification exam at the time, Mary is one of the pioneers and has been continuously WOCNCB certified for 43 years. During her career she has been a WOCNCB board member, a member of the WOCN Society, WCET, and Friends of Ostomates. We asked her to share some of her inspiration and insights:

What innovations have you seen during your career?

“There have been tremendous improvements and product innovations in both ostomy care and wound care since the 1970’s. When I first became certified we had only 3 ostomy pouches to choose from and now we have numerous companies world-wide that manufacture thousands of different pouches and wound care supplies. Also when I started my career patients had to drive miles to find a pharmacy that carried their ostomy or wound care products. It was often a real challenge! Now these products are ordered online and shipped to a person’s home. Also, we wore white uniforms and charted on paper charts.Today, nurses document everything on a computer.”

What inspired you to pursue WOCNCB certification?

“After 43 years of being a Certified Wound Ostomy Nurse, I still love my career and caring for patients. Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs once said “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life…so the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.” I feel that being a Certified Wound Ostomy Nurse is GREAT work.”

Since the pandemic, many nurses retired; what made you stay?

“I semi-retired right before Covid, but have filled in for two Maternity Leaves and some vacations during the pandemic. I care for our patients so much…and could not imagine a patient with a new Ostomy or Wound Vac not being cared for by a Certified Wound Ostomy Nurse.”

Note: Our exam information goes back to 1980 testing in paper storage files and invite those who have been certified continuously for over 40 years to reach out to us info@wocncb.org. We would like to recognize our nurses by sharing a photo or a testimonial!

Special 45th Anniversary Collection

The WOCNCB 45th Anniversary collection offers a variety of items including totes, caps, shirts, magnets and more! View the entire 45th Anniversary collection here!

Helping Hands

Thank you WOCNCB^® 2022 Volunteers!

WOCNCB^® is thankful for all those who donate their time to board or committee service. There are so many that contribute to the success of this organization. We would like to give our heartfelt thanks to those volunteers whose service ended in 2022:

Mark Goetcheus, BSN, RN, CWON, CFCN, Foot Care Committee, 2019 – 2022
Armi Earlam, DNP, MPA, BSN, RN,CWOCN, Item Review Committee, 2018 – 2022
Jacqueline Allard, MSN,RN, CWOCN, Item Review Committee, 2019– 2022
Kimberly Bock Hanson, BSN, RN, CWON, Item Review Committee, 2019 – 2022
Deborah Turner, BSN, RN, CWOCN, Item Review Committee, 2019 – 2022
Dianne L. Feeser, MS, RN, GCNS-BC, CWOCN, Marketing Committee, 2021 – 2022
Frantz Dorestant, Jr., MSN, RN, CWOCN, Marketing Committee, 2021 – 2022
Susan Solmos, MSN, RN ,CWCN, Marketing Committee 2019 – 2022
April Resendiz, MSN, RN, CWOCN, Public Policy & Advocacy Committee, 2021 – 2022
Molly Nicola Stetzer, RN, BA ,CWOCN, Public Policy & Advocacy Committee 2021 – 2022

Board Service Recognition

Above: Michael Kingan, DNP, AGPNP-BC, CWOCN being presented with a board service recognition plaque by WOCNCB President Jessica Simmons, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CWON, DNC. Michael joined the board in 2016 and became Board President in 2020 for a two year term.

Volunteer Nurses Needed for Youth Rally 2023

Each year the Youth Rally has a dedicated team of Licensed Medical Professionals who have experience with wound, ostomy and continence nursing. Youth Rally hosts kids and teens living with conditions of the bowel and bladder at a college campus for a 5-night one of a kind camp experience that promotes independence, self-esteem, learning, friendship, and FUN! Above: 2019 Youth Rally volunteer nurses and counselors in Seattle, Washington.

This year’s Youth Rally will be held in San Diego from July 10th – 15th, 2023. Click here to learn more. Volunteer and camper applications will be available in February.

Nominate Your Employer!

WOCNCB® 2023 Employer Recognition Award

The WOCNCB® Employer Recognition Award is awarded annually to honor an organization that has demonstrated exemplary support of the certification process in WOC nursing.

To nominate your employer:

Only current WOCNCB® Certificants can nominate an organization.
The application and full details on the submission guidelines can be found on the WOCNCB® website.

Accepting nominations through February 15, 2023

Save The Date!

Learn More About PGP - Attend Live PGP Office Hours!

Is it time for you to recertify? Are you in the process of completing your PGP? 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/85650959651?pwd=UU83T2tJdWx2UTNlM1AvMDJhT2hQdz09

Meeting ID: 856 5095 9651
Passcode: 916225

Click Here to access the PGP Handbook guidelines for recertification.

CE opportunity March 1-3, 2023 Mayo Clinic Wound Symposium: The Edges of Wound Care 2023. Learn the latest diagnostic and treatment strategies for comprehensive wound management. The program is multidisciplinary with faculty representing various wound-related fields. Multiple educational formats are used, including didactic sessions, hands-on demonstrations, and case presentations that offer comprehensive wound-management strategies (from basics to high-level). Up to 20.25 CEs offered. Livestream attendance option available Learn more.

Look for WOCNCB^® at these upcoming 2023 conferences:

NPIAP Annual Conference: March 17-18, 2023 in San Diego, CA. Learn more and register here.
SAWC Spring co-located with the Diabetic Limb Salvage Conference: April 26-30, 2023 in National Harbor, MD. Learn more and register here.
WOCNext: June 4-7, 2023 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, NV. For those who can't join in person, live-streamed education will be offered on the same dates. Learn more and register here.
ANCC National Magnet Conference® and the ANCC Pathway to Excellence Conference®: October 12-14, 2023 in Chicago, IL. Learn more and register here.

Reminder: WOCNCB & WOCN Society are two separate entities. If you have questions regarding membership or education credit, contact info@wocn.org.