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The largest of the four Duke Healthhospitals with 1062 patient beds, it features comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic facilities, including a regional emergency/trauma center, an endo-surgery center, and more. Occ Summary The Wound Ostomy Registered Nurse provides specialized wound, ostomy, and continence care across the organization. This role delivers comprehensive pre- and postoperative assessment, treatment, counseling, and education for patients of all ages with complex skin, wound, ostomy, or continence needs.
The Wound Ostomy RN serves as a clinical expert and primary educator for nursing staff, promoting competency in foundational wound, ostomy, and continence management. Working collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams, the Wound Ostomy RN functions as a clinician, educator, and consultant to support high quality, evidence based patient care. Work Performed Clinical Care: Provide advanced wound, ostomy, and continence care in accordance with provider orders and organizational policies.
Identify and manage patient caseloads through referrals and proactive case finding. Deliver evidence-based treatments and select appropriate products for optimal outcomes. Evaluate and recommend wound and ostomy products to ensure safe, cost- effective care.
Patient & Family Support: Provide preoperative counseling, post-discharge education, and ongoing support for patients with wounds, ostomies, or continence needs (i.e., incontinence-associated skin damage). Assess learning needs and tailor education to health literacy, readiness, and cultural considerations. Coach patients and families in self-care, adapting to body changes or chronic illness.
Connectpatients with community resources to support quality of life. Staff Education & Collaboration: Assess staff learning needs and plan/deliver education programs. Serve as a consultant and resource for wound, ostomy, and continence management within the organization.
Build collaborative relationships across departments to promote patient safety, cultural competence, and clinical excellence. Professional Practice & Quality Improvement: Model advanced professional nursing practice through leadership, ethical decision making, critical thinking, and effective communication. Participate in process improvement initiatives, product evaluations, outcome studies, and clinical research.
Use quality monitoring data to evaluate and improve clinical programs. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Comprehensive understanding of wound healing physiology, skin integrity, tissue perfusion, and factors affecting healing. Evidence-based knowledge of wound, ostomy, and continence assessment, interventions, pressure injury prevention, and product selection.
Working knowledge of ostomy management, continence and urologic care, and prevention of moisture-associated skin damage. Principles of adult and pediatric learning, health literacy, and patient-centerededucation. Quality monitoring, outcome measurement, and product evaluation relevant to wound and ostomy care.
Performs advanced assessment and consultative management of complex wound, ostomy, continence, and skin integrity needs. Selects and implements evidence-based interventions to achieve optimal patient outcomes. Provides specialized preoperative and postoperative education, coaching, and hands-on training for patients and families.
Educates and mentors nursing staff and interprofessional team members using clear, clinically appropriate communication. Prioritizes and manages a dynamic consult caseload in a fast-paced, complex care environment. Documents assessments, recommendations, education, and outcomes accurately using the EMR.
Demonstrates sound clinical judgment and critical thinking in complex or high-risk cases. Functions as a clinical consultant and subject matter expert across care settings. Builds collaborative relationships with nursing staff, providers, and interdisciplinary partners topromote high-quality care.
Adapts clinical approach, communication, and teaching strategies to meet patient readiness, literacy, and cultural needs. Responds effectively to changing patient needs, consult volumes, and organizational priorities. Applies insights from prior cases, quality data, and product evaluations to improve clinical practice and outcomes.
Level Characteristics N/A
Education Work requires graduation from an accredited nursing program with a BSN degree. Experience Minimum 2 years of applicable RN clinical experience is required. Degrees, Licensures, Certifications Must have currentor compact RN licensure in the state of North Carolina.
BLS required. Nationally recognized certification in Wound and Ostomy Management (CWOCN, CWON) within three months of hiring is required. Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation or military status.
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