Brochure (pdf)

Application (pdf)

Accreditation

The Wound Care Specialty Course, College of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina, is accredited by the Wound, Ostomy & Continence Nurses Society (WOCN).

Course Overview

The Wound Care Specialty Course provided by the College of Nursing at the Medical University in historic Charleston, SC prepares registered nurses with a minimum Baccalaureate degree for the specialty practice of wound care nursing.  Consistent with the mission of the College of Nursing, this continuing education program provides evidence-based education for wound managment.  Successful graduates of the course are eligible to take the national board examination offered by the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Certification Board (WOCNCB) to become a Certified Wound Care Nurse (CWCN). 

The course prepares the graduate to provide direct care, education, and consultation to patients, families, and other healthcare providers for the comprehensive assessment and management of acute and chronic wounds including:  surgical wounds, pressure ulcers, venous, arterial, and neuropathic/diabetic ulcers, fistulae, wounds with percutaneous drains or tubes, and select skin care problems.  Nurses completing the course are prepared to use advanced clinical skills including: risk assessment and strategies for prevention/management of pressure ulcers, use and selection of appropriate debridement methods including conservative sharp instrumental wound debridement and chemical cautery, selection of topical products and adjunctive therapies, differential assessment of lower extremity wounds including noninvasive screening such as ankle brachial index testing, and nutritional screening.

The nurse completing the specialty course is prepared to use education, consultation, principles from research and management/leadership skills appropriate to the role.

Course Requirements

Graduation from the course is based upon satisfactory completion of two written examinations, a teaching project, written role implementation plan, critique of a research study and satisfactory performance in the clinical area.

Program Options

Two program options are provided:  (1) an intensive, onsite 3-week course with all didactic and clinical experiences in Charleston, and (2) a split-option, web-enhanced, distance learning course that is designed for completion in 4 months, which requires the first week onsite in Charleston and the balance of the course is completed online.  Participants in the distance course have the option of arranging off-site clinical experience in their local communities or returning to Charleston, SC, after completion of the didactic, for their clinical experiences.  Both program options are approved for continuing nursing education contact hours.

Dates

Course Objectives

At the completion of the course, the student will be able to

• Utilize principles of current wound management theory in providing care to patients with acute and chronic wounds.
• Distinguish between factors which enhance or impede the wound healing process.
• Incorporate knowledge of anatomy and pathophysiology into wound management practice.
• Demonstrate skill in delivery of acute/chronic wound care.
• Develop skin care programs to prevent skin breakdown.
• Design protocols to manage patients with draining wounds, fistulae and/or tubes.
• Integrate relevant knowledge from other disciplines for the provision of comprehensive wound care.
• Integrate principles of human development and adult learning in patient, family and staff education.
• Provide wound management consultation to medical and nursing staff.
• Develop strategies for implementation of the wound care nurse role.
• Integrate research findings into clinical practice.
• Identify responsibilities for professional leadership, professional development and community involvement.
• Assess the impact of national health care policy, legal and ethical issues on wound care nursing practice.
• Collaborate with other members of the health care team to implement a continuum of care for the wound care patient.

Course Content

Areas of instruction include:

• Normal structure and function of skin
  Factors contributing to skin breakdown
• Physiology of wound healing
• Factors which inhibit/enhance wound healing
• Wound assessment - measuring - staging
• Prevention of skin breakdown and risk assessment
• Selection and utilization of support surfaces for pressure redistribution
• Nursing management/intervention - appropriate selection and utilization of topical therapy
• Debridement: autolytic, enzymatic, mechanical, surgical, biologic, & conservative instrumental sharp
• Basic foot and nail care
• Noninvasive assessment of lower extremity perfusion using ankle brachial index (ABI)
• Differential assessment and management of venous, arterial, & neuropathic/diabetic ulcers
• Selection and application of compression therapy
• Other modalities of treatment: surgical intervention, hyperbaric oxygen, growth factors, electrical stimulation, hydrotherapy, topical negative pressure, skin equivalents, etc
• Care of draining wounds/fistulae
• Drain/tube care and management
• Nutritional/hydration factors
• Infection control principles
• Management of patients with special wound care needs: burns, oncology, pyoderma, calciphylaxis, necrotizing fasciitis, etc
• Patient and family education/counseling
• Human development and teaching/learning principles
• Role implementation strategies
• National health care issues
• Legal/ethical aspects, standards, quality care issues
• Reimbursement, setting up a practice
• Budgeting - record keeping
• Professional responsibilities
• Coordination of services - multidisciplinary approach
• Continuity of care
• Change, conflict management, communication

Faculty

Phyllis Bonham, PhD, RN, MSN, CWOCN
Associate Professor
Director, Wound Care Education Program

Guest lecturers and clinical preceptors from the community participate in class and clinical instruction.

Admission

You must be a Registered Nurse with proof of current SC licensure or have a license from another compact state with privileges to practice in SC. RNs who attend the distance course must have a current license in the state in which they practice and be licensed in the state in which they plan to take their clinical experiences. You must have a minimum of one year of clinical experiences following completion of RN licensure. Clinical experience should be obtained within 5 years prior to application to specialty course. Documentation of currency of clinical nursing experience is through active practice, completion of a nurse refresher course, or clinical performace examination.

In addition, you must meet one of the following educational criteria:

• Baccalaureate degree with a major in nursing
  
  OR
  
  
• Baccalaureate degree with documentation of baccalaureate level nursing competence in the areas of:
  • Health assessment
  • Pharmacology
  • Community health nursing
  • Leadership and management
  • Research and statistics.
    (Competency may be documented by coursework for college credit validated by transcript, by the satisfactory completion of the National League for Nursing Baccalaureate Achievement Examination, certificate of continuing education credit or evidence of formal training, or documentation of other equivalent experience. Program Director will review documentation to assure that there is evidence of Baccalaureate level competency.)

OR

• Master's Degree in nursing

Drug Screen and Criminal Background Checks (done within three (3) months of application) are required for clinical experiences and directions/forms are provided in the application packet to facilitate the drug test (at the expense of the participant). 

If the drug screen or background checks reveal an adverse event that prohibits clinical placement, participants will not be eligible for admission into the program.

Students who meet criteria and have satisfactorily completed the application process are accepted on a space available basis. Class size is limited.

Qualified students are admitted without discrimination in regard to age, creed, ethnic origin, marital status, sex or sexual preference and must be physically/emotionally and mentally capable of performing the duties of the wound care nurse.

Course Tuition

Tuition and fees for all courses is $4,300.00. Course fees subject to change.

Scholarships

Continuing Nursing Education Credit

Contact hours will be offered. The Medical University of South Carolina is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Cancellation Policy

We reserve the right to cancel the program if necessary. Full tuition fees (minus the non-refundable application fee) will be refunded for canceled programs. The University cannot be responsible for reimbursement of airline or other transportation fares, hotel or rental car charges, including penalties in the event a course is cancelled.

Housing, Transportation & Parking

Students are responsible for their own housing and transportation. A housing list is available with the application. Parking is available on campus at MUSC. Notify the Program Director if parking is needed. An automobile is necessary.

Travel is required for clinical experiences within the surrounding communities and is the responsibility of the participant. 

Contact

Medical University of South Carolina
Wound Care Education Program
College of Nursing
Office of Continuing Nursing Education
MSC 160
99 Jonathan Lucas Street
Charleston, SC 29425
Phone: 843-792-2651
Fax: 843-792-3680
bonhamp@musc.edu